Apple’s debut of its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, sparked a frenzy among fans on Friday, with long lines forming outside stores across the U.S. In New York, eager customers began queuing as early as 2 p.m. Thursday, with some reporting they were only 25th in line by dawn. By 10 a.m., the flagship Fifth Avenue store had already sold out of walk-in stock, leaving only those with pre-ordered pickups in line.
The excitement was not limited to New York. In Chicago, one buyer managed to secure a 512GB “Night Sky” model after arriving 45 minutes before opening, while in Dallas, another shopper waited 11 hours to get a white 512GB iPhone Duo. However, not all locations had the same luck. In Ardmore, Penn., a shopper arrived at 5:45 a.m. only to find the store sold out by 7:30 a.m., with nearby locations also running out quickly.
Scalpers and bulk buyers added to the frustration. One Reddit user at the World Trade Center store complained about “many scalpers” ordering multiple units without even knowing what they were buying. Another shopper in Philadelphia fumed about entire families purchasing two phones each, forcing him to wait until December for his order. Despite the chaos, some stores, like the one in Downtown Brooklyn, managed to restock briefly, offering limited colors like blue.
The launch-day scarcity seemed to fuel the hype, with social media buzzing about the limited availability. In Las Vegas, the line swelled from 30-40 people at 4:15 a.m. to over 150 by mid-morning. Meanwhile, in Colorado, mall security prevented early campers from lining up until 7 a.m., redirecting some customers to other stores. The iPhone Duo’s launch marked a significant moment for Apple under new CEO John Ternus, who unveiled the foldable phone on Sept. 9.