Apple's iPhone Duo foldable launches October 23 with overnight queues
Apple's first foldable phone drew overnight lines from London to Seoul, while online delivery estimates slipped to January within minutes.
Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, launched on October 23 local time, drawing overnight queues at Apple Stores and pushing online delivery dates months out.
The London queue formed outside the Apple Store on Regent Street, where dozens of people spent the night in the rain. Paul Francis, 53, a charity manager, began waiting at 9:30 p.m. the previous day. In San Francisco, Mohit Chandel, 32, joined the line around 11 p.m. the previous day to buy the device as a gift for his retired father.
Online buyers faced waits of several months. The Wall Street Journal reported that delivery dates slipped to January of the following year within minutes of pre-orders opening.
Reuters reported that overnight queues were shorter than at past iPhone launches because of limited sales volumes.
In Seoul, where the device also went on sale on October 23, the line at the Apple Myeongdong store grew from 4 to 5 people around 7:10 a.m. to about 100 before 8 a.m.
Quick answers
When did the iPhone Duo launch?
Apple's first foldable smartphone went on sale on October 23 local time in markets including the UK, the US and South Korea.
Why are iPhone Duo delivery dates so late?
Demand outpaced supply; according to The Wall Street Journal, delivery dates slipped to January of the following year within minutes of pre-orders opening.