Overview
- In a TIME interview published Oct. 15, CEO John Ternus said early foldables “felt kind of cheap and crappy” and confirmed he and other engineers filed a foldable-device patent in 2011.
- Apple says the Duo uses a custom polymer nanotexture on its inner display and a hinge made from more than 100 tiny precision parts to minimize a visible crease.
- Apple set iPhone Duo preorders to open Oct. 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time with first deliveries starting Oct. 23 and a reported $1,999 starting price, and supply-chain reports warn early inventory will be limited due to low final-assembly yields.
- Ternus, who became CEO on Sept. 1 after leading hardware engineering, has spent weeks working directly with design teams and suppliers to delay launch until Apple met its manufacturing standards.
- Ternus tied the Duo’s launch to Apple’s AI plans, saying Apple Intelligence relies on Gemini and that Siri AI can use personal phone data to create device-specific features, which positions the Duo as a high-end halo product showcasing hardware and AI integration.