Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market as sales begin

By Aditya Soni

Oct 23 (Reuters) - For nearly two decades Apple has made only small changes to the iPhone, its money machine. That changes on Friday when Apple starts selling its first folding phone, iPhone Duo, betting that the device can do for the small foldables market what the iPhone did for smartphones.

Its reception could prove an early test for new Apple CEO John Ternus, the former hardware chief who unveiled iPhone Duo barely a week after taking charge in September.

It could also have large implications for a niche category in which ⁠rivals such as Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies have sold premium ​offerings for years.

Within minutes of pre-orders opening last Friday, Apple's estimated delivery dates for the Duo had slipped to late January as demand outpaced supply. The company called the response from customers "nothing short of extraordinary."

MIXED REVIEWS

Early reviews have praised the $1,999 Duo's premium design as well as its sturdy and barely visible hinge, a major feat for the phones whose prominent creased screen has long been a major drawback and potential deterrent to buyers.

But reviewers have also said that camera compromises including the absence of a telephoto lens and third-party apps that still need to be reworked for the new display size could disappoint some buyers. They have noted that iPhone Duo in its smaller, folded state is less handy for the litany of quick tasks that most users carry out each day on standard iPhones, leading several prominent reviewers to recommend against the Duo for many Apple customers.

"It's been a lot of fun trying the Duo out for a week, but it feels like I've gotten to use an extraordinarily polished prototype  —  not a finished product that I'd want to buy and carry," longtime Apple commentator John Gruber, the author of the blog Daring Fireball, wrote in a review.

Tech commentator Marques Brownlee, popularly known as MKBHD, said in a YouTube review that "if you're just a regular person who doesn't do much more than texting, social media and browsing here and there, then it is probably a no. But if the $2,000 doesn't mean much to you, and you like the idea, after the learning curve and getting used to not having facial identification, it is a really fun phone."

TOUGH TO FIND

The limited supplies could disappoint Apple fans lining up in front of stores to buy the Duo. Apple told Reuters that walk-in availability would vary by country, with limited stocks in the US, Australia, Canada, Mexico and much of Britain and Europe. In China, France, Hong Kong, India and Japan, units would be available only for customers who had ordered online.

In the China-governed territory of ​Macau, where the iPhone Duo will be available for walk-in customers only, fans already started lining up hours in advance, social media posts and media reports showed.

"Foldables have been an established category for years, but adoption has remained relatively limited compared with conventional smartphones. Apple's entry could bring the format to a much broader audience," said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president at market research firm IDC.

IDC expects Apple will take 44% of the foldable value in 2026 on 31% of foldable units. By 2027, it will become the market leader in the category both in value and units shipped, according to the firm.

"Apple has made a convincing case for this form factor," Jeronimo said after spending a week with the Duo.

"Now comes the next test: turning excitement into availability, adoption and a lasting new chapter for the smartphone market," Jeronimo added.

(Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Will Dunham)