DETROIT (WXYZ) — Apple fans lined up in downtown Detroit Friday morning as the company launched its first-ever foldable iPhone around the world.
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The iPhone Duo officially became available Friday, Oct. 23, following the start of pre-orders on Oct. 16. Apple describes the Duo as its first foldable iPhone, featuring a 7.6-inch inner display and 5.4-inch outer display.
At the Apple Store on Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, more than 100 people were in line as customers waited to get their hands on the new device.
When the doors opened at 8 a.m., Apple employees greeted customers with applause and cheers, turning the product launch into an experience for the people who had waited hours, and in some cases overnight.
Among them was Berkley resident Roy Latham, who was first in line after arriving at the store around 4 p.m. Thursday.
For Latham, the appeal was the larger folding display and the ability to use multiple apps at the same time.
“It’s mostly the display and what you can do on it,” Latham said. “I go to Wayne State. I’ll go back to school. And like, when you open it up, you get two full-size apps that you can go back and forth to.”Latham said the design could make it easier to have a question or assignment open on one side and his textbook on the other instead of constantly switching back and forth.
He wasn't alone in eagerly awaiting Apple's entry into the foldable market.
“I’ve been thinking about this for years cause they’ve been talking about it,” Latham said. “And Google and Samsung have them. And everyone has just been waiting for Apple.”
Apple announced the iPhone Duo in September. The phone starts at $1,999 and is powered by Apple's A20 Pro chip. The foldable design gives users Apple's largest-ever iPhone display when opened.
Latham went well beyond the entry-level model, purchasing a 2TB version for $3,199.
Other customers offered plenty of reasons for opening their wallets.
“Whew, it’s new. I want it. And, I’m here for it,” Detroit resident Nicole Starr said.
For Josh, another customer waiting to make a purchase, the excitement centered on one simple feature of having a folding phone.
“The first thing I’mma do is hang up on somebody, though,” he joked. “I’mma close the phone. That’s what I’m most excited about.”
For others, launch day was as much about tradition as technology.
Brian Mansour of Sterling Heights and Jason Zara of Clinton Township said they've attended Apple product launches for nearly 20 years.
“We did Somerset in 2007. The original iPhone came out,” Mansour said. “We were in line over there inside the mall. It was a 5 p.m. launch, I think it was, not this 8 a.m. stuff where we gotta stay all night.”
Zara said the atmosphere surrounding a major Apple release keeps bringing them back.
“It’s awesome to see. And then, it’s exciting,” Zara said. “The news media is here. The press comes. And then, sometimes you get the executives coming like when the Detroit store opened for the first time last year.”
Customers at the Detroit store included people who pre-ordered the Duo last week as well as shoppers who pre-registered for Friday's walk-in launch.
Detroit wasn't alone in seeing launch-day enthusiasm. Lines formed at Apple Stores around the world overnight as customers sought the new phone, with reports of limited walk-in inventory at some locations. Apple said the iPhone Duo made its debut at Apple Store locations worldwide Friday
For Apple enthusiasts in downtown Detroit, the wait for the company's first foldable iPhone is finally over.
This story was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence. It was reviewed, edited and approved by a 7 News Detroit journalist before publication.
