Apple Store lines, a fixture of early iPhone launches, returned on October 23 for the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable iPhone.
According to photos and comments posted on forums and social media, crowds ranging from dozens to hundreds of people gathered at stores around the world. Some arrived on Friday morning. Others showed up a day or two earlier. One customer in Union Square in New York said they were 25th in line and that some people had brought couches. In Utah, a customer counted about 20 people ahead of them and about 50 who joined behind. A line in Honolulu ran to about 30. At Apple Fifth Avenue, marketing chief Greg Joswiak and retail vice president Vanessa Trigub greeted customers.
The lines are for leftovers, not the main event. Apple said it would sell the phone to walk-in customers on a limited basis in the U.S. and select other countries, and that it expected that supply to sell out quickly because of "extraordinary" pre-order demand. Some stores did sell through their launch-day walk-in stock. A customer in Boulder, Colorado, posted that an employee there said there were enough units for everyone, so results varied by location.
Apple's online store says to check back on Saturday, October 24 for store pickup. It does not say what time reservations will resume.
Online pre-orders are the reason these queues faded over the years, so a crowd of this size says something. It is still a set of anecdotes, and Apple hasn't released sales figures. A limited walk-in supply also makes a line easier to form, since people have a reason to arrive early. Whether the Duo's crowds reflect lasting demand or a novel first-week product with tight stock will be clearer once Apple says how many it has sold.