iPhone Duo walk-in stock vanishes as 23,000 units sell on launch day

Apple's first foldable smartphone entered retail markets on Friday, October 23, with immediate demand exceeding physical inventory in many locations.

The company reported selling 23,000 units of the iPhone Duo on the first day. Store shelves emptied quickly, confirming Apple's earlier warning that walk-in stock would be limited.

Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, stood with retail executive Vanessa Trigub at the Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York. Apple CEO John Ternus was present at the Domain NORTHSIDE store in Austin, Texas, alongside retail chief Deirdre O'Brien. Ternus had toured Apple's Austin offices earlier in the week. The city hosts the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix this weekend, an event Apple streams exclusively in the US.

Customers formed queues overnight to secure a walk-in purchase. When shelves ran dry, store employees told shoppers to check the Apple Store app at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday for updated stock details.

The shift from physical shelf space to digital availability marks a change in how buyers access new Apple hardware. Employees offered hands-on demonstrations to those who made it inside the stores.

The launch drew crowds in multiple countries, with both official photos and customer-shared images showing busy retail floors. The scarcity of physical units pushed many buyers toward the app for their next steps.