Apple reportedly plans to let U.S. retail staff set its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo to greet buyers by name the first time it powers on.
Key Points:
- Apple retail stores will reportedly get a system that adds a buyer’s name to the iPhone Duo’s first startup screen.
- The option is described as limited to the United States and the iPhone Duo, with English and Spanish supported.
- Preorders open Oct. 16 and sales begin Oct. 23, with a starting price of $1,999.
Gurman iPhone Duo Report
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurmansaid Friday in a social media post that Apple retail stores will have a system to customize the phone’s startup with the buyer’s name. He gave “Hello, Mark” as an example of what the screen would show when the device turns on for the first time. He called it a “fun little touch” for the launch.
New iPhones normally start setup with a generic “Hello” shown in several languages. The personalized version comes with three limits: it applies only in the United States, only to the iPhone Duo and only in English and Spanish, according to the post.
Gurman did not say which purchases will qualify. That leaves open whether the option covers online orders collected in a store as well as phones bought in person. Apple’s Sept. 9 press release on the phone does not mention a personalized greeting.
Apple Presto System
How Apple will carry out the personalization is not clear. One open question is whether stores will rely on Presto, the system they already use to update iPhones wirelessly without removing them from their boxes.
Gurman first reported on Presto in 2023. It lets retail employees turn on an iPhone, install software updates and switch it off again while the device stays sealed in its packaging. Nothing in his latest post ties the greeting to that system.
iPhone Duo Launch
The Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States, with storage options running from 256GB to 2TB. Preorders open at 5 a.m. Pacific time on Oct. 16 in more than 70 countries and regions, with sales starting Oct. 23 and 28 more markets following on Oct. 30.
Apple unveiled the phone on Sept. 9 as its first foldable iPhone, with a 7.6-inch inner display and a 5.4-inch outer one. CEO John Ternus called it “the most transformational change to iPhone since the original” in the announcement. Gurman had reported the Duo name shortly before that event, after months of coverage that referred to the device as the iPhone Ultra.
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