The launch of Apple’s first foldable iPhone, dubbed the iPhone Duo, created quite a scene in New York on Friday. Fans were seen queuing for several hours—some even camped out overnight—only to discover that many flagship stores had already run out of stock for walk-ins by mid-morning.
A video shared online depicted a “massive queue” forming at Apple’s iconic glass-store on Fifth Avenue around 4:15 a.m., as eager customers awaited the new device.
By 10 a.m., a user on Reddit mentioned that the Fifth Avenue store had run out of walk-in stock, with only those who had confirmed pickup orders remaining in line.
The excitement began well before daybreak. One customer, Alex Wong, remarked that he arrived at 2 p.m. the day before, around 18 hours before the store opened at 8 a.m., and was still only about 25th in line.
Interestingly, different stores in the city experienced varying levels of crowd and availability, highlighting the inconsistency in Apple’s supply on launch day.
At the World Trade Center location, for instance, a Reddit user reported that employees started processing orders at 6 a.m. with “probably 200 people in line.” Another user from the same spot expressed frustration at the number of scalpers, mentioning they saw many who were ordering two phones without even knowing what they were getting.
At the Upper East Side store, the sentiment was summed up quite bluntly by a Reddit user who stated: “Apple UES NYC — sold out for walk-ins.”
Downtown Brooklyn painted a bit of a different picture, with one person estimating about 50 in line, while later an excited shopper reported that the store had just received stock, albeit only in blue as of 9:18 a.m.
Apple had previously cautioned that walk-in supplies would be limited on launch day, which seemingly contributed to the frenzy.
Amidst all the buzz, some social media posts indicated that this scarcity only added to the excitement around the release. In Chicago, for example, one buyer arrived just 45 minutes before the store opened and successfully reserved a 512GB “Night Sky” model.
Meanwhile, another buyer in Dallas had luck on his side, securing the configuration he wanted by arriving just half an hour before doors opened.
One individual waiting at Apple’s University Park location in Dallas reported an 11-hour wait before finally getting a white 512GB iPhone Duo.
In Ardmore, Pennsylvania, however, the experience was less fortunate for one buyer who arrived at 5:45 a.m. only to find the store sold out by 7:30. The same shopper discovered other nearby locations had also run out by the time he visited.
Meanwhile, in Delaware, a shopper noted a massive turnout, estimating around 200 to 300 people in line for the highly sought-after phone.
In Orlando, the Mall at Millenia’s Apple store stopped accepting walk-in orders by around 8:15 a.m., according to a Reddit user who noted security guards had been placed throughout the queue.
Reports from Colorado indicated that some potential buyers were not even permitted to line up early, as mall security would not allow them to gather until 7 a.m. at the Cherry Creek store.
In Las Vegas, a social media user shared that the line grew substantially from around 30 to 40 people at 4:15 a.m. to over 150 later on.
A customer who arrived at 4:45 a.m. in Boise, Idaho, managed to buy a Duo, but not without the store selling out shortly after, leaving later arrivals disappointed.
The launch day results varied dramatically across Los Angeles. One shopper noted a line of about 50 people at Manhattan Village in Manhattan Beach with everyone getting a phone. However, a different report from Apple’s Century City location indicated that they had already sold out.
