While Apple’s first foldable phone welcomed the iPhone Duo without its CEO, John Ternus was roughly 1,700 miles away in Austin. He opened the Domain Northside store to customers ready to spend $1,999 on Apple’s first foldable phone.
The iPhone Duo’s October 23 retail debut marked both Apple’s entry into the foldable-phone market and the first major iPhone launch under a new chief executive. Ternus’s presence in Austin represented a departure from a launch-day ritual Apple has long associated with its New York flagship.
Ternus was joined by Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail, at the Domain Northside location at 3121 Palm Way. Customers had lined up outside ahead of the opening, according to CBS Austin. The store opened at approximately 8 a.m. local time, though that time requires confirmation against Apple’s official retail schedule before publication.
Back in New York, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, and Vanessa Trigub, vice president of Stores and Retail Operations, handled the Fifth Avenue opening. CBS Austin reported that Ternus’s Austin appearance diverged from the pattern in which Apple’s CEO typically opens that location on launch day.
The device driving those lines starts at $1,999, according to NBC News reporting on Apple’s announcement. The iPhone Duo opens to a 7.6-inch inner display and runs on the company’s A20 Pro chip, confirmed by Reuters. Apple made preorders available October 16 and launched the Duo across more than 70 countries and regions on October 23.
Apple positioned the Duo for content consumption, multitasking, gaming, and productivity. The company enters a foldable-phone market that competitors have occupied for several years. Reuters reported that industry analysts see Apple’s entry as potentially moving foldables further into the mainstream, pointing to the company’s prior influence in smartwatches and wireless earbuds as precedent.
The $1,999 starting price places the Duo well beyond casual consideration. NBC News noted the cost may limit its appeal to affluent early adopters in the near term.
Ternus became Apple’s chief executive on September 1, 2026, succeeding Tim Cook, who transitioned to executive chairman. Before the promotion, Ternus led Apple’s Hardware Engineering organization, according to the Apple newsroom. The iPhone Duo is the first iPhone model launched during his tenure as CEO.
How the Duo performs in sales, durability, and customer satisfaction over the coming months will serve as an early measure of Ternus’s tenure and Apple’s long-term position in a foldable market it was notably late to enter.
