A Tale of Two iPhones
I was there Gandalf. I was there 19 years, 3 months, and 24 days ago. Or 7,056 days ago, if you prefer. June 29, 2007. The day the iPhone launched to the world.
I've told this story many times before, but basically I was a relatively new Apple enthusiast (after being a PC/Windows diehard as a teenager) who was iPhone-curious post Steve Jobs' reality distorting keynote in January of that year. But I was also certain the iPhone wasn't for me. I was a happy Motorola Razr flip phone user. I had waited long enough for that device to come to Verizon. And the iPhone, of course, was AT&T-only. I wasn't about to pay $500, fully subsidized, for a phone!
Or so I thought...
On that Summer day nearly 20 years ago, I found myself back in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. On a whim, I went into the local Apple Store, knowing it was iPhone launch day, just to see how much fuss there actually was. I went to a table and held the iPhone... Roughly 30 seconds later I was $500 poorer.
It was the most no-brainer purchase I've ever made from a first-use perspective (thanks to a credit card). And in hindsight, despite an eventual price drop (thanks to a shift in the subsidy model), it remains the most no-brainer purchase of all time.
Anyway, I was reminiscing about that day earlier today when I once again found myself in an Apple Store. Today, of course, was the launch of the iPhone Duo. The device is, without question, the most interesting twist on the iPhone formula since that original iPhone all those years ago.
And today, just like all those years ago, I only wandered into the Apple Store (this time in New York City, where I happen to be visiting) out of curiosity. Because I already pre-ordered an iPhone Duo, but like seemingly millions of others, my order – despite being placed within minutes, if not seconds, of the pre-orders going live – failed to make it in time for day one. So I must wait until November.
Still, I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. So I wandered into the Apple Store and... Honestly, if they had any iPhone Duos in stock, I would have bought one. Upon usage for 10-15 minutes (to try to be courteous to other Apple Store guests – of which there were many) it wasn't quite the no-brainer that the original iPhone was, but it seems interesting in new and different ways.
I've been avoiding reading the reviews so as not to encroach upon my other thoughts before I can actually jot them down, but I know that at a high level it's divisive. And I can obviously see why. But I also still think it will end up being a great form-factor with some tweaks and time. Perhaps even the ultimate form factor – the mythical Westworld tablet? – as technology does its thing and trims and slims the iPhone Duo into a sort of "regular" iPhone that also happens to be able to spread out into this big screen iPad mini-like device when needed.
Again, I'll have more thoughts when I actually get my hands on the thing to use day-to-day, which sadly was not today. But the parallels between today and that day all those years ago was fully on my mind in the Apple Store.
And it also took my mind to the other major new device Apple announced recently: the HomeView. It seems to me that the divide between the public reaction to the two could not be any more stark. I'm sure it's unfair, but also not – it just seems like no one really cares about the HomeView. Because no one is really sure if they need it. It's undoubtedly also unfair to judge it by pre-order wait times, especially because this particular device was perhaps sitting in warehouses for months – if not years – as it waited for Siri AI.
Still...
One device you can still order today and pick it up in stores when it launches in a few weeks. And this is weeks after the pre-orders went live. The iPhone Duo, on the other hand, again, sold out of day one inventory seemingly within seconds. This was undoubtedly also Apple's fault in not having nearly the inventory needed to meet demand. Still, judging just by what I saw in the Apple Store today, it stands to reason that demand is fairly massive.
Case in point: I don't recall ever being at an Apple Store – and I've been to many Apple Stores on many launch days before – where almost all of the products where constantly out of battery. This was because they were being used so much, being demoed in users' hands, that they weren't in their chargers in the displays long enough to recharge. It was wild. I would guess that out of 15-20 demo units, 13-15 were without charge. This was not an Apple Store employee problem, it was a demo demand problem, clearly.
And several people I overheard when they found a working device seemed genuinely blown away. These were not professional tech reviewers, they were "regular" folks who could not believe the iPhone could suddenly unfold to have this massive screen. There was a real energy in that room that did remind me of the original iPhone launch in ways. People – regular people – were buzzing.
To be clear and fair, I predicted the iPhone Duo would be a massive hit in my predictions for 2026 at the end of last year. I also predicted the device that became the HomeView would not be a hit – and actually I predicted that for 2025, when again, the device was supposed to launch.
I state that to note my bias here, but also because I'm pretty sure I'm correct.
The iPhone Duo, despite costing $2,000+ is going to be a massive hit for Apple. The HomeView, despite costing $300 – a good price, certainly for Apple, all things considered – will not. Again, more thoughts to come when the iPhone Duo actually hits my hands for daily usage. But quite the dichotomy – and parallel – with other Apple devices.
It was the best of times...
