Apple Sets October Launch Wave Led by Foldable iPhone Duo
Apple has confirmed its foldable iPhone Duo goes on sale October 23, part of an October lineup expected to include new Macs, home devices, an iPad mini update and the iOS 27.1 and 27.2 releases.
Pre-orders open at 5 a.m. PT on Friday, October 16, in more than 70 countries and regions, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Türkiye, the UAE, the UK, the U.S. and Vietnam, Apple said. The device will reach 28 additional countries and regions on October 30. According to 9to5Mac, a simultaneous rollout of that scale suggests Apple does not expect supply to fall far short of demand, even though the company's first foldable could still be limited in supply.
Beyond the phone, 9to5Mac reports that Apple has more hardware planned for October. The rumored lineup includes the company's first touchscreen Mac, which could be branded as a MacBook Pro or MacBook Ultra and would pair an OLED display with an all-new design; an M6 iMac with a more powerful chip and new color options; an M6 update to the 14-inch base MacBook Pro; a new Apple TV 4K with an A19 or A19 Pro chip, Siri AI and a new Siri Remote; a home hub with a built-in touchscreen known as HomePad; a HomePod mini 2 with a more powerful chip and audio upgrades; and an iPad mini with an OLED display and an A19 Pro or A20 Pro chip. The touchscreen Mac and the HomePad are described as the two standout products, with the remaining items positioned as smaller updates to existing lines.
On the software side, Apple has confirmed the iPhone Duo will run iOS 27.1 when it ships in October. According to 9to5Mac, 27.1 is speculated to be exclusive to the Duo, or to reach other iPhones with only bug fixes and security updates while the bulk of changes serve the foldable.
Unusually, iOS 27.2 is already in testing and is also expected in October, which suggests it is intended for all iPhones while 27.1 is aimed primarily at the Duo. Features in the 27.2 beta so far include profiles for the Apple TV app on iPhone and iPad, a Dual Capture feature for Group FaceTime calls, and Siri AI expanding to several new languages. When iOS 27 launched, Apple said Siri AI would expand to French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish the following month. The 27.2 beta also includes an all-new Health app with Apple Intelligence features, though 9to5Mac reports it is expected to be removed from the shipping version and to return in iOS 27.3 later this year. Both 27.1 and 27.2 are expected to arrive before October ends.