Still trying to get an iPhone Duo? This might be your best chance

Apple’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo? Sooo hot right now. Pre-orders opened last week, and if you weren’t quick to get your order in, you may have already seen your estimated shipping date slide far off into the distant future. But if you don’t want to wait that long — or you just haven’t pulled the trigger on your purchasing decision yet — you’re not entirely out of luck. Apple is now confirming at least the possibility that you’ll be able to just walk into an Apple Store and buy an iPhone Duo this Friday.

An Apple spokesperson provided this short statement to Mac Rumors:

On Friday morning, our teams look forward to welcoming customers at Apple Stores to experience iPhone Duo and the incredible iPhone line-up for themselves. Apple Stores will have limited iPhone Duo available for walk-in customers, and we’re working hard to get this revolutionary new product into customers’ hands as quickly as possible.

When Apple says “limited,” you had better believe it, and if you plan on having any chance at all to successfully snag a Duo, we’d recommend being as close to first in line as you can manage.

There’s also a geographical limitation to this availability, and Apple Stores in every country won’t necessarily have Duos on-hand to sell on Friday. The US, Canada, and the UK are all on the “walk in and buy” list, but shoppers in nations like India, Japan, and South Korea will only be able to pick up online orders they’ve already placed.

We’ve been solidly impressed by our initial hands-on time with the iPhone Duo, but shoppers should still keep in mind that this is Apple’s first-gen effort, and the company’s reputation notwithstanding, foldables are tricky devices to really nail, right out of the gate. Already, we’ve heard concerns about the cost of reparability, and those are only growing as we see people point out an uncomfortably soft-looking crease.

Of course, all the concerns in the world won’t be enough to dampen the enthusiasm of plenty of Apple’s fans, and we expect to hear about quite a few queuing up in the early hours this coming Friday. Will you be among them? Or are you waiting for more first-hand owner feedback before you make your Duo decision? Let us know down in the comments.