IShowSpeed Backflips at Apple's First Foldable iPhone Reveal
A bark cut through the crowd before IShowSpeed sprang into a backflip.
The encounter happened on September 9, 2026, at Apple Park, where visitors had gathered for Apple's unveiling of the Duo, its first foldable iPhone. John Ternus, the company's new CEO, greeted visitors and posed for a few photos with the phone. An Apple PR representative then brought the 21-year-old influencer over to meet him.
Ternus joined Apple in 2001. Before becoming CEO, he led the company's hardware engineering organization. He took over on September 1, eight days before the unveiling, succeeding Tim Cook. Cook had led Apple for 15 years and remained with the company as executive chairman. NerdsMagazine previously covered the device in an earlier Duo report.
The Duo opens like a book. Its outer display measures 5.4 inches, while the inner screen measures 7.6 inches. The hinge contains more than 100 precision components. Apple also developed a special polymer for the phone's outer display surface. The company called the Duo "the most transformational change to iPhone since the original," as iClarified reported.
Apple's work on foldable devices stretches back years. A 2011 patent application filed by Ternus and five other Apple engineers has been linked to that effort. Early engineering work also explored foldable batteries. Engineers looked at foldable circuit boards as well.
Apple entered the category years after Samsung's first foldable phone arrived in 2019. In a TIME interview, Ternus described early foldables as "kind of cheap and crappy." MacRumors covered his remarks.
The Duo starts at $1,999. Preorders are scheduled to open October 16, with retail availability beginning October 23, 2026. For the launch display, Apple placed more than 150 demonstration units at its Fifth Avenue store and nearly 100 at the Apple Park Visitor Center.
