The incomplete history of Duo devices
Following the announcement of the iPhone Duo, this analysis explores the history of other tech products sharing the 'Duo' name. It highlights that Apple's naming choice follows a long line of previous devices from companies like NEC and Google.
Why it matters
It provides historical context to product branding, illustrating how tech companies often recycle names despite varying levels of market success.
Apple announced the company’s first device with a folding screen today, the iPhone Duo, but that’s where the firsts end. The Duo is not only far from the first foldable on the market thanks to the efforts of Samsung and Google, but it’s also not the first product to be called the Duo.
Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs popularized the saying “good artists copy, great artists steal,” but will the iPhone Duo’s folding screen, which features a custom nano-texture display material to help minimize the visibility of its crease, be enough to make us forget these other Duos that have come before it? Only time, or how aggressively Apple plans to market its Duo, will tell. Is there a Duo we missed? Let us know.
NEC TurboDuo
[Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/duo2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
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