According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple retail stores in the US will be able to personalize the first-boot greeting of an iPhone Duo with the buyer's name, so the phone shows "Hello, Mark" (his example) when it turns on for the first time. Gurman made the claim in a post on X, which 9to5Mac wrote up on Oct. 9. Apple has not announced the feature.
What is reported
- Who: buyers who purchase an iPhone Duo at a US Apple Store.
- What: the first-boot greeting shows "Hello" followed by the buyer's name.
- Limits: per Gurman, US only, iPhone Duo only, English and Spanish.
MacRumors and The Apple Post repeat the same three limits from Gurman's post.
What is not known
- How it works. Gurman does not say how the system works. 9to5Mac says it is not clear whether it will rely on Presto, the system Apple stores use to update sealed iPhones. That is a guess, not a report.
- Online orders and pickup. The sources do not agree. MacRumors says the option will "presumably" be available for in-store pickup and in-person purchases. Cult of Mac reads Gurman as limiting it to retail-store purchases. AndroidPure says it is unclear whether online orders qualify.
- Changing or turning it off. None of the sources we read say whether the greeting can be changed or turned off after purchase.
- Apple confirmation. AndroidPure reports that Apple has not announced the option, and we found no Apple statement on it as of Oct. 10.
Why it matters
If the feature is limited to stores, a buyer who wants the greeting may have to buy in person, though whether online orders qualify is still unresolved. The reports do not describe how the buyer's name reaches the phone, or how long Apple keeps it.
Launch dates and price
Apple's newsroom release and product page give these facts:
- Pre-orders: Friday, Oct. 16, at 5 a.m. Pacific.
- Availability: Friday, Oct. 23.
- US price: from $1,999 for the 256GB model, or $83.29 a month for 24 months.
AppleInsider gives Oct. 12 as the pre-order date. Apple's release gives Oct. 16.
