iPhone Duo vs Microsoft Surface Duo: One name, two very different devices

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There has been a lot of chatter about the iPhone Duo (see our iPhone Duo hands-on) since Apple announced the company's first foldable smartphone in early September. While the device isn't groundbreaking — foldable phones have been around for some time in the Android space — it marks a shift for Apple. But alongside the features, functions, and compact and sleek design, people are especially focused on the name.

While you might not think the word "Duo" as part of the moniker would be controversial in any way, many people point out that it's the name Microsoft used with its Surface Duo foldable products. (There's also language app Duolingo and the Google Duo VoIP service that eventually folded into Google Meet, but those are stories for another day.) Because of this obvious comparison, the internet has been ferociously roasting Apple. But when you actually look back in history, the Apple Duo springs from many years of both innovations and failures. And Apple has, in fact, used the Duo name before with its PowerBook Duo back in 1992. So, it appears that some of the accusations of copycat naming aren't entirely fair, as much it falls right back into those early days of the Apple versus Microsoft rivalry.

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Way back in 1992, Apple introduced a device called the Apple PowerBook Duo. The laptop-style computer wasn't just a passing fad, it was produced through 1997. It was compact and lightweight (for the time) and could connect to an accessory called the Duo Dock (there's that name again) to become a full-fledged desktop. The idea was that you could use it both at home with a desktop set-up and on the go as a travel computer. Admittedly, it wasn't very popular, with underwhelming specs by today's standards. But most important, it was a product called Duo from Apple.

Further, when you explore Apple's trademarks, while the company now owns the trademark for iPhone Duo, its trademark list also interestingly includes MagSafe Duo Charger. This dual charger, introduced back in 2020, is designed to wirelessly charge two Apple devices simultaneously, like an iPhone and an Apple Watch or AirPods. So, almost six years ago, Apple was already experimenting with the Duo name.

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The Microsoft Surface Duo launched in 2020, the same year Apple introduced the MagSafe Duo Charger. The compact phone/tablet hybrid device was basically two screens attached at the hip (rather, hinge). It ran Android and had interesting features, like 360-degree rotation capabilities. But our reviewer called it adequate as a phone and "pretty bad" as a tablet.

Fast forward to a year later, and Microsoft launched Surface Duo 2 (see our Surface Duo 2 review), which our reviewer, once again, described as a "letdown." It had a proper hinge this time, but the design was clunky. Its Android 11 with Duo 2 software was unreliable, it did not have an outer screen, and the camera app was not good. Compared to other foldable phones on the market at the time, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, it was not a worthy contender. Some reviewers felt the Surface Duo 2 excelled at multitasking with split screen views, and this is something Apple does well with the iPhone Duo, too, based on early hands-on experiences. 

So, though the Duo name was used by Microsoft years ago, it was for a failed line that line has long been discontinued. Microsoft scrapped the Surface Duo 3 in 2023, and had plans for another foldable that never materialized. These products don't have a legacy such that Apple is "stealing" the name and recycling it. Plus, Apple itself had already used the Duo name anyway. iPhone Duo might not be the first Duo foldable, but it will likely be much better received than the older one.