Apple's use of the iPhone Duo name has drawn criticism online, with many observers pointing to Microsoft's Surface Duo products as the apparent inspiration. The comparison has fueled accusations that Apple copied the naming convention. However, Apple's history with the Duo name stretches back decades, and the company owns trademarks that include the name well before the iPhone Duo arrived.
Apple first used the Duo label in 1992 with the PowerBook Duo, a compact, lightweight laptop-style computer produced through 1997. The device could connect to an accessory called the Duo Dock, letting users turn it into a full desktop setup for home use while still carrying it on the go. Its specs were modest by current standards and it was not widely popular, but it established Apple's claim to the name years before Microsoft entered the picture. The dispute echoes the long-running Apple versus Microsoft rivalry.
Apple's trademark holdings also include the MagSafe Duo Charger, introduced in 2020. That accessory wirelessly charges two Apple devices at once, such as an iPhone and an Apple Watch or AirPods. The filing shows Apple was already using the Duo name roughly six years before the iPhone Duo.
Microsoft's Surface Duo arrived in 2020, the same year as the MagSafe Duo Charger. The hybrid device joined two screens with a hinge, ran Android, and supported 360-degree rotation. Reviewers judged it adequate as a phone but poor as a tablet. Microsoft followed with the Surface Duo 2 a year later, which reviewers again called a letdown, citing a clunky design, unreliable Android 11 software with Duo 2 features, no outer screen, and a weak camera app. Compared with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, it was not considered a worthy competitor. Some reviewers did credit the Surface Duo 2 with strong multitasking in split screen views, a strength early hands-on impressions also attribute to the iPhone Duo.
Microsoft discontinued the Surface Duo line, scrapped the Surface Duo 3 in 2023, and shelved plans for another foldable that never materialized. Because that product line failed and has no lasting legacy, the argument that Apple is recycling the name carries little weight, especially given Apple's own earlier use of Duo. The iPhone Duo may not be the first Duo foldable, but it is likely to be received far better than Microsoft's version.
For US consumers, the naming dispute matters less than the devices themselves. Apple's trademark ownership of iPhone Duo and the MagSafe Duo Charger gives the company a legal footing that Microsoft's discontinued products do not challenge. The iPhone Duo enters a foldable market where Microsoft's Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 failed to gain traction, leaving Apple room to compete on execution rather than naming rights.
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