Apple had a busy night at the Emmys. At the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, Apple TV scored a staggering 29 wins and, in the process, set a few records, riding atop the momentum of a ridiculous 89 nominations. But it was not only the hit TV shows and their stars hogging the limelight on the red carpet. Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, was also working his charm at the star-studded event while getting plenty of celeb attention on Apple’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo.
A video of Ternus showing off the Duo to a hyped Deadline reporter went viral on social media from the Emmys red carpet, but it seems there was more A-list interest from Hollywood’s heavy-hitters, too. “We hear that stars were hitting him up for the phone privately in LA even before the awards at the Peacock Theater,” says a report from PageSix, noting that some of these famous personalities “brazenly hit him up” for the sleek foldable phone ahead of its wide release in October.
An unnamed “top Hollywood exec” cited in the report told the outlet that a star asked Ternus to “get him on the list” for getting their hands on the iPhone Duo. Of course, getting access to an Apple product before its public release is quite a show of top-tier privilege. And when it comes to the iPhone Duo, Apple’s long-awaited foldable smartphone, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
It’s not unheard of, though. We often see unreleased gear from tech giants appearing in the hands of celebs to drum up some hype. Athletes, like Barcelona ace and World Cup winner Lamine Yamal, are often spotted wearing unreleased audio gear from Beats, which is owned by Apple. NBA legend Steph Curry also dropped a few teasers of Google’s Fitbit Air fitness band prior to its official launch.
It’s hardly out of character, therefore, to see top Hollywood talent cozying up to Apple’s chief for the iPhone Duo, one of the most hotly anticipated devices out there. It’s just surprising that Apple hasn’t already done it voluntarily by giving it out to a select few A-listers and raising the excitement for the masses. But hey, that’s just another addition to the list of Apple’s operational mysteries.
