“Apple Inc’s head of retail, Angela Ahrendts, sent a memo to employees this week telling them that the Apple Watch isn’t going to have the camp-outside-the-Apple-Store crazed launch that has become associated with the company’s products,” Jennifer Booton reports for MarketWatch. “Ahrendts said the watch will continue to only be available online at least through the month of May, hinting at supply constraints as the company struggles to fill preorders.”
“Typically, when people preorder Apple devices online, they can pick them up from Apple stores on the designated launch date, which is usually two to three weeks after online preorders began. In this case, preorders started April 10, with the expectation that in-store pick-ups would begin on April 24,” Booton reports. “But not all preorders will be shipped by next Friday, the product’s launch date, nor will the watch be immediately available for walk-in purchases. Concerned customers have taken to Twitter and Apple forums to complain.”
“Almost all versions of the Apple Watch sold out within hours during online preorders,” Booton reports. “While some customers may get their devices on launch day as Ahrendts suggests in the memo, most versions now promise to ship within four to six weeks, which indicates a mid-to-late May launch. Apple has removed the April 24 availability date on its website and replaced it with: ‘The Watch is coming.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The Watch is coming… eventually.
Deep breaths, everyone. This too shall pass.
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