“The Apple Watch, which officially goes on sale April 24, won’t initially be available for purchase in stores, a break from how the tech company has introduced past products,” Tim Higgins reports for Bloomberg. “Instead Apple will continue to accept purchases only online, as it has since pre-orders began earlier this month, according to Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president of retail and online stores.”
“‘We know you’re being bombarded by questions from customers,’ Ahrendts said in a company video Tuesday. ‘Will you have product in the store for purchase on the 24th? This is why last week we announced that due to the high global interest and the initial supply, that we would only be taking orders online right now,'” Higgins reports. “‘This is just a very unique situation,’ Ahrendts said in the video, which was first reported by French enthusiast website Mac4Ever. ‘The Watch is an entirely new category. It’s much more personal with all of the different options. We really wanted the customer to work with you so you could guide them, take the time to get the one they wanted and by doing it online we could make sure that we get them the best service and the one they want the most efficiently.'”
Higgins reports, “‘We love our iconic, blockbuster launches that we do in the stores and have absolutely no fear you will see those’ again, Ahrendts said.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Will these iconic, blockbuster launches com with or without scalpers blocking actual customers from buying products on launch days? If it’s the former, as it was for the iPhone 6/Plus launch, count us out.
When demand vastly exceeds supply, there’s only so much the shopkeep can do. Good luck, Angela and good luck, Apple, at ramping up production!