Shortly after midnight Pacific Time, Apple began accepting orders for its Apple Watch. Early buyers who were online and purchased immediately when orders went live were able to secure a device for shipment on the April 24th launch date. Within minutes of launch, ship times on most of the 42mm models of the Sport Watch and standard Watch had slipped to 4-6weeks. Within an hour, all models of the Watch were shipping in late May (4-6 weeks) and June.
Unlike previous product launches that include an online pre-order followed by an in-store launch, the Watch will only be available to purchase online. Customers looking to purchase a Watch must order online and wait for the Watch to ship.
Apple also began selling its new Macbook both in stores and online. The gold version of the laptop proved to be popular with its ship times slipping from 1-3 days to 3-4weeks.
Our take on the news:
Similar to past launches, the demand for the Apple Watch quickly outstripped supply with ship times slipping to 4-6 weeks and beyond. The twist in this launch is the online-only limitation, which means customers who did not pre-order last night will not be able to secure a Watch until weeks after launch. Did you pre-order a Watch? Which model did you buy and when will it ship?
