Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Apple Watch: orders set to begin – smartwatch likely to sell out before it goes on sale on April 24

Customers will only be able to buy the watch online

Andrew Griffin
Friday 10 April 2015 06:15 BST
Comments
The watch will be launched in the UK on April 24th
The watch will be launched in the UK on April 24th

Initial orders for the Apple Watch are beginning, ahead of the release date in two weeks, but the company is likely to run low on supplies in the weeks around the launch.

Pre-orders for the watch will begin at 9.01am local time on April 10. Those watches will then be prepared for shipment from April 24.

Customers must buy the watches online — though when they’re received they can head to the store to have them set up — and supplies are likely to run low, Apple said.

“Based on the tremendous interest from people visiting our stores, as well as the number of customers who have gone to the Apple Online Store to mark their favourite Apple Watch ahead of availability, we expect that strong customer demand will exceed our supply at launch,” said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s retail head. “To provide the best experience and selection to as many customers as we can, we will be taking orders for Apple Watch exclusively online during the initial launch period.”

Those wanting to try the watch on before buying it can head to Apple Stores for a “personalised session” with Apple staff, where they can try on the watch and choose what side they want. But those sessions must be booked online in advance, and customers will still need to go online to buy the watch.

Apple Watch begins at £299 for the sport edition, and runs all the way up to £13,500 for the most expensive version of the luxury Apple Watch Edition.

The special edition will be “available for try-on at selected stores”, Apple said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in