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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple on Friday updated its online store with instructions on how to purchase the Apple Watch, reiterating that the wrist-worn device can be ordered online or reserved for in-store pickup. The new section appears to confirm that Apple Watch in-store reservations will be available beginning April 10, allowing customers to reserve a specific Apple Watch for pickup at an Apple Store beginning April 24.

How-to-Buy-Apple-Watch.png
The wording and timing of the new section suggests that Apple Watch in-store reservations will be available April 10, a move that would generate more foot traffic in Apple Stores on Apple Watch launch day. Nevertheless, there remains a slim possibility that reservations will begin on April 24. Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment, although we will update this post if we receive confirmation.

Last week, Apple Store training documents obtained by MacRumors indicated that Apple will not allow walk-in purchases for the Apple Watch upon launch, meaning that reserving the wrist-worn device for pickup at a specified date and time will be required initially. Walk-in customers can join the queue for a try-on appointment, after which they can order the Apple Watch online or make a reservation for in-store pickup.

Apple Watch pre-orders kick off at 12:01 AM Pacific on April 10 in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. Apple has added "Guided Tour" videos to its website that outline various functions of the Apple Watch, while we've prepared detailed guides on how to pre-order the Apple Watch and what to expect at a try-on appointment.

Article Link: Apple Watch In-Store Reservations Available Beginning April 10
 

teslo

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2014
929
599
ok ok.. i want one now. i didn't forever. now i do. happy?
 

Eeko

macrumors regular
Jun 27, 2010
222
0
"Choose your Apple Watch online and make a reservation to buy it at an Apple Store."

So reservations are free and you can pay on April 24th when you go to pick it up?

That's the way it sounds. I'd rather just go ahead and pay for it.
 

AFDoc

Suspended
Jun 29, 2012
2,864
629
Colorado Springs USA for now
Hmmm not "ture" in store pick up but still in store!! Wonder if you'll have to go to your specific stores page to schedule it or if it will "schedule" it for you from the regular app page?
 

kybldmstr

macrumors demi-god
Oct 12, 2011
782
349
New Orleans, LA
Hmmm not "ture" in store pick up but still in store!! Wonder if you'll have to go to your specific stores page to schedule it or if it will "schedule" it for you from the regular app page?

I asked an Apple sales rep and she said that they only know what we know. So no idea how the reservations will actually work yet
 

KPOM

macrumors P6
Oct 23, 2010
18,004
7,851
Sounds good. The more ways there are to buy Apple Watch, the smoother the rollout will go for everyone.
 

macs4nw

macrumors 601
The upcoming AppleWatch in-store excitement and added foot traffic is going to overshadow the arrival of that other little marvel, that smaller, thinner, lighter, little dream machine that's perfect for ordinary day-to-day computing needs, that anticipated little rMB.

Does anyone else also have trouble deciding what color to go for…..?
 

charlituna

macrumors G3
Jun 11, 2008
9,636
816
Los Angeles, CA
I asked an Apple sales rep and she said that they only know what we know. So no idea how the reservations will actually work yet

The only thing they don't know is when the reservations will start.

The BF had his store meeting and they got pretty much all the details but that one.

Basically it's like the reservation pass thing that they did with the iPhone, so unpaid reservation. But you book it from home. You can book in store if you get lucky and what you want is available. However not only are you booking a product, you are booking a pick up time. Basically they do not want lines hanging around the store. There is no standing and waiting to just run in and grab a watch. The hope is that this will also slow down the resellers.

Once you set your pick up time you get like an hours grace period for traffic etc. after that, your reservation is released for someone else to grab it if they like and you get to start over
 

pjh

macrumors regular
Sep 25, 2007
166
106
Airstrip 1
The whole process is a little convoluted for my liking, but it's probably better than the carnage that would ensue without such a structured approach. I think I'll be sitting on the sidelines for the first few months as a result though. I really want to be able to try as many combinations as possible before making my purchase. And importantly, I want to do this without feeling rushed.
 

BeyondtheTech

macrumors 68020
Jun 20, 2007
2,146
715
What I still don't get is that Apple already has all of our hundreds of millions of credit and debit cards linked to our iTunes and Apple ID accounts, yet they want us to manually jam their servers at the stroke of midnight or 3AM to place an order they know we already want.

We're automatically billed for our monthly subscriptions to iCloud, iTunes Match, in-App Purchases, Newsstand, etc. So, how about this? Just make a button next to the product's favorite ("heart") button that says, "yes, I like this product enough for you to automatically charge my credit card and preorder or ship it to me as soon as it's available." No more waiting up until 3AM EDT, or queuing up on line the night before at the local Apple Store. Automate the process and give us an preorder confirmation email we can wake up to.

Is Apple still so insecure that they need to generate media headlines that "lines are out the door" and "the servers couldn't handle the capacity" of everyone trying to place online orders? If Apple is all about the positive customer experience, having to go through this periodic ritual can't be a totally positive experience for everyone.

Frankly, I've been doing this for eight years since the first iPhone and iPad releases, and I'm a bit tired. I would appreciate someone on Apple's backend systems or infrastructure to accommodate something like this to be done. Billions of dollars of profit every year, and they still stick to a rudimentary preordering/purchasing process. How much more in profit would they benefit from if they automated their own processes?

It could be kinda like a Kickstarter thing, make your pledge as soon as it's up, and the cards all get charged in one shot upon the end of the campaign. Simple.
 
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Watabou

macrumors 68040
Feb 10, 2008
3,425
755
United States
What I still don't get is that Apple already has all of our hundreds of millions of credit and debit cards linked to our iTunes and Apple ID accounts, yet they want us to manually jam their servers at the stroke of midnight or 3AM to place an order they know we already want.

We're automatically billed for our monthly subscriptions to iCloud, iTunes Match, Newsstand, etc. So, how about this? Just make a button next to the product's favorite ("heart") button that says, "yes, I like this product enough for you to automatically charge my credit card and preorder or ship it to me as soon as it's available." No more waiting up until 3AM EDT, or queuing up on line the night before at the local Apple Store. Automate the process and give us an preorder confirmation email we can wake up to.

Is Apple still so insecure that they need to generate media headlines that lines are out the door and the servers couldn't handle the capacity of everyone trying to place online orders? If Apple is all about the positive customer experience, having to go through this periodic ritual can't be a totally positive experience for everyone.

Frankly, I've been doing this for eight years since the first iPhone and iPad releases, and I'm a bit tired. I would appreciate someone on Apple's backend systems or infrastructure to accommodate something like this to be done. Billions of dollars of profit every year, and they still stick to a rudimentary preordering/purchasing process. How much more in profit would they benefit from if they automated their own processes?

It could be kinda like a Kickstarter thing, make your pledge as soon as it's up, and the cards all get charged in one shot upon the end of the campaign. Simple.

This sounds like an extremely good idea at first, and pretty obvious to implement something like this, it doesn't take into account the limited supply they have when a product initially launches. You still need a way of deciding who comes first, and who is served first.


Apple could, in theory, make the products depending on the number of "hearts" but then what if a good chunk of people cancel near the end?

That said, they should really make their infrastructure better. There's no excuse now. The first couple of times were sort of understandable, but it's 2015 now. Apple should know better.
 

BeyondtheTech

macrumors 68020
Jun 20, 2007
2,146
715
This sounds like an extremely good idea at first, and pretty obvious to implement something like this, it doesn't take into account the limited supply they have when a product initially launches. You still need a way of deciding who comes first, and who is served first.


Apple could, in theory, make the products depending on the number of "hearts" but then what if a good chunk of people cancel near the end?

That said, they should really make their infrastructure better. There's no excuse now. The first couple of times were sort of understandable, but it's 2015 now. Apple should know better.

Kickstarter orders are done in the order they were pledged. If you cancel, you simply fall off the queue, and if you re-pledge, you get put at the end of the line. I was one of the Early Bird pledgers when the Pebble Time was first announced. When the latest Apple Watch keynote fully revealed the features, pricing, pre-order and release schedule (which, by the way, is still BEFORE the targeted release date of the Pebble Time), I cancelled my Early Bird pledge and was off the hook by the time the campaign ended. I actually watched someone else snipe my Early Bird spot within 15 seconds of me cancelling my pledge.

Look, I recall riots and fighting that started when AT&T knew they only had less than 40 iPhones in the store of various capacities and colors, yet refused to divulge inventory expectations and allowed the queue in front of their store to swell up well over 500 people. They didn't even offer preorders when they went out of stock, they just said "we're done" and shrugged their shoulders to an angry crowd. I saw fights break out because people waited all night in a spot outside the mall, only to be cut off by another line that started from a small group of people that were able to sneak inside the mall just before opening. I also recall clashes with mall security, kicking people off the premises for petty reasons or no reason, or just because they were afraid they couldn't handle the swell, or because they got there "too early."

So, Apple has a clear chance to fix this part of the customer experience. They are clearly capable, they just need to do it. Apple is already consistently praised for high marks for customer experience, and this (in my opinion) would just put them over the top.
 
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Totalkharnage

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2010
535
126
Halifax UK
From being really excited to see this news, I'm really sad that I can't see this option on the UK store.

Anyone seen anything on the UK site?
 

inscrewtable

macrumors 68000
Oct 9, 2010
1,654
402
How to buy an Apple watch.

Apple are blurring the line between parody and real life, either that or they have a frustrated stand up comic in their copywriting dept.

They should advertise special assistance for those with rheumatism who may have trouble removing Benjamins from their wallets.
 

inscrewtable

macrumors 68000
Oct 9, 2010
1,654
402
...snip...

Maybe I'm not understanding something here, but isn't this all your fault? Not you personally of course but people who like Apple products enough that they cannot make enough of them quick enough as they come off the assembly line to satisfy their customers. I'm pretty sure they are not falsely reducing supply to create demand.

So with that in mind and knowing there there are people who don't just want to buy one of their products, but they really really really want to buy one as soon as possible. Therefore they have to tell you when you can buy it do they not? Even if they give you your 'buy' button they still have to tell you when they are going to put the button up because there'll be a whole bunch of people that don't want to wait if they miss out on the first supplies.
 

Donoban

macrumors 65816
Sep 7, 2013
1,206
429
The upcoming AppleWatch in-store excitement and added foot traffic is going to overshadow the arrival of that other little marvel, that smaller, thinner, lighter, little dream machine that's perfect for ordinary day-to-day computing needs, that anticipated little rMB.

Does anyone else also have trouble deciding what color to go for…..?

Nice hijack attempt.

My life will be complete once I have this Apple Watch on my wrist.
 

pjh

macrumors regular
Sep 25, 2007
166
106
Airstrip 1
Look, I recall riots and fighting that started when AT&T knew they only had less than 40 iPhones in the store of various capacities and colors, yet refused to divulge inventory expectations and allowed the queue in front of their store to swell up well over 500 people. They didn't even offer preorders when they went out of stock, they just said "we're done" and shrugged their shoulders to an angry crowd. I saw fights break out because people waited all night in a spot outside the mall, only to be cut off by another line that started from a small group of people that were able to sneak inside the mall just before opening. I also recall clashes with mall security, kicking people off the premises for petty reasons or no reason, or just because they were afraid they couldn't handle the swell, or because they got there "too early."

So, Apple has a clear chance to fix this part of the customer experience. They are clearly capable, they just need to do it. Apple is already consistently praised for high marks for customer experience, and this (in my opinion) would just put them over the top.

I see what you're saying, but the problem here is human behaviour. When a product has low supply and high demand, a small group of people behave like utter fools. Apple though certainty don't help the situation. But whatever process they put in place, you'll either get idiots like you mentioned above, or disgruntled people going all emo on the internet.

The easy way to avoid the whole mess is to accept that you might have to wait a few weeks or a month before getting the :apple:watch.

The behaviour you detailed in your post really is an indictment of our society. I'd understand if it was s shortage of food, but a consumer electronic gadget!
 
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