Apple Watch Pre-Order Shipping Estimates Slipping Rapidly to 4-6 Weeks or Later

[CE3]

Same thing was said about iPad

I guess we'll see. Different product, different time. The market is over-saturated with constant new tech releases (and gadgets in general) now.

It's crazy to think the first iPad was released a little over 5 years ago. Feels like longer.

9 iPad releases in 5 years. Wow.

 

[c1phers]

Woke up at 3:09 EST and pre-ordered a 42mm Space Grey Sport, delivers May 13-27. Wondering if they're going to be available in the stores for pickup on April 24, or online only?

I was about the same, woke up about 2:05 CST, got on my phone quick and ordered a 42MM Sport with White Band. As I was preordering it said April 24th-May 8th. But when I got the confirmation email at 2:09 CST the shipping time said 4-6 weeks or May 13-27. Ugh.


BTW, you won't be able to pick up in store, the head of retail said they wouldn't be in stores for a few weeks.

 

[prowlmedia]

How is it the pink leather SS says available to ship in June but the SS with the SS band is available to ship 4-6 weeks? I would think the latter would be the most popular choice and not the pink one? Frustrating! When I pre-ordered my iPhone 6 on the preorder date, I received it the day of launch. Why not for the watch?! Did they not produce too much? I get the hype and marketing strategy but if you preorder on the preorder date you should at least get yours the day of launch or even a week after. But almost 2 months away is a bit ridiculous.

I suspect yield issues perhaps. Wouldn't be surprised if the actual shipping date come forward in the next week when they know more about orders and can shuffle stick to the right places.

 

[samcraig]

Not 4-6 weeks though. Tim Cook is all about just in time manufacturing. He doesn't want warehouses full of watches that might never ship. There's no way in you know what that Tim Cook and Phil Schiller intentionally planned a 4-6 week delay. So it's one of 3 things: manufacturing issues, more demand than expected or these estimates are inaccurate and will come down soon.

I don't think Apple "controls" inventory like others suggest as a marketing move - specifically.

I do think that it's possible that they launch knowing full well what their inventory is regardless of demand. What I mean is - only Apple really knows their inventory. If they suspect that 1 million orders are going to come in - they don't plan their launch based on that number - they just plan their launch. And if they have the 1 million, great - if not, they don't. I do think it's calculated though. Or at least the dialogue internally goes "We won't have enough at launch - but that's ok - the scarcity will breed demand"

 

[nibster]

Changing your shipping address

Thought it might be helpful to share this.

I was lucky and got my order through very early and have a good shipping estimate date. I used the Apple Store app and the Favourite option (which I had set in advance). I hadn't really thought about the options though and when you place your order using Favourites all the settings are made from defaults (I had expected to step through a process and select shipping options - clearly I hadn't concentrated on what the Favourite function did!).

I wanted to change my delivery address but I was scared that it might affect my shipping date estimate.

I wanted to let people know that it doesn't. I successfully changed the address and my May date stayed the same. I've had the confirmation email too, with the date the same.

There was no option to change from Standard Shipping to Express, but I wonder whether this will make a difference anyway - I suspect they will all ship the same way.

 

[prowlmedia]

I was about the same, woke up about 2:05 CST, got on my phone quick and ordered a 42MM Sport with White Band. As I was preordering it said April 24th-May 8th. But when I got the confirmation email at 2:09 CST the shipping time said 4-6 weeks or May 13-27. Ugh.


BTW, you won't be able to pick up in store, the head of retail said they wouldn't be in stores for a few weeks.

I've just got off the phone with an apple guy. He said it often happens with orders when it hits processing and will likely go back to the original date. Same with me do let's hope it's just the system and check the order in a week or so.

 

[muadibe]

So all Apple Watches sold out, but according to (apparently) Apple-hating journalist (not sure that's appropriate here), Tim Higgins at Bloomberg, writes that the debut of the Apple Watch was "muted with sparse crowds."

Muted? Far from it. Sparse crowds? Sure. Apple told them not to line up.

I don't understand how even so-called journalists succumb to irrational Apple hate. Sad to see this where objectivity should be the norm.

 

[TallManNY]

And they still can't deliver enough at launch...mmm.... Wanna bet it will be the same for iPhone 6s/7 ?
Look, i'm not saying that what they're doing is wrong. It's not. I would do the same. It works, period. They are VERY good at this game, better than anyone else in the world. They understand how to increase lust and desire, and it's no small feat.
Others have tried to copy this scarcity technique and miserably failed ( they just got laughed at and sat there with tons of unsold stock in their hands)
And i still want a Sport model.

You don't get it. The supply chain only works if the workers are employed basically all year round and the manufacturing facilities run all year round. While workers can put in longer hours and machinery can run longer, basically speaking the supply chain pumps out iPhones at the same rate every day (within some fluctuation band). They can only build the supply chain to the size that they can keep going basically full time nine months AFTER the iPhone launch. It is the sales volume during the Summer that is their limiting factor when they launch the year before in the Fall.

So they cannot meet the spike in demand at launch period and they never will be able to. It is not a tactic. Apple never wants a Verizon store to have tons of Samsung phones available for sale but not have the iPhone available in all sizes and colors. Apple loses sales when that situation exists.

 

[chitoac]

Beyond irritating. I kept refreshing the app every 10 seconds or so, and by the time I got in the model I wanted was already at 4-6 weeks.

That means that even though I ordered within 5 minutes of preorders starting, I have to wait an entire month after launch to try mine.

Honestly Apple, that's pretty bad.

Same here! they did everthing right! except calculate demand!
i have to wait 4-6 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats just wrong.
the #shippingate

 

[ani4ani]

Wait I thought the Apple Watch wasn't supposed to sell very well?!?

all 9 were snapped up in no time!

being out of stock might by chance mean there are not many available at launch....like Apple already indicated?

 

[Dwalls90]

You can. You just have to order seperate.

Obviously any "combination" is possible, but that's not what he was asking.

By ordering separately, you're throwing away a value of $549.00 with the link bracelet. That's a hefty premium to get black SS with black sports band..

 

[Costino1]

Hopefully they ramp up production and the shipping dates improve.

I remember with my iPhone 6 I received it a week or 2 earlier than my estimated shipping date when I did the preorder at 2AM.

 

[nrose101]

After watching many reviews, The Verge's really hit home how completely useless it really is. The whole thing is poorly executed and what makes it so poor is that it's totally reliant on your iPhone to function. Also, the speed and time it takes to pull data from your phone is inexcusable.

I have no doubt people will find a few uses for it, but it's not the game changer Apple tells us it is. the reviews were really poor which Apple can't be happy with or have expected. They are used to the press lapping up whatever they release.

They seem to be the only bad review. Personally I can't wait to mine is shipped!

 

[ani4ani]

They "constrain supplies" yet simultaneously keep breaking their own previous records for first week sales. They must walk a real fine line.

This will be the fastest and highest selling watch Apple have ever made; you mark my words

 

[DakotaGuy]

Have a 1:00PM and 2:00PM Edition appt today. Will most likely order the 18K YG w/ midnight blue classic buckle.

August delivery date?

Some analysts are already saying they are expecting Apple to sell 40+ million of these in one year so it doesn't suprise me. I don't really see the point of it or feel that everyone is going back to wearing watches, but we'll see.

At this rate Apple should raise prices and make everything they can off of it if it's selling that well.

 

[gsmornot]

Ordered both 38 white sport and 42 space gray sport inside the first minute and both say shipping on the 24th. I had both watches in the favorites section of the Apple Store app and used ApplePay which worked like a champ. The hardest part was staying up until 2 waiting.

 

[pixelss]

I was about the same, woke up about 2:05 CST, got on my phone quick and ordered a 42MM Sport with White Band. As I was preordering it said April 24th-May 8th. But when I got the confirmation email at 2:09 CST the shipping time said 4-6 weeks or May 13-27. Ugh.


BTW, you won't be able to pick up in store, the head of retail said they wouldn't be in stores for a few weeks.

same crap happen to me. ordered at 12:05 Am i was

 

[TwinCitiesJHawk]

I was able to order the black stainless steel with link bracelet right at 2:01 and my shipping date is May 13-27th. Luckily i beat the "june" date that was reported.

 

[D.T.]

No it is not. This stuff is all made up. Happens every year with the iPhone, Apple is limiting supply to make lame refresh seem desirable yada yada yada. Then Apple reports massive sales numbers and it turns out it was solely a demand issue there were in fact huge supply.

The whole idea is absurd. This notion is so business counter-productive, I'm just baffled anyone suggests it as a "marketing" tactic (the hosts of a recent podcast I was listening to had the same befuddlement).

 

[wlow3]

Didn't Angela Ahrendts' comment about there being no lines, that things were going to be different this time, that the customer will get what they want online, make you initially think that they had stock, when really this was just a positive spin on the fact that there will be no lines because there is literally no stock available for the stores on launch day.

 

[TallManNY]

Some analysts are already saying they are expecting Apple to sell 40+ million of these in one year so it doesn't suprise me. I don't really see the point of it or feel that everyone is going back to wearing watches, but we'll see.

At this rate Apple should raise prices and make everything they can off of it if it's selling that well.

40 million seems way to high in first year. But we shall see.
And I don't think folks have to "go back" to wearing watches. Most men wear a watch every day. Maybe not a majority under the age of 30, but folks over 30 outnumber the under 30. And folks over 30 have vastly more of the wealth and income in the world.

 

[janitor1999]

The whole idea is absurd. This notion is so business counter-productive, I'm just baffled anyone suggests it as a "marketing" tactic (the hosts of a recent podcast I was listening to had the same befuddlement).

Why is it absurd, if people have avoided buying a android smart watch for the 7 months since it was announced, they aren't going to not buy for the sake, of a couple of months waiting for delivery.

 

[ginkobiloba]

The whole idea is absurd. This notion is so business counter-productive, I'm just baffled anyone suggests it as a "marketing" tactic

No, in the right hands, it's one of the most powerful marketing tools, because it's so ingrained in human nature. Often, the more something is rare and hard to get, the more desirable it gets. Gold is only worth what it's worth because it's a rare mineral. It's no more indispensable to living than aluminium or steel.
Some people's desire will rise when the man or the woman they are desiring is "hard to get". A lot of people ( especially women ) play "hard to get" precisely because of they're aware of such mechanism.

Things that are desired by other people become more desirable in turn. Men ( or women ) that usually generates little sexual interest by the other gender can suddenly be perceived as more desirable if they show up publicly with very desirable women ( or men ) on their side.
All marketing is based on basic human psychology.

It's also a technique that can easily backfire on you if you're not using it properly, or if you're over-abusing it.

That's not to say that Apple's success is because of their marketing, but it's because they are one of the very few to have achieved a very rare combination : Being very good at generating hype , AND delivering quality products that live up to the hype ( well, most of the time, not always )
Some companies achieve one but fail at the other. Many fail at both...

 

[D.T.]

40 million seems way to high in first year. But we shall see.
And I don't think folks have to "go back" to wearing watches. Most men wear a watch every day. Maybe not a majority under the age of 30, but folks over 30 outnumber the under 30. And folks over 30 have vastly more of the wealth and income in the world.

(side note: I'm not stalking you this morning )

I had the idea of "Who wears a watch?" in my head on a recent trip to SF, just kind of idling in the background from all the discussion - almost everyone we met, both casually and biz related wore a watch. Major players in the entertainment space, game designers, devs, artists - younger folks in their mid/late 20's, older guys (like yours truly) in their, *ahem*, 40s and up.

I asked a few - including the folks not unlike myself who were wearing, call them, "not inexpensive" watches - their perspective on the Apple Watch, a few were quick to say it would replace their <brand> as their daily driver.

Just thought it was an interesting anecdote, not meant as some kind of legit statistically analysis

 

[ginkobiloba]

And I don't think folks have to "go back" to wearing watches. Most men wear a watch every day. Maybe not a majority under the age of 30, but folks over 30 outnumber the under 30. And folks over 30 have vastly more of the wealth and income in the world.

Yep, I couldn't live without a watch. Been wearing one everyday as far as I can remember. And yes, I'm over 30..