Apple Watch Will Be Available in Apple Retail Stores Starting in June

[NoahK17]

Me too. I won't be happy if they sell them in the stores before I get mine at the end of June. Should I cancel my order and buy the watch in the store?

Yes, obviously... you just want the watch, correct? If the answer is yes then go to the store, buy one if available then cancel your pre-order. Simple.

 

[doctor-don]

Spelling!!!!!!!

Lack of proofreading would be more accurate.

All of these complaints really show how people today - millennials? - want / require instant gratification. Just pitiful.

Does anyone know how it may be possible to order an Watch with the Milanese band? It appears from the Apple Store that one has to order the Milanese band in addition to the Watch with the Sport Band when selecting the 42mm Watch. $599 + another $149.

 

[JustMartin]

so much outrage over something that hasn't happened. No-one knows which watches will be in store, so to assume that the model you ordered is going to be one of them and then to get angry about that assumption seems like a waste of energy.

 

[nikaru]

Stocking your stores when you are unable to fulfil your online orders in more than 4 week timeframe is just insanse. The people that ordered online will be pissed, the people making line outside the store that are unable to purchase the watch and band combination they want will be pissed...yeah, you get all the hype and go on the news, but customers wont be happy.

 

[Halofan24]

I hate that I ordered my watch April 10th and you guys ordered way latter then me with ship dates the same as me!!! Something doesn't add up. Apple is handling this launch very terribly. Then again I really should stop stressing. I get the watch when I get the watch. Nothing I can do. There are starving kinds in China and I am here moaning about a stupid watch. First world problems I guess lol.




Hope your right I have a ship date of June 22-29. And as I stated I ordered on April 10th. Would suck to see people go into the store and buy one while I wait for mine.

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@##$%^& YOU I PRE ORDED AND STILL WAITNING. I should have gone blue lol. I went pink because its my favorite color. Oh well good for you I guess.

p.s. I orded 42mm Aluminum Pink Sports band.

Oh.. I did pre order and recieved my confirmation at 2:03 cst for a space grey 42 and got it on launch... Sold on eBay for a grand so out of pocket 12 bucks for my a watch... Definitely not worth 4 bills should be max 250

 

[RickInHouston]

Stocking your stores when you are unable to fulfil your online orders in more than 4 week timeframe is just insanse. The people that ordered online will be pissed, the people making line outside the store that are unable to purchase the watch and band combination they want will be pissed...yeah, you get all the hype and go on the news, but customers wont be happy.

But stocking stores with watches that haven't sold is smart. Helps to get rid of the backlog in warehouses. Impulse shoppers will gobble them up. Bravo apple.

 

[hobspain]

But stocking stores with watches that haven't sold is smart. Helps to get rid of the backlog in warehouses. Impulse shoppers will gobble them up. Bravo apple.

If that was the case then there would be no 5-7 weeks delivery time for online orders, don't you think?

 

[Clitadeltoro]

I wrote Apple about the June sale of the watches in stores, which probably would happen before we receive our on-line orders. It will be interesting to see how they reply.

 

[macduke]

If they come out in the stores ahead of my delivery date of "June 22-29" then I just might drive to KC or STL and get it there. Only problem is I used a giftcard for part of my order so I don't know if it will screw that up. However I can always just use that on my 6S.

 

[seatton]

I wrote Apple about the June sale of the watches in stores, which probably would happen before we receive our on-line orders. It will be interesting to see how they reply.

I also wrote an email to Steve and have not heard from him yet. Let's see what he replies (just kidding).

Keep us posted, I am curious to hear what they have to say.

 

[b3arclaw]

But you still pre-ordered a day late, pre-orders started on the 10th.

Anyone who ordered before April 24th preordered...are you dumb or stupid?

 

[Ryan.valdez]

I do hope they fulfill their pre-orders first. Ordered mine on April 12, and it's set to be delivered last week in June. Won't be happy if it turns up in the stores before mine arrives.

I also preordered mine on April 12. It better come before Apple sells in stores or imma be extremely mad

 

[silvermx5]

A month ago some people were screaming at Apple for not having them in store. Now some people are screaming at Apple for having them in store.

Apple sells through multiple channels. It's ramping up supply, and it's about to start feeding another channel. Apple is NOT going to freeze all channels until the first one is completed!

You ordered on 4/11, a full 24 hours after the launch, when it was already common knowledge about supply constraints. You are a long way down the queue. A different queue is going to start moving.

I hope the complainers on this thread aren't like this in supermarket queues

You didn't order one, did you?

 

[gkantz]

Ordered on 5/15, dates jumping

Ordered the Sport with black band on 5/15. Been saying July (heck, I can wait for it). This morning it showed 4-6 weeks. Now it's 3-5 weeks. Something is improving in the supply chain.

 

[Fozziebear71]

I am an Apple fanboy but even I can't wait to see the unreasonable ones defend Apple after people start buying watches in store before people that preordered receive theirs. This product launch is a joke and I am still glad I waited before ordering a watch.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Exactly - if anyone hasn't had their pre-order delivered they can get it in store. What is the problem?

Some people get these two confused:

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Oh.. I did pre order and recieved my confirmation at 2:03 cst for a space grey 42 and got it on launch... Sold on eBay for a grand so out of pocket 12 bucks for my a watch... Definitely not worth 4 bills should be max 250

Nicely done! In June, you can walk into the store and grab one, and have $600 leftover!

Honestly, I'm surprised people aren't livid about paying $500 extra for the Retina iMac 6 months ago, like I did. I call it the cost of getting it early.

 

[Cpt. Gilgamesh]

I ordered the 42mm SG Sport model a couple of days ago and shopping estimates have improved from 5-7 weeks to 4-6 weeks. So no complaints here. I'm not fighting to try and get one inside of an Apple Store if they are on shelves for Jube

 

[TallManNY]

Yes, I know... you certainly are correct regarding the question of am I "close to missing my time window" for the wife's watch delivery. Even though the entire purchasing process has been completely exhausting from the start, and even though I received my watch ahead of schedule, the extreme close proximity between her estimated shipping date(s) and mine (1 day) that was provided by Apple presented an allusion, even an impression if you will, that the delivery dates for the two watches would be within close proximinity of one another (1 day perhaps based on delivery estimates provided). In the end, the estimated delivery ranges were ultimately laden with false hope and misguided foresight to any real clue of the slightest possible wait mate of an actual delivery timeframe lol. And as you said, if I were a gambling man I would bet heavy on the wife's watch actually being delivered to our home BEFORE the close of the estimated delivery window provided by Apple.

The major frustration you mention comes from exactly the direction you identified; the realization (after the fact) that had I ordered the watch with an alternative band combination it would have already been delivered, with us simply waiting a few days, or even a few weeks yet perhaps, for the other, additional bands we ordered for the watch. But because of the specificity of the exact watch/band combination ordered, the delay was considerable from the moment I placed my thumb to the glowing Apple Pay logo.

That being said, this whole delivery issue, missed time estimates, inaccurate preorder information, the Apple site online not being available right at preorder launch, and now with stores locally claiming to be likely recipients of Apple watch product to sell through store outlets while loyal Apple preorder customers have yet to even receive their watch (yes I know this a loaded statement to make with a ton of built-in acceptable assumptions I'm assuming that will all be true in JUNE simply for the sake of discussion) is going to essentially hurt Apple in the long run. Loyal customers who were once willing to wait in line all night long for a release-day product, or wake up in the middle of the night to preorder a new device, are now all turned off by this experience moving forward. People pay the "Apple Premium" not just for quality hardware and software but for the entire "Apple Experience," and every little thing that goes with it; the comraderie from waiting in line with strangers, the niceness of the packaging, the great customer support, the question-less returns with product defects or issues, the feeling that you are getting a better experience. Now people are so agitated by this mess that it has left a sour taste in their mouth and in their wallets. My use case is a perfect example: I ordered both the watches at the same time so we would both receive them at the same time. We were excited and couldn't wait to get the shiny new Apple toys. Well fast-forward 4 weeks and I receive mine. I was excited and about the device and was glad I made the purchase. However, it was hard to stay excited about MY watch because the wife's watch is still NOT HERE yet. So now the watch for ME has lost some of its luster and shine due to the fact that it only benefits me in a selfish way and the process has dented the excitement that my wife had for her watch as well. Hopefully the mood changes upon arrival of her watch but honestly I am not sure. Being honest, if I asked her now, based on me having mine for the past 3 weeks and her not having one (had we both not originally ordered the two for us both), if she wanted me to order her a watch to be delivered in a week I think she would say NO. The emotional let down from all the delivery issued and inaccurate delivery and production data has been visibly disheartening.

I know this seems dramatic and extreme, over a silly watch, and maybe it is; however, for a family of TWO that spends an annual budget close to $12k a YEAR at the local Apple Store, whether silly or not it has caused extensive damage to the way this household collectively views Apple moving forward with products and services. Yes I know it was a new product category and yes it was run by a new VP and yes it was Cook's first product alone (not technically but I will allow it) and yes, yes, yes... But, look at the past two years of the product cycles, look at the recent product launches, and compare the differences now and in the past. And I am not looking at Apple financials because YES Mr. Cook is doing a GREAT JOB increasing the share price of Apple stock ten-fold and I am thankful for his hard work as an investor. That aside, an honest, non-biased totalitarian assessment of everything Apple over the past 4 years will provide all the information I am alluding to now. I hope it changes, I really do; from a product and services standpoint as again I implore Mr. Cook to please continue doing whatever it is he is doing to generate the returns on Apple stock he is earning.

Wow what a really, really long post. Sorry forum readers. Guess I had more to say than I thought lol.

Thanks for reading.

Best

JS

Well that is quite a post.

I will agree with you that this launch has been botched. I do think that Apple basically can't launch a new product line at this point without pain. The demand for their products is so high and the reality of developing a modern manufacturing line for that product is too hard so that initial demand cannot be satisfied.

I wonder if Apple needs to reconsider its global launch. Assuming you are in the U.S., the Watch could have been launched U.S. only for a few weeks and then things would have gone much better for you. Launching in the U.S. probably raises the prestige of the device, so it might actually help Apple in long term sales. And if you aren't in the U.S., then a later launch for your country could have been done and it would have been delayed until supply/demand was closer to being met. You certainly would have had more information by then.

Anyway, I think this launch has been botched because the different watches with different bands ended up with radically different delivery dates.

 

[SwedenMK]

How hard can it be?
Apple has all order data, for instance on the popular Sport SG BSB, dates, , times, numbers per time.
They know the order depth of different watches, and how they priorities.
Then they now current production speed and planning, and can forecast production speed development due to different things.
Then you can present curves to customers of current best guess of delivery per order date/time and watch model.

And then update these curves a couple of times per week.

 

[nikaru]

But stocking stores with watches that haven't sold is smart. Helps to get rid of the backlog in warehouses. Impulse shoppers will gobble them up. Bravo apple.

There isnt such thing as "watches that havent sold".

Remember, there are still dozens of countries with official apple stores that dont even have release date.

There is also no backlog in warehouses, since every unit leaving foxconn is already sold and shipping directly to the customer.

 

[Mac 128]

I also wrote an email to Steve and have not heard from him yet. Let's see what he replies (just kidding).

Steve is getting notifications where he is. Siri may just not be able to understand him yet to record his replies.

 

[Keirasplace]

I am an Apple fanboy but even I can't wait to see the unreasonable ones defend Apple after people start buying watches in store before people that preordered receive theirs. This product launch is a joke and I am still glad I waited before ordering a watch.

You only have something to rant about if the watches bought in store are the ones that people have still not got, which I doubt will be the case. The watches that will find their way in stores are those that have caught up and everybody who has pre-ordered has already got.

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Yes, obviously... you just want the watch, correct? If the answer is yes then go to the store, buy one if available then cancel your pre-order. Simple.

Or maybe, the watch in the stores won't be the ones not delivered yet; which I'm betting will be the case.

 

[seatton]

Steve is getting notifications where he is. Siri may just not be able to understand him yet to record his replies.

I am not sure I believe that. If you happen to be on the other side just like him, could you pass my message to him please?

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I ordered my second watch (SS 42mm WSB) on 4/13/15. Last week, I got an update from Apple saying the watch would be here around June 22 - June 29. Yesterday, my card was charged and I am wearing my new watch today I sold my sport one this AM. I am now a happy fanboy again.

 

[JTR555]

Tough to say. Maybe that will happen. Certainly the Link and some leather folks are still way behind. But the Link is so pricey that I really doubt that it was ordered in anything close to the volume as the BSB. But we do know that nearly everyone who got a March 22 shipment window is going to get their watch ahead of that date. Assuming the rest of the March 22 folks are not far behind, then it will take some sort of radical redirection of product to not satisfy the June 22 folks ahead of schedule, because there really aren't many people left with definitive order windows ahead of us.

Question for the group. Has Apple missed an order window yet? Like was someone given an April 24 to March 8 shipment window and didn't get their watch until after the window closed? If Apple is never missing any windows, then it is clear they are being really conservative in their estimates.

Well, my June 22-29 ETA was changed to June 19-26, but I was charged last night (5/20) and it is currently preparing for shipping, so I should have it on Fri., 5/22. Guess they didn't need a pause and just gave inflated delivery ETAs to make people happy when they overperform.

 

[SwedenMK]

Well, my June 22-29 ETA was changed to June 19-26, but I was charged last night (5/20) and it is currently preparing for shipping, so I should have it on Fri., 5/22. Guess they didn't need a pause and just gave inflated delivery ETAs to make people happy when they overperform.

THIS SOUNDS AS A GREAT SIGN of that the production process gain speed and stability - can it be that way?
Please continue to report on this. I ordered 4/29, first got ETA June 22-29, then June 17-24 ...