Long Shipping Times for Some Apple Watch Models
Early birds who tried to access the online Apple Store as the clock struck midnight on April 10 found a little surprise—a message that the site was being updated. This message flashed across the screen in at least a dozen languages for about 15 minutes before the Apple Store was finally open for business.
Those who had already decided which model they wanted and tried to place their orders got another nasty surprise—a shipping time of 4-6 weeks for some versions of the Apple Watch. That’s just for the very first to get their orders in, since the wait could get longer as more orders pile up. For some models of the mid-priced Apple Watch, the wait is even longer, since they’re marked as available to ship in June. Edition models are available to ship in July or August. The shortest delivery time was 4/24-5/8 for the $349 Sport 38mm with silver case and white, blue or green band.
Since the Apple Watch officially goes on sale April 24, shoppers who find long waiting periods for their favorite model may choose to make an appointment at their local Apple Store to check the devices out in person. This may not be as easy as it sounds. While I have three Apple Stores nearby, only one has appointments to show the Apple Watch. I found appointments available only for the next three days and they were rapidly getting snatched up before the service shut down at 1:00 a.m. Cupertino, California time.
This is a familiar story to longtime Apple watchers who saw a similar flurry of attention when the earlier models of the iPhone and iPad came out. Eventually Apple will ship enough Apple Watches to satisfy the demand from those who want to be the first on the block to sport one but some of them may be in for a long wait.
