One of the biggest problems that consumers have with Apple’s new Apple Watch is simply this; much to their chagrin, they can’t order one by simply going into an Apple Store.
Right now, the only way to order (and pre-purchase) an Apple watch is to either make a reservation to buy one an Apple store or order it online. A recent internal memo, purportedly from Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, says that this policy is expected to continue until the beginning of June.
The reason for this new and rather frustrating rule is that Apple believes their new Watch is not simply a new product but a completely new category altogether and, as such, it requires a completely new approach.
That’s one of the reasons that Apple has been previewing their new Watch in their stores before selling it or shipping it.
The fact is companies like Samsung, Motorola and others all have brought smart-watches to the market but, so far, have been unable to break out of what’s still considered a small niche. Apple, and many experts in the industry, believe that the Apple Watch is going to be the device that finally brings smart-watches to the mainstream.
Preorders for the device started recently, on April 10, in several countries including United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan. It’s been estimated that preorders have now reached the approximately 1 million, although Apple isn’t telling anyone the exact numbers just yet.
April 24 is the day that Apple’s Watch will finally be put into the hands of consumers, meaning that we’ll soon see whether or not Apple’s approach to their new device, and new category, was a hit or a miss.