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Apple Watch May Not Be Available to Buy in Stores Until June

Apple Watch May Not Be Available to Buy in Stores Until June

By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 16 April 2015 19:56 IST

It appears as if the Apple Watch may not be available to buy in stores until June, and that the company will only take online orders for the wearable until that time. A leaked internal memo from Apple's retail chief Angela Ahrendts has surfaced on the Internet tipping details about the launch of Apple's much-anticipated first wearable.

In the leaked memo, Ahrendts clarifies that the Apple Watch will not be available to buy in stores on April 24 for walk-in purchases, citing "high global interest combined with the initial supply." She has also confirmed that the company will only take online orders for the Apple Watch up till May, and will only reveal more as the in-store availability approaches. The leaked memo was first reported by The Telegraph. The Cupertino giant has also removed the 'Available 4.24.15' date from its websites.

(Also see: Apple Watch Pre-Orders Reflect Strong Early Demand)

The memo also adds that consumers who already ordered the Apple Watch and are expecting to receive it starting April 24 - will receive it as planned. She said, "Customers who pre-ordered will start receiving deliveries next Friday as planned."

It's worth noting that Apple Watch will be the first product from the company that will follow an online-only channel for pre-orders at its first global release. Ahrendts went on to add that the online-only strategy will not be followed for other products. She notes, "Are we going to launch every product this way from now on? No. We all love those blockbuster Apple product launch days-and there will be many more to come."

She also requested the Apple Store staff to help customers place orders for the smartwatch online. "For customers who want to buy a watch, please continue to help them place their order online. Also make sure they know that, wherever they buy, Apple will provide them with a great Personal Setup experience - either online or in our stores," Ahrendts added.

(Also see: Apple Watch Reviews Roundup)

In other news, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI has estimated (via 9to5mac) that the global pre-orders for the Apple Watch will get to 2.3 million units through May. Kuo added that the Sport edition will account for 85 percent while the standard edition will be around 15 percent. He claimed that premium Edition model will account for less than 1 percent.

"We estimate production could reach 2.5mn units in June, absent supply chain bottlenecks; thus global pre-orders are less than the 4.8mn units of combined production in March-June as most of those pre-ordering can get Apple Watch in June. At present, iPhone shipments stand at 50-60mn units per quarter, suggesting less than one-tenth of iPhone users have pre-ordered Apple Watch," Kuo notes.

To recall, the Apple Watch starts at $349 (roughly Rs. 21,600) for the 38-mm Sports edition while the standard model starts at $549 (roughly Rs. 34,000).

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