Death To Line Waiting! Apple Watch Will Initially Only Be Available For Purchase Online

Want to wait in line to buy the latest Apple gadget? Ain’t nobody got time for that! Confirming what was revealed in a leaked memo sent to employees earlier this week by retail chief Angela Ahrendts, Apple today stated that the Apple Watch will initially only be available to order online. Don’t even bother waiting in line outside your local Apple Store to purchase one — you’ll just be wasting your time.

“We are excited to welcome customers tomorrow and introduce them to Apple Watch, our most personal device yet. Based on the tremendous interest from people visiting our stores, as well as the number of customers who have gone to the Apple Online Store to mark their favorite Apple Watch ahead of availability, we expect that strong customer demand will exceed our supply at launch,” said Ahrendts in an official Apple press release.

“To provide the best experience and selection to as many customers as we can, we will be taking orders for Apple Watch exclusively online during the initial launch period.”

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Customers will, however, be able to mosey on down to Apple Store to try on an Apple Watch Sport ($349), Apple Watch ($549), or Apple Watch Edition ($10,000). Customers will be able to schedule an appointment for a one-on-one “try on” session with the three flavors of Apple Watch or walk in off the street sans appointment and be seen on a first come, first service basis.

Apple Watch pre-orders go live Friday morning at 3:01 AM EST, and orders will be delivered to customer doorsteps on April 24.

Reviews for the Apple Watch started rolling in yesterday from a variety of publications, and the overall reaction to the device was decidedly mixed. The Verge’s Nilay Patel perhaps summed up the overall theme of the reviews, stating, “For all of its technological marvel, the Apple Watch is still a smartwatch, and it’s not clear that anyone’s yet figured out what smartwatches are actually for.”

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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