Apple Watch Expected to Hit Stores Today
After an extremely long wait, some Apple Watch models will be available for pickup in Apple Stores this week, possibly as early as Wednesday. According to BGR, U.S. Apple Stores have begun to receive shipments of the coveted wearables so some lucky buyers should be able to claim their smartwatches by the end of this week.
So far, the Apple Online Store has not yet been upgraded to make the Personal Pickup option available and the dedicated Reserve and Pickup page is still directing customers to the main page for Apple Watches.
In-store sales have already begun in some countries including Japan and Australia but customers have to jump through a few hoops to reserve the model of their choice. Users must click a “Check reservation availability” link on the page of their chosen watch and proceed from there to pick an Apple Store. Lucky customers will be rewarded with a green check mark and the next available pick-up time. Then they must punch in a mobile phone number in order to receive a reservation code that will be good for 30 minutes.
This procedure is likely to make some Apple aficionados long for the good old days when you just camped out all night outside the local Apple Store and emerged the next morning with the latest iPhone or iPad. However, the true faithful will not be discouraged by having to hit a few keys on the laptop or smartphone to get the newest goodie from Apple.
Just as it’s hitting stores in the U.S., the Apple Watch will be launching in Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan on June 26. The Apple Watch is slowly taking over the world, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy to get the model you crave.
