Apple is going to start accepting pre-orders for the Apple Watch on April 10th. That’s also the day when it will allow people to head over to its retail stores and try the wearable device on for 15 minutes. There have already been reports about manufacturing issues which could bring about supply shortages. A report published today claims that in-store inventory is expected to be very limited on launch day.
Citing a source at a flagship Apple Store 9to5mac claims that store employees have been told to treat the Apple Watch launch day as if they have no stock available for walk-in customers.
While this doesn’t mean that Apple will not sell units to people who walk-in on April 24th, it means that priority will be given to people who place a pre-order and come with an appointment.
If there are units left once those customers have been taken care of then walk-in customers will have their chance to pick up an Apple Watch.
The report says that one of the reasons why inventory will be so limited on launch day is partly because there are so many models of Apple’s smartwatch. They start at $349 and are available in a variety of materials, two different case sizes and a wide collection of bands.
On April 24th the Apple Watch will be available at the company’s stores in the U.S., UK, Canada, France, Japan, Germany and China. Launch inventory will vary per country.
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