Neil Hughes
Plans for Apple's international retail stores appear to suggest that the company will begin taking preorders for the Apple Watch in more countries around the world starting on Friday, May 8.
Apple apparently plans to set up display tables for the Apple Watch in its stores in time for the May 8 start of preorders, according to an internal source that spoke with Italian Apple enthusiast site iSpazio. Like in the U.S. and elsewhere, users will be able to try on the Apple Watch in stores to see what size and style suits them best.
The report did not indicate when those preorders might begin to ship. But in countries where users can currently place an order for the Apple Watch, most models are not scheduled to ship until June or later.
As with in the U.S. and other launch countries, preorders for the Apple Watch are expected to be online-only in the new countries. Beyond Italy, it's unknown what countries might be included in the rumored second wave.
But if last year's international rollout of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are any indication, there could be some 22 new countries where Apple Watch preorders begin. Last year, Italy was in the second wave of the iPhone 6 launch, along with Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Apple Watch officially launches this Friday in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, and the U.K. And though Italy won't be a part of the first wave, Apple has already begun promoting there, with marketing head Phil Schiller and designer Marc Newson making an appearance at the Salone del Mobile furniture design fair in Milan last week, both wearing the Apple Watch.
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13 Comments
Hopefully all of the first wave pre-orders will be out of the door by then!
[quote name="RichL" url="/t/185904/second-wave-of-online-only-apple-watch-preorders-rumored-to-start-in-italy-other-countries-may-8#post_2713612"]Hopefully all of the first wave pre-orders will be out of the door by then![/quote] Pre-order shme-order... Who cares... Mine* just prepped for shipment. :D *SS w/ML.
I ordered the Sport 42mm in black within 2 hours and was told June. If I order today, it still says June. Really hoping that date was conservative and it ships earlier...
You would think that Apple would get the pre-order dates (in the first wave) significantly down to at least late May before allowing pre-orders in the second wave to start.
As I don't think it will be acceptable for pre-orders in the 2nd wave to have shipping dates of 6-8 weeks minimum....surely there should be a 2 week wait or thereabouts.
I held off pre-ordering as I wanted to try on the watch to make sure I was ordering the correct size. After 30 mins, pre-orders were up to June/July....I have held off and will wait to see if dates comes down. So there is no real rush for me to pre-order at the moment, but if the 2nd wave does in fact start in early May, and pre-order dates for 1st wave dont come down, then I may have to just go for it, to make sure I get one before Autumn.