The Apple Watch will be available in retail stores in two weeks, Apple announced Thursday.
Up until this point, it had only been possible to purchase the Apple Watch online. Preorders began April 10, while the first deliveries arrived April 24. However, a mixture of high demand and supply chain issues mean some customers who ordered the device early on are still awaiting their shipment.
“The response to Apple Watch has surpassed our expectations in every way, and we are thrilled to bring it to more customers around the world,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations, in a statement. “We’re also making great progress with the backlog of Apple Watch orders, and we thank our customers for their patience.”
Williams added that all orders that were placed in May, except for the 42mm Space Black Stainless Steel model paired with Space Black Link Bracelet, will ship within two weeks. Still, not all options will be available immediately at every Apple Store. “At that time, we’ll also begin selling some models in our Apple Retail Stores,” Williams said.
The Wall Street Journal reported in April that one of two Chinese suppliers produced faulty parts for the Apple Watch, slowing down deliveries. Around the same time, a video of Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts surfaced in which she explained the decision to only offer the Apple Watch online. “It was not an easy decision, and I think it’s really important to remind every single customer that this is not just a new product for us, this is an entirely new category,” she said.
