Dive Brief:
- Apple will begin selling the Apple Watch in retail stores June 26, and will introduce the Apple Watch in seven more countries.
- The company has displayed the watch in its retail stores and additional boutiques worldwide since April, when it became available for preorder.
- Certain customers who preordered in April and May — as many as 8 million, according to estimates — will have their watches delivered this month, with the exception of one model.
Dive Insight:
The Apple Watch has only been available for preorder since April 10, helping prevent the long lines typically associated with Apple product debuts.
Orders placed through May will ship in the next two weeks to buyers in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and the U.K. Apple will also release the watch for sale online and in retail stores in Italy, Mexico, Spain, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland and Taiwan on June 26.
Jeff Williams, Apple's senior vice president of operations, said of the product's success, "The response to Apple Watch has surpassed our expectations in every way."
