Apple Watch: as pre-orders open, many will have to wait months for smartwatch to arrive

Some watches won't come until June or later

The watch will be launched in the UK on April 24th

Just as Apple wanted, there were no queues outside of its shops this morning, despite the launch of its first big product since the iPad. But there was huge interest online, with many versions of the Apple Watch selling out within hours of pre-orders opening.

Apple customers must buy the new smartwatch online, and can only pre-order ahead of the actual launch on April 24. But many of the Watches are now sold out and some won’t be delivered for months.

In the UK, all of the versions of the Apple Watch Sport — the cheapest version, starting at £299 — won’t be despatched until June. The same is true of many of the other versions, with most of the standard Apple Watch unavailable for 4-6 weeks, the shortest period of time left for any of the watches.

Elsewhere in the world, some models in Japan won’t be dispatched for another six months, according to blog Cult of Mac.

Apple warned yesterday that the Watches would likely be difficult to get hold of soon after the launch.

“Based on the tremendous interest from people visiting our stores, as well as the number of customers who have gone to the Apple Online Store to mark their favourite Apple Watch ahead of availability, we expect that strong customer demand will exceed our supply at launch,” said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s retail head.

To cope with that demand, Apple told customers that they had to stay at home to take part in the pre-orders, which kicked off at 8.01am and were online only. Even those going in to store to try are advised to book in advance to be sure of getting a spot to try the watches, which can only be done with a staff member.