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Apple Watches will not be available to buy in-store, says Angela Ahrendts
Exclusive: Angela Ahrendts has confirmed there will be no Apple Watches to buy in-store during the month of May, in a memo to staff seen by The Telegraph
The Apple Watch will not be available to buy in-store from next Friday and throughout May, according to a memo to staff from Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, seen by The Telegraph.
Customers instead will be prompted by staff to order their Watch of choice online in order to receive it faster, a decision Ms Ahrendts said had "not been easy".
"Are we going to launch every product this way from now on? No. We all love those blockbuster Apple product launch days - and there will be many more to come," she wrote.
"It's important to remember that Apple Watch is not just a new product but an entirely new category for us. There's never been anything quite like it. To deliver the kind of service our customers have come to expect - and that we expect from ourselves - we designed a completely new approach. That's why, for the first time, we are previewing a new product in our stores before it has started shipping."
The Apple Watch arrived in Apple retail stores and high-end fashion outlets including London's Selfridges and Dover Street Market on April 10. Ms Ahrendts confirmed that April 24 is the date customers will begin to receive their pre-ordered Watches, and that she would share further details around in-store availability in the future.
The decision to preview the devices in-store was made due to the device's nature as not just a new product, but entirely new category for the company, she added.
The former Burberry chief executive told staff earlier this month that the days of waiting in line and crossing fingers for a product "are over for our customers," following a “significant change in mindset”.
“The Apple Store app and our online store make it much easier to purchase Apple Watch and the new MacBook. Customers will know exactly when and where their product arrives," she wrote.
“This is a significant change in mindset, and we need your help to make it happen. Tell your customers we have more availability online, and show them how easy it is to order. You’ll make their day.”
The Apple Watch, first announced last September, comes in three versions; Sport, standard Apple Watch and the luxury Edition, starting from £299, £479 and £8,000 respectively.
The company is believed to have received around 2.3 million pre-orders for the Watches, 85 per cent of which are understood to be for the Sport model, according to KGI Securities.
Last September, up to 1,000 people lined up outside Apple’s Covent Garden store to get their hands on the iPhone 6, with one customer camping on the pavement for 11 days.