First Wave of Apple Watches Begin Moving Ahead of Friday's Launch

First Wave of Apple Watches Begin Moving Ahead of Friday's Launch

Apple Watch pre-orders are being sent to centralized distribution points across the United States as couriers prepare the shipments to be delivered ahead of the wrist-worn device's launch on April 24, according to a source for MacRumors that has provided accurate information in the past.

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts confirmed earlier this month that Apple Watch pre-order deliveries <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2015/04/16/apple-watch-ahrendts-memo-april-16/" title="Apple Watch Orders Will Remain Exclusively Online Through May, Deliveries Begin April 24">will begin on April 24[/url] as scheduled, although many customers have received shipping estimates of 4-6 weeks or later and it remains unknown how many Apple Watch pre-orders will be delivered on day one.

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iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders began switching from "Processing Items" to "Preparing for Shipment" on the Apple Online Store for several customers on the Monday prior to Friday delivery, so customers that pre-ordered the Apple Watch early should see their order status change soon. Due to limited stock and the wide 4/24—5/8 delivery estimate for launch day pre-orders, however, there is a possibility that pre-order statuses may take longer to change.

To date, we've not seen any reports of pre-orders changing or credit cards being charged, but our source assures us bulk shipments have begun, so we should see movement on individual order statuses very soon. In the meantime, Apple has begun charging credit cards and preparing to ship Apple Watch accessories such as the charging cable and AppleCare+ Protection Plans.

Apple Watch pre-orders were available on April 10 at 12:01 AM Pacific through the Apple Online Store in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom, and sold out completely in <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2015/04/10/apple-watch-sold-out-launch-day/" title="Apple Watch Sold Out in Less Than 6 Hours as Shipping Times Slip on All Models">less than six hours[/url]. The company also began taking Apple Watch try-on appointments the same day at Apple retail stores and select fashion boutiques such as Selfridges in London, Isetan in Tokyo and Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

<small><strong>Update:</strong> A previous version of this article was titled "First Wave of Apple Watches Begin Shipping Ahead of Friday's Launch." While bulk shipments have indeed begun, according to our reliable source, and pre-order statuses should reflect that very soon, we have since changed the title to "First Wave of Apple Watches Begin Moving Ahead of Friday's Launch" to ensure that the article is not misleading.</small>

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