Tim Cook Visits Palo Alto Apple Store, Says Apple Watch Orders Have Been 'Great'

Apple CEO Tim Cook visited the Palo Alto Apple Store in Palo Alto, California this morning as it opened its doors to let customers get their first look at the new Apple Watch. Cook was spotted chatting with potential customers and having a conversation with The Loop's Jim Dalrymple and iMore's Rene Ritchie.

cook_palo_alto_watch

Image courtesy of CNET's Shara Tibken

Several members of the media were on hand at the Palo Alto Store opening, as it's one of the flagship Bay Area stores that often sees visits from Apple executives. Tim Cook spoke to CNBC, telling the news site that pre-orders for the Apple Watch have been "great."

It has been incredible. You know this morning, I got reports from all the way around the world, from Japan to Australia to China to Germany to France to the U.K. to Canada and now the U.S. It is extraordinary. Customers are giving us great feedback and orders are great as well.

Cook also commented on the Apple Watch that he's wearing himself, telling CNBC's Josh Lipton that he wears the stainless steel Apple Watch with the White fluoroelastomer band most of the time, as that's what he works out in. Cook also said that he has a few other bands on hand, because he likes to change them out on occasion. "I am wearing this one the most," he said. "So I would highly recommend it to all of the listeners."


The Apple Watch became available for pre-order at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time earlier today, and initial pre-orders sold out very quickly. In less than an hour, shipping estimates for many Apple Watch models had slipped to 4 to 6 weeks or beyond, and within six hours, there were no longer any models available for an estimated delivery date of April 24 to May 8, the shipping estimate the earliest orderers received. Many customers who order today and beyond won't be able to obtain devices until May or June, and later in some cases.

As of today, Apple Stores around the world are allowing customers to try on the Apple Watch to get a feel for the device ahead of its official launch.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...

Top Rated Comments

Onimusha370 Avatar
131 months ago
its a shame they only made 5 of each watch :p
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tankmaze Avatar
131 months ago
Steve showed up at stores wearing a tee shirt?

This is the first iphone launch.

Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrgraff Avatar
131 months ago
Have I stepped into a parallel universe where the word "great" is a negative term?
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D28Z98 Avatar
131 months ago
"Sales have been great! And our customers are going to love Apple Watch when they get to actually put the thing on their wrists in several, several - several months"...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrtravel123 Avatar
131 months ago
Samsung "sold" 800,000 of their first watch in the first 2 months.

I would imagine that Apple sold that many within 2 minutes.

As with other product categories, Apple hasn't always been the first to get something to market. But, what they usually get out is better than what has been available previously.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
verniesgarden Avatar
131 months ago
Was Steve ever this visible?

when he was healthy.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)