Apple Watch order statuses have begun changing from "Processing Items" to "Preparing for Shipment" as Apple gets ready to send out the first Apple Watch orders to customers who pre-ordered their devices on Friday, April 10. Apple Watch orders that have changed to "Preparing for Shipment" are still listing prospective delivery dates of 4/24 to 5/8, but the first orders are expected to begin arriving on Friday April 24, the official launch date of the Apple Watch. Now that order statuses have shifted, customers should begin receiving shipment emails in the near future.
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The change to customer order statuses comes just minutes after Apple began charging credit and debit cards for Apple Watch purchases. As we have previously mentioned, bulk shipments of the Apple Watch have already been arriving at central distribution centers across the United States from China, where the Apple Watch was manufactured. Apple Watch orders will ship out from these central distribution centers via Fedex and UPS, so despite the late shipping date, many devices will arrive on Friday.
With the iPhone 6, Apple also shipped hundreds of thousands of devices to central distribution centers before updating customers on the status of their orders. iPhones began shipping out on Monday and Tuesday for a Friday delivery, and it's likely Apple Watch orders will follow the same general timeline.
Deliveries could come from any of the major shipping hubs in the United States, which include Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky (UPS' WorldPort location); Indianapolis, Indiana; Newark, New Jersey; and Oakland, California. Many orders are likely to pass first through Anchorage, Alaska, where both UPS and FedEx have logistics centers, before heading out to other distribution sites.
The earliest Apple Watch pre-orders listed ambiguous delivery dates of 4/24 to 5/8, but Apple's head of retail Angela Ahrendts stated in a memo to employees last week that "customers who pre-ordered will start receiving deliveries next Friday as planned," so customers who managed to pre-order in the minutes before shipping dates started slipping will see deliveries this week.
Once an order changes to Preparing for Shipment, customers may be able to track by reference number using a phone number on the UPS and FedEx websites to get tracking information before a shipping email even goes out.
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Edit: debit card still not charged either
Okay guys and gals,
I just talked to a contact at Apple (he's not a customer support person and that's the most I can say. but he did have information that was being distributed for phone support staff)
he said that they have a memo in which they told their phone support employees that "having a change in your order status is not an indication that you will or will not receive your watch before those who are yet to get an order update."
He went on to describe and insist "A change in order status does not indicate an April 24th delivery and the lack of a change to order status does not indicate that you will not be receiving your product at launch. On the contrary, orders are being processed differently this time around and the specifics of logistics in which bands, which models, which delivery companies, are all contributors in the timing of the status changes and will continue to be processed 24 hours a day. Orders processed today may not ship till Friday, while orders processed tonight may not ship till Monday and orders processed tomorrow may very well arrive Friday."
"The process in which the orders are being scanned and attached to the product for shipment are not being based on time of order specifically. The first come first serve only applies to the delivery window, not to the time of day. All 4/24-5/8 orders, regardless of wether they were 1 minute or 4 minutes after the Site and App went live, will be processed for the same shipping windows. The determination of the products arrival will solely be based on inventory, geographic location, and delivery provider."
"The fact that your order hasn't updated is irrelevant. Your shipping window is your shipping window, regardless. Orders began updating today and will continue to update. With most orders already in the process of shipment, it is a matter of being input into the system. Your devices arrival date has been determined regardless of when you receive the notification at 4:00pm or 4:00am, the outcome will be the same."
No. You should EXPECT to get the product within the window that was provided by the company with the intent to TEMPER your expectations. It is completely ridiculous to be so invested in something you've never needed before that you can't wrap your entitled and privileged mind around waiting a few days for it.
Maybe some of you should take some of that energy, aggression, and time before getting your watch to see if you can help in any way with disaster relief or just help out some underprivileged people in the area you live. I think you could use some "humbling-down" to remind how unimportant this really is.
Btw I ordered in the first few minutes, have received nothing yet and amazingly I'm still alive.
Look I see your point and its a valid argument and they did provide a 2 week window but unfortunately Apple are benchmarked against a higher standard than most and have a very loyal fan base. Which is why so many people are upset that they didn't receive their watch on launch day. Most people have previously been able to receive launch day products by ordering early.
But i think your comments serve no purpose. I think the importance of material things are relative to the person...the "why don't you go work for a charity" argument is just very weak. Why does any body work? Why do we buy anything? why doesn't anybody share all their wealth and live in a socialist society... Don't indulge because the third world needs food etc etc etc..
It just so happens that many people are quite excited by the new product and are disappointed that they have not received it. As I said you trying to act all high and mighty actually serves no purpose.
I actually work in health care and spend a lot of time at work...as you say "helping people". However I would prefer to spend my free time as I wish...if that means posting on this forum, along with countless other, then I will!