UPS Begins Confirming April 24 Apple Watch Pre-Order Delivery for Some Customers
Following a week of constant order status changes and general haziness on when customers would actually receive their Apple Watch orders, a few MacRumors users have confirmed this morning that they have received April 24 delivery estimates for their Apple Watch pre-orders.
In the forums, multiple mentions of an Apple distribution center in Mount Juliet, Tennessee have resulted in numerous users getting confirmed delivery dates for their Apple Watch orders this Friday, April 24. While mostly centered in the southern states like Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida, a few outliers, like a few customers in Indiana, have also had the April delivery date confirmed.
The news comes after a few Apple Watch pre-order customers began receiving UPS tracking numbers yesterday, thanks to the service's "My Choice" opt-in emails, which notify customers whenever a package is on its way to their house. On Monday, many people began being charged for their Apple Watch orders, seeing a shift from "Processing Items" to "Preparing for Shipment" for a majority of users.
Many of the early UPS shipping notifications had delivery estimates for earlier in the week, but these were understood to be inaccurate considering Apple's efforts to have all deliveries held until the official launch day. Apple's own order status pages are also still showing a broad "4/24-5/8" window for the first wave of orders, so tracking information pinpointing delivery for Friday will be a welcome reassurance for many customers.
With the Apple Watch launch stressing some of the company's customers out, yesterday Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts was seen in a video updating Apple retail employees on the different approach for the Watch's launch, promising a "unique situation" and that the company's "blockbuster launches", or in-store launches, will continue in the future. With only two days to go until the official launch of the Apple Watch, many users should begin seeing status and date changes popping up on their accounts over the next few hours.
Popular Stories
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
