Developers Who Won Apple Watch Purchase Lottery Receiving Emails With Order Instructions

Earlier this week, Apple began sending out emails to iOS developers, offering them a chance to purchase a 42mm Apple Watch Sport with a Blue Sport Band guaranteed to ship by April 28, 2015. Apple had a limited number of devices to provide to developers, and used a lottery system to determine who would get the chance to purchase one of the available watches.

Developers who registered for a chance to buy one of the watches with a guaranteed delivery date and won the lottery have just begun receiving emails with purchase instructions. Apple is asking winners to complete a purchase by 5:00 p.m. local time on April 27 to take advantage of the shipping date.

applewatchdeveloper
It’s not known why Apple only offered 42mm Apple Watch Sport models with Blue Sport bands, but it can be assumed that the combination may have been one that the company had an ample supply of. Apple is providing developers with watches in an effort to give them devices to test Apple Watch apps on.

A guaranteed April 28 ship date means developers who purchase one of the available devices will receive an Apple Watch just a few days after customers who pre-ordered receive theirs.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Early Black Friday iPhone Deals

Monday November 10, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
apple intelligence erroneous support list

Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:49 am PST by
Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs. The U.S. version of its Apple Intelligence webpage has been updated at the bottom to list "M2 or later" Mac models as eligible for the AI features, replacing the long-standing "M1 and later" requirement....

Top Rated Comments

diddl14 Avatar
138 months ago
Hope one day Apple will offer a 'hardware subscription' for developers. As a developer, it remains a pain to not be able to get the latest hardware on launch day.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danielkbx Avatar
138 months ago
… or early tomorrow.

Which isn't what they promised.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CosyCounterDev Avatar
138 months ago
Also here in Germany - no mail - no change in the order status. It's still expected for june.

Now its 10 a.m. ... This will become a very nervous day... :cool:

Same situation for me, another developer in Germany. Yesterday, one of my customers successfully purchased his Watch in Berlin. It drives me mad and crazy, not being able to test my App that is available in the App Store on a real device.

While I highly appreciate Apple's initiative for developers to put an expedited order, it comes much too late. Apple's developer communication should at least answer the key question of each developer here: "When will I be able to test my app on a real device?"

When I have to regularly visit this MacRumors Post in order to get any information about the expedited order for developers, that does not excel Apple's developer communication as being sufficient. I am extremely happy about this forum, so let's continue updating our experiences here!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
138 months ago
you know something is not quite right when you have to have a lottery for a product launch. but hey at least Beyonce got her free special golden edition a week early
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RenshiJake Avatar
138 months ago
California developer here. 9am April 29th and order has still not shipped. Credit card not charged.

I'm in Cali too. I was charged and prepped for shipping in the middle of the night last night but haven't shipped yet.

I definitely agree about being nice to dev and store support. Even though this is "guaranteed" it's still a special privilege for developers and no one should feel entitled. Apple was nice enough to give us preferential treatment and to acknowledge the benefit our community brings.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
holmesf Avatar
138 months ago
Just to add one more data point

California developer here. 9am April 29th and order has still not shipped. Credit card not charged.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)