Though the Apple Watch officially launched on April 24, several of the stainless steel Apple Watch configurations have been unavailable to ship for weeks due to supply shortages. Customers who ordered Apple Watches with Link Bracelets, Modern Buckles, and Leather Loops right after pre-orders began are still without their devices.
As of today, the first orders of these rarer watches appear to be shipping out. Several customers on the MacRumors forums who ordered the Apple Watch with Stainless Steel Link Bracelets are seeing their credit cards charged and have begun receiving shipping information from Apple. The first orders should be arriving to customers tomorrow.
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There are many customers who are still waiting for their Link Bracelet Apple Watch orders to ship, but it appears the wait may not be much longer now that the first shipments are going out. Customers who ordered the Space Black Apple Watch with Link Bracelet have unfortunately not yet seen order movement, and it also looks like Modern Buckle and Leather Loop purchases are not yet shipping out.
When Apple started accepting pre-orders on April 10, Apple Watch orders with Link Bracelets in Stainless Steel saw shipping estimates ranging from four to six weeks, while the Link Bracelet in Space Black had June shipping estimates. Apple Watches with Modern Buckle and Leather Loop bands also had four to six week shipping estimates right when pre-orders began, suggesting those models may ship out soon.
Standalone Link Bracelet and Leather Loop bands ordered separately have already begun shipping out to customers. The Modern Buckle band remains unavailable for purchase.
It is not clear why the Link Bracelet, Leather Loop, and Modern Buckle have been in significantly shorter supply than the Classic Buckle, Milanese Loop, and Sport Band, but manufacturing processes may be a factor. According to Apple's site, the Link Bracelet is crafted from 100 components, including links that take more than nine hours to cut, while the Modern Buckle and Leather Loop are made from leather sourced from small tanneries in France and Italy.
(Thanks, Warren!)
Top Rated Comments
Under-promise, under-deliver.
Which is the same thing as "promise, deliver" FYI
I love Apple to death but this has to be their worse new product launch ever. I wonder if things would have still played out the way they have if Jobs were still alive?
Oh, please keep Jobs buried. Seriously. This is beyond tiresome. Jobs messed up so many times, even the initial Iphone launch was underwhelming in sales volume.
If overwhelming demand meets capacity you got waits. Considering this thing will sell 10 times more than other smart watches and has more variance, how on earth do you think they could measure this demand? The Link people will receive their watches within 3 weeks of availability. This is far from being a tragedy that requires a Jobs maudlin violins and a Jobs being summoned...
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Do you want to know how and when I realized that the Apple Watch is probably not for me?
I didn't even have to read any articles. I just now saw the headline on the article page, and...well, let's put it this way...
Headline: "Apple Watch With Link Bracelets Begin Shipping to Customers"
Banner ad above that:
"Grainger: For the Ones Who Get it Done"
And at that moment, I realized that I am more Grainger and less Apple Watch.
It's all so clear now. :)
And...I'm still waiting for a new 17" 8-core rMBP. Come on Apple, "get it done!"
Yet, you felt compelled to tell us all of this.
Which is the same thing as "promise, deliver" FYI
It would be exactly the same thing if it was, but it isn't, so it's not.
I love Apple to death but this has to be their worse new product launch ever. I wonder if things would have still played out the way they have if Jobs were still alive?
I come from the alternate reality where Steve jobs is still alive...
Steve didn't like the direction Angels Arendts was going with the watch - making the watches high priced for the elite, so he bitch slapped her after the March event. Angela sued, and in the settlement, now owns Apple. Now all the laptops are gold plated, and you can't buy anything Apple - laptops, iPads, iPhones, apple TV's - for less than $10,000.
Steve is now running the Google android division.