Apple Watch Launches in The Netherlands, Sweden and Thailand on July 17

As the Apple Watch goes on sale in Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan today, Apple has quietly announced that The Netherlands, Sweden and Thailand will begin selling the wrist-worn device on July 17. As with other countries, the Apple Watch should be available through the Apple Store, Apple Online Store and possibly select Apple Authorized Resellers.

Apple WatchOS 2
Apple has been slowly catching up on Apple Watch backorders dating back to the April pre-order window, with most models now shipping in 1-2 weeks or less on the Apple Online Store and in-store reservations now available. The 42mm Space Black Apple Watch with Link Bracelet remains one of the more difficult models to obtain, with an estimated 2-3 weeks delivery date on the Apple Online Store.

(Thanks to everyone that tipped this!)

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

Popular Stories

Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Confirms Google Gemini Will Power Next-Generation Siri This Year

Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year. "After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users," the statement...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Elon Musk Reacts to Apple and Google Teaming on Gemini-Powered Siri

Monday January 12, 2026 11:38 am PST by
Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini. "This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X. Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok. It is unlikely...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
proposed unicode emoji 18%402x

Squinting Face, Pickle, and Lighthouse Among New Emoji Coming to iOS

Friday January 9, 2026 4:24 am PST by
The Unicode Consortium has published a draft list of emoji that could come to smartphones and other devices in the future. The list shared by Emojipedia outlines 19 emoji candidates under consideration for Emoji 18.0, which is expected to be finalized in September 2026. Among the proposed additions are a squinting face emoji, left- and right-pointing thumb gestures, a pickle, a lighthouse, a ...
Apple Intelligence iPhone 16

Google Gemini Partnership With Apple Will Go Beyond Siri Revamp

Monday January 12, 2026 8:48 am PST by
Apple and Google today announced that Google Gemini will help power not only a more personalized version of Siri, but a range of future Apple Intelligence features. "Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology," the companies said, in a statement. "These...
apple homekit ios 18 5

Apple Reminding Users of Pending Home App Upgrade Requirement

Friday January 9, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Back in late 2022 and early 2023, Apple rolled out a new architecture for its Apple Home platform to deliver improved performance and compatibility, although the rollout came with some hiccups that forced Apple to pull and later re-release the upgrade. Three years later, Apple is now on the verge of ending support for the old version of the Home architecture, which may result in access to...

Top Rated Comments

bbeagle Avatar
138 months ago
There is one just an hour away by car in Malmö, so if i really wanted one its not a problem for me. The problem is i don't like the design and features just duplicate my phone. I can't justify buying one at a price Apple wants to sell it. 4-5 th generation maybe. Time will tell.
You, like countless other people, don't understand the Apple Watch if you're saying that it's features just duplicate your phone.

If you really think that way then - most of your phone's features just duplicate your laptop. So why have a phone? See how pointless that sounds?

The watch is meant for people who use their phones PRIMARILY as a short communication and information device. If you're playing games, and on your phone checking things out and surfing the web, and don't want to stop these activities, then the watch is NOT for you.

The Watch has been amazing for me. I 'never' use my phone anymore. I forget to charge it up all the time and 'forget' that I still own a phone. I make a phone call on it once in a while, but it's now in my pocket or on my bookshelf 95% of the time, and I get all my communications from my watch.

If you don't want to live a lifestyle like that, then the watch is not for you - but for me, it's SOOOO much better than what I was living with just a few months ago.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
amirite Avatar
138 months ago
And no one cares. I will have a look at maybe 4-5 th generation, just like with the iPhone. Which was only then good enough to justify buying it.
Cool. What other products don't you like?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
138 months ago
First of all there is a difference between a laptop and phone compared to phone and smartwatch. Second i don't need to spend this unreasonable in my view amount of money to be reminded that i need to stand or see calories burned that are just a ridiculous approximation anyway. Or notifications.

At most it takes me 2 seconds to take my phone out and unlock it to see a notification or read an email.


If you can read i don't talk for everyone just me, i made a mistake by writing nobody cares, should have said i don't care.

Good for you.

P.S. First of all there is a difference between WANTING and NEEDING. Any reasonable person most certainly don't need it. So i did just that, decided i don't need one. I might want one somewhere along the line couple of years later. But right now it just duplicates my iPhone 6.
I agree that YOU don't need it.

YOU don't understand the real difference (along with many others). You think it's just a time-saver of 2 seconds from pulling out your phone from your pocket. This just shows that you don't really understand how the watch is worth it. Sure, I wish it was cheaper, but for the $350 Apple Watch Sport, it was worth it to me. It's NOT worth $700-$1000 to me, but to some people it might be.

I'm not going to try to convince someone that the watch is for them, because it's really not possible. Because people are all different. Some people have their phone out all the time, constantly fiddling with Facebook, twitter, emails, using it like a GameBoy, surfing the web, etc. - for those people, the watch will not help at all.

For those people who want to STOP using their phone (like me), it's amazing. I don't treat my phone like a GameBoy, it's there for 'when I need it'. For those people, the watch is such an amazing device.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacrumoursUser Avatar
138 months ago
Cool. What other products don't you like?
If you mean from Apple that's just this one.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arran Avatar
138 months ago
...You think it's just a time-saver of 2 seconds from pulling out your phone from your pocket.
That's exactly how I thought before I had a watch. I didn't want one and I wasn't getting one. Period.

Then my wife got hers and I got to see first-hand what it does. It really is about freeing yourself from your phone like bbeagle says. I find it magical that wherever I am, I can simply say things and actions happen.

Things like:

* "Hey Siri, call my wife". And within 20 seconds I'm having a speakerphone conversation with my wife, while we're both driving down the highway, in separate cars.
* "Hey Siri, remind me to pay the phone bill when I get home". And when pull into my driveway, I get a reminder.
* "Hey Siri, play some music by Kate Bush" - and in a few seconds "Never for Ever" blasts out of the speaker dock across the room. It's a bit loud, so I just twist the crown and the level falls.

It makes a lot of simple things effortless. It's a bit like having super-powers or telepathy, or something :)

$350 is a bargain.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacrumoursUser Avatar
138 months ago
You, like countless other people, don't understand the Apple Watch if you're saying that it's features just duplicate your phone.

If you really think that way then - most of your phone's features just duplicate your laptop. So why have a phone? See how pointless that sounds?

The watch is meant for people who use their phones PRIMARILY as a short communication and information device. If you're playing games, and on your phone checking things out and surfing the web, and don't want to stop these activities, then the watch is NOT for you.

The Watch has been amazing for me. I 'never' use my phone anymore. I forget to charge it up all the time and 'forget' that I still own a phone. I make a phone call on it once in a while, but it's now in my pocket or on my bookshelf 95% of the time, and I get all my communications from my watch.

If you don't want to live a lifestyle like that, then the watch is not for you - but for me, it's SOOOO much better than what I was living with just a few months ago.
First of all there is a difference between a laptop and phone compared to phone and smartwatch. Second i don't need to spend this unreasonable in my view amount of money to be reminded that i need to stand or see calories burned that are just a ridiculous approximation anyway. Or notifications.

At most it takes me 2 seconds to take my phone out and unlock it to see a notification or read an email.


If you can read i don't talk for everyone just me, i made a mistake by writing nobody cares, should have said i don't care.

Good for you.

P.S. First of all there is a difference between WANTING and NEEDING. Any reasonable person most certainly don't need it. So i did just that, decided i don't need one. I might want one somewhere along the line couple of years later. But right now it just duplicates my iPhone 6.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)