Best Buy Delaying Some Apple Watch Series 1 Pre-Orders to Mid-October

After a string of emails about delayed shipments sent to pre-order customers of the Apple Watch Series 2 and iPhone 7 earlier in the week, Best Buy this morning has begun sending out notifications to a few users who pre-ordered the Apple Watch Series 1, informing them that the new shipping date is October 13, nearly a month after the devices launch today to the public.

best-buy-series-1

Image via blkngld on Reddit

Apple isn't mentioned in the email as it was in the email sent to Series 2 customers, but Best Buy is saying that "the item listed below is taking longer to fulfill than we anticipated," then providing the new October 13 date. In the same thread on Reddit, some users are mentioning earlier estimated dates, but only by a few days, including October 10. As Redditor u8miladoo said:

Again, this is for the Series 1 , i pre ordered it since day 1. Smdh. Never again Best Buy. Funny thing is , it is letting me do a store pick up pre order and it says available for my store near me. Im thinking to just do another transaction , get it in store and cancel the other one. What a nightmare.

Instead of the gift card offer given to Series 2 and iPhone 7 customers, Best Buy is appearing to simply offer paying for "the amount of shipping" on each order, which will be applied whenever the order moves to shipping status. For u8miladoo, that amounts to $12.97 in credit.

A few Best Buy locations are said to have Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 1 stock when the stores begin opening this morning, so there's a chance online pre-order customers with pushed-back shipping dates can purchase their Apple Watch in store, and then cancel the order online when they get home. Since the stores haven't opened yet, however, no one has tried out this method to success.

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

Popular Stories

Apple Creator Studio

Apple Introduces New 'Creator Studio' Bundle of Apps for $129 Per Year

Tuesday January 13, 2026 6:11 am PST by
Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad Pixelmator...
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. ...
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,...
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...
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...
fcp pcp iwork creator studio

These Apple Apps Will No Longer Receive All New Features Without a Subscription

Tuesday January 13, 2026 10:50 am PST by
If you are not interested in subscribing to the new Apple Creator Studio bundle introduced today, you will officially start to miss out on some new features. Apple said some "exciting new intelligent features and premium content" in Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform will only be accessible with a Creator Studio subscription. In the U.S., a subscription...
airpods pro 3 design

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 3 Firmware Update

Tuesday January 13, 2026 11:29 am PST by
Apple today released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The latest firmware has a version number of 8B34, up from the previous version 8B30. Apple has a support document for AirPods firmware updates, and it indicates that the 8B34 update contains unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements." No other AirPods models received firmware updates today. How to install AirPods Pro...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Google Gemini-Powered Siri Will Reportedly Have These 7 New Features

Tuesday January 13, 2026 7:52 pm PST by
Apple and Google this week announced that Gemini will help power a more personalized Siri, and The Information has provided more details. As soon as this spring, the report said the revamped version of Siri will be able to… Answer more factual/world knowledge questions in a conversational manner Tell more stories Provide emotional support Assist with more tasks, such as booking travel ...
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...

Top Rated Comments

iClone Avatar
122 months ago
I would cancel my order and find one somewhere else.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
34 Volt Avatar
122 months ago
This is why I refuse to preorder from "Best" Buy. I preordered the 3DS XL Majora's Mask from them, and they outright cancelled days before it was going to release saying "we over estimated the quantity of the order" (paraphrasing). Seems they still haven't learned.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sasparilla Avatar
122 months ago
Wtf. This can't be all Best Buy...how much blame goes to apple?
Best Buy is doing this with the iPhone 7's as well - would not be surprised to learn they got some sweetheart deal from Apple (better margins etc.) by agreeing to wait on deliveries (either after they took launch day orders or before but kept saying they'd have them launch day). I remember on pre-order day they were saying they could still get stock for today...

This will drive those customers away (long term) who put big dollar orders in - dumb on Best Buy's part. I'd cancel on principle as well.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dieselm Avatar
122 months ago
Watch out. They ran my credit card again last night prior to sending the delay message.

They knew exactly what they were doing. Giving a false ship date they knew they couldn't possibly meet in order to capture more sales.

A month delay announced on ship day?

They KNOW if it were to arrive today, it would have to have shipped in the last two days and they send us an email this morning?

This isn't an accident. This is pre-order policy.
[doublepost=1474036015][/doublepost]Even if 50-75% of the people cancel, that's still thousands of orders they captured and would not have gotten if they were honest.

Given the prices of the series 1 and adding in the "delayed" series 2, equals millions in sales they would have had to give up.

Too much money. Especially if you're the person counting on this quarter's sales numbers.

So lie, figure wouldn't lose too many customers long run and roll the dice. Asses.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
toph2toast Avatar
122 months ago
Series 1 is technically a new product. Basically the same watch that's been out but with the new processor from the Series 2. Most people are referring to the original, now discontinued, watch as S0 or Series 0.
Thanks, I missed the part where they put a new processor in it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)