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Opinion: Understanding the extended period between the Apple Watch event and next month’s launch

Christy Turlington Burns & Tim Cook

Apple has shown off the Apple Watch at a special event now on two occasions: first after the iPhone 6 last September, then after the new 12-inch MacBook last week. We know how the Apple Watch will look, how much it will cost, when we can buy it and for how much. Many developers are ready to ship apps for the Apple Watch, and we’re already seeing an accessory market for Apple’s wearable.

Since last week’s event, I’ve been thinking about why Apple might have chosen to have its second Apple Watch unveiling more than a month before people can actually buy the device. My conclusion? It’s complicated, but mostly necessary considering the complexity of actually buying the right watch.

Apple’s motivation is to ensure that you have an iPhone 5 or later before next month, and that you have the answer to a number of questions including how many millimeters your wrist measures if you plan to pre-order before trying on an Apple Watch. And because we know how major iPhone launches go with getting the exact model you want, pre-ordering will be the first opportunity to secure the Apple Watch of your choice or risk waiting even longer.

Why So Early?

If for no other reason, Apple needed to do something to keep the hype going between September 9th (when it first unveiled the watch) and April 24th (when the watch will be available) That’s 227 days, and 227 days feels infinite in the tech cycle.

On the other hand, holding the last big event before the watch goes on sale to the public so far in advance runs the risk of potentially losing momentum before even the pre-order date. More likely, though, is that the scale of interest in the Apple Watch has gotten so high that the worst that could happen is the watch becomes a smaller part of the conversation again before completely stealing our attention once again.

For Apple, it’s primetime to get the word out that Apple Watch is coming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ql0Z8Il73s

iOS 8.2 and Apple Watch app

How does the Apple Watch continue to be a part of the conversation over the next few weeks? In part, iOS 8.2 and the Apple Watch app. Apple needed to ship iOS 8.2 far ahead of the watch since it’s required for pairing to an iPhone. We now have this non-functional Apple Watch app on our iPhones, though, and the watch is still weeks away. That’s 46 days, to be exact, between iOS 8.2 adding it to our homescreens and the first day we can actually pair it with an Apple Watch. The Apple Watch app will be even more important once the product goes on sale and people can actually buy the device and put the app to use.

Early 2015 to Late April

When the Apple Watch was shown off last September, Tim Cook first said that it would be available in early 2015. Cook later specified that the watch development was on track for release in April standing by the description of early 2015.

Apple products tend to go on sale on Fridays, so I suspected an April 24th release based on being the last possible Friday in that month. The early March event, however, made me second guess that assumption thinking that maybe Apple would surprise and delight with an even earlier ship date, possibly in March.

Given the amount of information we learned last week — and more so the number of decisions you need to make before buying an Apple Watch — the extended period between last week’s event and next month’s launch makes a lot more sense to me.

Get Your Affairs in Order

Aside from the usual decisions you have to make like how you will pay and where you plan to buy, the Apple Watch requires a whole list of other decisions unique to the watch unlike any other Apple product.

There are the obvious decisions like which casing — aluminum, steel, or gold — you plan to buy, then you have to choose between various band materials and colors. There’s also the choice between 38mm and 42mm cases (the Apple Store app makes this easier).

The tricky part comes in when you look at specific band sizes. Unless you’re buying the Apple Watch Sport which includes both available band size options, expect to need to decide between particular band sizes.

Apple Watch band sizes

For example, the leather loop band for the 42mm Apple Watch is offered in Medium for 150-185mm wrists and Large for 180-210mm wrists. The modern buckle for the 38mm Apple Watch has even more options: Small for 135-150mm, Medium for 145-165mm, and 160-180mm wrists.

I don’t know the size of my wrist in millimeters without measuring, and I bet I’m not alone. Picking up a soft measuring tape before pre-orders on April 10th is high on my to-do list. Between learning band sizes and the upcoming pre-order date, Apple has offered 32 days and a helpful band sizing chart to prepare.

Pre-order or Anything Goes

Of course, the Apple Watch will be available to preview at Apple Stores for two whole weeks before anyone can actually take it home. This period will be useful for deciding which band fits best, but we have no idea how soon each Apple Watch will sell out during pre-orders so I wouldn’t recommend relying on this method. Among our readers, the space gray aluminum model and space black steel model are especially popular.

While that two week pre-order period also seems lengthy, it’s not unprecedented. The first iPad, for example, had a three week pre-order period. Nevertheless, if you have your heart set on a specific Apple Watch style, I would take advantage of online pre-orders as early as possible or risk waiting or picking another option altogether.

Apple Watch Logistical Nightmare

We see this more and more lately with iPhone launches. As Apple offers more carrier options (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile) and colors (space gray, silver, gold) in addition to storage options (16GB, 64GB, 128GB), it becomes more difficult around launch time to actually find the specific configuration you want in stock.

The Apple Watch will be the same way, only 100 times worse. Rather than choosing between carriers, colors, storage, and screen size, you have material, material color, case size, band, band size, and band color.

For example, you show up for a $399 42mm Apple Watch Sport in silver/white or space gray/black, but the only options are silver/green, pink, or blue, possibly even in 38mm. Repeat this scenario a dozen times and you see why pre-ordering as soon as possible will be critical to getting the Apple Watch at launch that you want.

All the more reason to get your affairs in order sooner than later and take advantage of the stretch of time between the Apple Watch events and the Apple Watch launch. While Apple will have a new Reserve and Preview system at its retail stores to accompany the launch, the new system will really only be useful if inventory for each Apple Watch style is up to demand.

Bottom Line

The Apple Watch launch is a logistical complexity for both Apple and customers. While the extended period between the event and the launch may seem empty, it’s really time to make some important decisions if you expect to have the Apple Watch on day one.

For Apple, the company is putting together all the right pieces to pull off a massive launch. For developers, it’s crunch time to get WatchKit apps ready to the Apple Watch App Store. For customers, though, it’s time to find the answer to a number of questions before buying the Apple Watch.

If you’re planning on buying an Apple Watch at launch, do you know where, which style, and even which band size? Let us know which Apple Watch in our mega poll, and share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Comments

  1. dailycardoodle - 9 years ago

    Dark grey aluminium Sport 42mm with spare green band(s) because YES IT DOES MATCH!
    Order on the 10th of April. There’s no stores near me.
    Wait by front door.

  2. Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

    I think you are missing a much more obvious reason. The Watch is arguably not finished yet. We know that the watches at the first event were demos for instance, and not the real deal. The software is totally shaky even now.

    As to the band sizes, be especially careful of the link bracelets. Apple has not included a way to adjust them in increments smaller than 10mm, and can only be re-sized symmetrically in 20mm increments. Now if you removed ALL of the six links, it would be possible to “fit” on smaller wrists, but it will basically look like ass and not “fit” in the sense of looking like it actually belongs on your wrist.

    For instance, the link bracelet for the 38mm (small) watch *says* it fits all the way down to 130mm, but I have a 165-170mm wrist, and even with removing three links, I am VERY dubious that it will “fit” in any way that I actually care about.

    • Andrew Messenger - 9 years ago

      How do you know the software is “totally shaky even now?”

      • Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

        In the demos I’ve seen (from the last event) two things were obvious. Tons of LAG, and some of the base features of the interface like the friend picker, were different than shown previously.

        So obviously they are still working on it.

    • mrrvdio - 9 years ago

      You guys are all forgetting that there is a huge gap because they need time for the ecosystem to full and lush. Remember the iPhone when it first came out it was months before the actually product came out because the App Store didn’t have a lush ecosystem of apps beginning it was a new product category. apple gave us a taste of the watch last year to get the developers ready to have apps to demo on the product which some did before the final announcement but that was only a hand full and many developers were still in the dark about the measurements of the device so there were a lot of developers with their apps not ready. This last period between the final announcement and the launch is to have the App Store stocked with plenty of apps at launch beginning its a new product line. One of the biggest problems other companies having enough apps and many lack it so it ruins the experience of having a device that you can’t really use. It’s about apps not the watch.

  3. Yogesh Mhatre - 9 years ago

    42mm Silver Aluminum Case with White Sport Band. It seems like this will be a common one.

  4. ktest098 - 9 years ago

    Another reason why there might be so long a gap, is to give Apple a bit of time to adjust production runs based on what watches/bands people are favoriting now in the Apple Store app.

    Of course that can only tell you so much, demand may well shift when people encounter the real bands/watches.

    I think you are right that it’s a good idea to pre-order something close to what you want now, especially the watch model…

  5. ktest098 - 9 years ago

    Also, for anyone interested in figuring out what combination of watch and band they would like, check out http://mixyourwatch.com

  6. sammeries - 9 years ago

    Perhaps Apple is also taking advantage of the lead time to gauge stock levels…using the “favorite” feature in the Apple Store app to learn which models/bands are more popular to ramp up production on those.

  7. John Col-p - 9 years ago

    I think they should have offered the demo period a week prior to the pre-order date, so folks can check them out first and then decide what to order than on the same day… Therefore… you fight in line to get a demo and then end up racing to get on-line to order it before there is a waiting list forming… or just skip the demo and just order and hope you got it right… oh the chaos same day start will cause…

  8. Simon Bishop - 9 years ago

    “I don’t know the size of my wrist in millimeters without measuring, and I bet I’m not alone. Picking up a soft measuring tape before pre-orders on April 10th is high on my to-do list.”

    I used a ruler and a piece of string.

  9. pnhawaii - 9 years ago

    First of all, great article Zac I appreciate your work…!
    To answer your question, I’m gonna buy an Apple Watch Sport probably 42 mm in gonna check on that on April 10th, cause it’s simply the cheapest, and buy some third party metal band later.
    Can’t wait to finally get my hands on one.

  10. Jörg Wißemann - 9 years ago

    steel/steel link 42 mm – took me 5 seconds to come to a decision. So I absolutely don’t get the point of “decision complexity”. I mean, in the end, it’s a watch, isn’t it?

    • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

      Some people actually like to consider their options.

      • akibbe02 - 9 years ago

        Some people, sure, but I suspect most will either the know the exact configuration they want already, or have it narrowed down to two or three candidates. As soon as I saw the SS Space Black with Link Bracelet, all other options were nonstarters.

    • Im sorry. Its not “just a watch”. You can call Swatch “just a watch” but Apple watch is different.

      • Pat - 9 years ago

        LOL

  11. Toro Volt (@torovolt) - 9 years ago

    The Watch was supposed to be ready for the 2014 Holidays, but Apple missed the deadline.
    Then it was supposed to be ready for “The Watch” event, but once again failed to meet that deadline.

    Because of work I have both Apple and Android, so I’m getting the Pebble Time Steel which is OS agnostic.

    • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

      No offense but you have no idea if any of that is true. Granted they may have been aiming for a holiday 2014 release.

    • Pebble is the biggest load of BS I have ever seen.

    • Mike Wëwerka - 9 years ago

      Being a Pebble owner (from the Kickstarter days) I can honestly say I’ve loved my Pebble. But it’s not smartwatch. That’s being generous. The Pebble is essentially a glorified Notification watch. It’s abilities to handle slight replies is it’s biggest achievement. It doesn’t have a pedometer, heart rate monitor or barometer. It doesn’t give directions, take call or interact with you. You can’t read full emails or texts. It’s a notification hub, that’s it. When April 10th comes around, you’ll find my Pebble on Ebay for $55 bucks. Any takers?

      • Toro Volt (@torovolt) - 9 years ago

        The original Pebble can do much more than that. I guess you didn’t read the manual.
        Personally I use it in the Shower to play Spotify, and it can even show what track is playing. Work as a remote shooter for my Camera in both my iPad and Android phone.
        It works as a BT locker, so no password, nor Touch ID needed.
        I kept a Grocery list there when shopping, no need to reach for phone and the list is in perfect synch with both phone and tablet.
        Oh wait and that is with the original Pebble. The new Pebble Time can do even more.
        The original Pebble is so affordable that I dont really care much if is broken or stolen.
        Oh and wait there is more, I only need to recharge it every 5 days, so I party or go camping without battery range anxiety.

    • sammeries - 9 years ago

      Yeah…you don’t have any idea when it was “supposed” to be ready.

  12. rrobinson1216 - 9 years ago

    I think my problem is, if my measurements are right (I hope they aren’t…) I’m at 222-224mm…which is beyond any band they even sell. I want one badly though, and am debating on pre-ordering the Milanese Loop banded steel one anyway, since it has magnets all the way down it and just seeing what happens. Can return it, worst case scenario, but surely I’m not the only person with large wrists?

  13. Pablo Gallastegui - 9 years ago

    My theory: They just really wanted to use the “spring forward” pun, but they were not ready to launch yet.

  14. beyondthetech - 9 years ago

    I’m probably going to get flak from this, even though I’m a big fan of Apple: Regardless if they are a multibillion dollar company, they could’ve “spring forward”ed their Apple Watch announcement a whole month before preorders are even available because of a small crowdfunding company called Pebble came up with an update to their inexpensive smartwatch that remains dead-easy to use and became a runaway hit in one day on Kickstarter, and continues to grow at an exponential rate. With its first iteration hitting a million sold and this new one ready to break $20M in preorders, they are not a force to be ignored.

    Remember, too, that it’s not just the smartwatch. The more Pebble sells for the Android smartphone users, the less reason for them to switch to an iPhone altogether. With the latest news on how Apple will entice Android users to switch with a gift incentive, it’s clear that they want to give customers a multiproduct solution and a closed ecosystem.

    After the announcement, while Pebble’s preordering tripled, I did manage to cancel my pledge because I am in the ecosystem, and this further solidifies my position in there. I was considering an Android phone even after the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus came out, but no more.

    So, while people may balk at the idea that Pebble was a threat, they’re not seeing the whole picture.

  15. Mike Wëwerka - 9 years ago

    How about the simple fact that Apple doesn’t have enough supply to meet demand yet and needs another full month of manufacturing. They held the event in March as it’s the last month of the first quarter, the same quarter they promised to deliver the watch. Had they missed that window, the watch (which is still coming in April) would have been formally announced, dated and detailed in April, which is the start of the second quarter. That’s it. Plain and simple. No conspiracies, no convoluting theories. The watches just weren’t ready yet.

  16. Smigit - 9 years ago

    I’m not sure one month is that early. A few years back that would have almost been the norm, but the gaps seem to have tightened more recently for established products. Certainly the iPhone and I believe the iPad both had extended lead ins to the initial launch.

    There’s probably multiple reasons including hype and the fact this is a new device, so an early unveil helps Apple control expectations and rumours. Additionally it probably helps push developers along to get things completed rather than dropping a release date at the last minute and expecting them to have their applications finished in the next week.

  17. cameroncovington - 9 years ago

    I’m hoping to preorder the 42mm Stainless Steel model with the white sport band. I’d rather it be shipped to my home rather than pickup in an Apple Store.

  18. Steve M. Cess - 9 years ago

    Honestly, I was paying WAY more attention to Christy than to Tim………… what on earth was he babbling about…….???? 👀

  19. charismatron - 9 years ago

    I’ll throw in my two cents: this isn’t merely a product launch, it’s a whole new development for the Apple Store and how Apple does business.

    From renovating and refurnishing stores, to educating staff, to installing safes, to establishing extra-Apple Store locations (for Editions), to the online avenue for ordering and purchases, it’s an incredibly long list of “new stuff”.

    There’s probably production lag, but that’s the least of their concerns. Apple suffers the most intense criticisms for the smallest of infractions. Cook and co. are merely dotting every i and crossing every t to avoid a launch plagued with problems. Remember, this is a company that can’t even give away free albums without taking shit. In my estimation, they’re doing what they have to to get everything right.

    And you know it as well as I do: for the haters, even that won’t be enough.

  20. prolango - 9 years ago

    Not judging; just curious. Why are you all buying the V1? Would it make sense to wait for the S or do you really need this?

    On another note, I’m a huge Apple fan and own everything iOS, but I just can’t seem to find a need for this product. Besides notification checking, and some of the fitness features, how are you really planning on using this?

    • Shawntel Vanhook - 9 years ago

      Me personally, I hate taking my iPhone(Any of them, I’ve had them all starting with the 3G) out of my pocket over concrete or any surface that would damage it if dropped. The AppleWatch for me will be that bridge between being out and about and still be able to stay in contact with friends/family, social media etc without the worry of damaging my device if I am walking or what ever the case may be. Besides who wouldn’t want to be like DickTracey?! As for your V1 question, I totally know that the name of the game is making money, but I’d be hard pressed to Think Apple would drop an S version or an AppleWatch2 next year. I have been wrong before but no f-ing way Apple would sell an all gold AppleWatch for $10K+ just to have a newer version to come out in 12mths, how messed up would that be???

    • How else does one use a Breitling, Movado, Rolex, Michael Cors, Hublot, Omega, etc…..besides telling the time right?!, all these watches basic features is just telling the time but they are ridiculously expensive. At least the apple watch has a plethora of features/functions and ties into the ecosystem.

      And I hope I’m not being biased by saying this but it’s the most beautifully designed smart watch I have seen (even online). Just saying.

  21. Povilas Griškevičius - 9 years ago

    Overpriced with poor battery life and really only gimmick features. This what we are doing now? Counting seconds it takes to take iPhone from the pocket versus placing over a watch? Really? This is how complicated our lives are?

    THINGS LIKE THIS MAKE ME CRY.

    And the fitness thing is better done in 2 or 3 fitness trackers i can think of that ship today. And the battery last forever.

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.