If you are on the May or June list for Apple Watch delivery, we may have good news for you.
Apple is sending out watch units prior to the stated delivery date on a bunch of orders. Eagle-eyed Apple obsessives and readers of 9to5Mac noticed their order statuses changing from “processing” to “preparing for shipment,” the website reported on Wednesday. The readers also noted they had seen charges for hundreds of dollars being taken from their credit cards.
The launch date is April 24, and many lucky punters may have their watch closer to that date than first expected. The first round of noted delivery dates on order forms is April 24-May 8, and although some of these customers have been moved to “preparing for shipment” status and charged for the watch, others have not.
There is speculation on 9to5Mac around the process Apple is using to decide in what order the watches get sent to preorder customers, with some noting those with an initial delivery period of May 13-27 are getting ready for shipping before those in the earlier delivery bracket.
Many have noted it may be due to the type of watch, with many customers who ordered the black sports band not seeing “preparing for shipment,” much to their dismay. Others have speculated the time of order or location may have played a part.
Apple said in a statement to Mashable Australia, the reports of early deliveries are correct and preorder customers should start waiting near their letterboxes.
“We’re happy to be updating many customers today with the news that their Apple Watch will arrive sooner than expected. Our team is working to fill orders as quickly as possible based on the available supply and the order in which they were received. We know many customers are still facing long lead times and we appreciate their patience,” Apple said.
According to a leaked memo, Apple notes the watch will not be available in stores until June, but the interest has been so high that initial delivery dates from preorders on April 10 also pushed back past June. Slice Intelligence estimated almost 1 million units were preordered on the first day.
“Due to high global interest combined with our initial supply, we are only taking orders online right now. I’ll have more updates as we get closer to in-store availability, but we expect this to continue through the month of May,” the memo reads, but it seems Apple is working quickly through the backlog of preorders.
Let’s hope Friday is your lucky day.
