If you’ve already made the decision to reserve some wrist space for Apple’s upcoming smartwatch, you may be wondering exactly when the device is going to hit stores.
“Early 2015” is the only information Apple has offered since unveiling the device in September, though a video message sent out to employees by its retail chief, Angela Ahrendts, suggests a spring launch is on the cards.
In the message, a transcript of which was passed to 9to5Mac by an unnamed Apple employee, Ahrendts hints at the busy months ahead for its retail staff while at the same time providing some words of encouragement:
“You guys were hired because you’re the best people in the world, and you know how to service customers. But we are sprinting a marathon right now, and it’s not going to stop, right? We’re going into the holidays, we’ll go into Chinese New Year, and then we’ve got a new watch launch coming in the spring.”
If the transcript is accurate, it seems potential buyers will have to wait a little longer than originally thought, with a launch now looking more likely from late March onwards instead of during the first couple of months of the year.
When it does land, interested consumers will have to pay at least $350 for the wrist-based computer, which comes in a range of designs.
Apple appears to be approaching its entry into a new market with a certain degree of caution, having announced last month that it would be lumping sales figures for its smartwatch together with iPod and Apple TV sales in a new category called ‘other products.’ In contrast, Apple supplies detailed sales figures for its big-selling products, among them the iPhone and iPad.
