Apple launching in-store ‘Apple Watch Basics’ workshops to show new owners how to use it

By Trevor Mogg April 17, 2015

Apple Watch

Apple looks set to offer special workshops at some of its brick-and-mortar stores to explain to new owners of the Apple Watch how to use it and what it’s good for. Called ‘Apple Watch Basics,’ appointment openings for classes are showing now on a number of its retail store websites, as well as in the Stores section of the Apple Store app.

Apple Watch workshops kick off on April 24, which is when many of the early buyers will be receiving their device. It’s not clear how many people will be in each group, though it seems each of the sessions, which will take place several times a day throughout the week, could last anywhere between 45 and 75 minutes.

It looks as if you have to own the Watch to gain access to a session, so if you’re one of those in two minds about buying the device but want to learn more about it, an informal chat with a blue-shirted member of staff will have to suffice.

Apple says on its website: “Bring your Apple Watch — along with your iPhone — and get familiar with your most personal device yet. We’ll show you how to get started using Glances, gestures, watch faces, and more.”

While some might suggest Apple’s roll out of classes for the Apple Watch shows the device has a user interface that some may find difficult to master without special guidance, it should be noted that the company already offers a variety of in-store sessions for other products, including the iPhone, its Mac computers, and iCloud. Some stores even offer an ‘iPad for Seniors’ class.

But with the smartwatch still a relatively new concept for many consumers, such classes are likely to prove popular for those buying the device for the very first time. Like the appointment-only sales approach for the Watch, it’s another way Apple is introducing wearable technology and its benefits to the masses.

Apple’s first wrist-based gadget appeared to get off to a good start when pre-orders began a week ago. The initial batch apparently sold out in 30 minutes, while analytics firm Slice Intelligence put first-day pre-orders at nearly a million units in the U.S. alone.

[Via MacRumors]

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