Affordable Apple Watch Sport delayed by a Month

Apple faces severe Apple Watch supply issues at launch. The most affordable Apple Watch line is delayed by a month. Select more expensive models are shipping on April 24th.

Apple launched the Apple Watch pre-order at about 12:05am PDT. Right from the start the $349 and $399 Apple Watch Sport models showed a shipping time frame of 4 to 6 weeks. Considering that the announced shipping date is in 2 weeks on April 24th, this means about 1 month delay.

Select smartwatches in the more expensive Apple Watch line are shipping April 24th to /4/8th. Models that ship on time include the $649 38mm stainless steel with Milanese band and the $699 42mm Stainless Steel Case with Black Classic Buckle.

Update:

Here is the specific shipping time frame I received in my order confirmation for an Apple Watch Sport: ships between /4/12th to /4/26th. Why this wide range? And why is it delayed by almost 3 weeks from the start? This just in: Apple Watch Sport delayed until June.

The most affordable models in the Apple Watch line are delayed. Conspiracy aficionados will be quick to accuse Apple of artificially limiting the supply of Apple Watch Sport to push early adopters to pay premium on the Apple Watch line or even Apple Watch Edition.

Whatever it is, a month delay from the get go is unacceptable.

The Apple Watch starts at $349 for the small case (38mm) Sport Edition. We recommend to get only an Apple Watch from the Sport Edition as initial reviews indicate severe issues on performance. Unless Apple can fix this via software updates, the Apple Watch 1 might be the usual first Generation Apple product you can trash in a year. To keep financial loss at a minimum we opt to go with the $399 42mm Apple Watch and for the ladies the cheaper 38mm is likely the right choice.

I personally ordered the Apple Watch Sport 42mm Space Gray Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band. Why this model? It is the lowest priced large display model and it is black – geeks love black.

Visit the Apple Store to try place your order for the Apple Watch. We recommend though to use the Apple Store app (iTunes) to place your Apple Watch pre-order. It has worked more reliable in the past at new Apple product launches.

Apple Watch introduces a new design and iOS-based user interface created specifically for a smaller device. Apple Watch features the Digital Crown, a new way to scroll, zoom and navigate fluidly, without obstructing the display. The Digital Crown also serves as the Home button and a quick way to access Siri. The Retina display on Apple Watch features Force Touch, a technology that senses the difference between a tap and a press, providing a new way to access controls within Apple Watch apps. Watch the Apple Watch Tutorial Videos.

The Apple Watch introduces the Taptic Engine and a built-in speaker that together discreetly enable an entirely new vocabulary of alerts and notifications you can both hear and feel. Apple custom-designed its own S1 SiP (System in Package) to miniaturize an entire computer architecture onto a single chip. Apple Watch also features Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 4.0 to pair seamlessly with your iPhone. Besides the smart watch features the Apple Watch keeps time to within 50 milliseconds of UTC, the universal time standard when synching regularly with the iPhone.

Read the latest Apple Watch and Apple News.