Skip to main content

Apple has only delivered 22 percent of Apple Watch pre-orders, so far

apple watch pre order shipments wear next 031615 edition 014
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Launching a product so successful that pre-orders are overwhelming is something that Apple should be used to by now. Missing the mark by so much that your supply is out-matched by demand to the point that you can’t make product available in stores is a bit much. This is the current situation with the new Apple Watch, Apple’s first new product category since 2010 and its hope for a strong start in Q3.

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts is seen in a leaked video telling retail employees how to best assist customers with the Apple Watch. It acknowledges that retail employees have been “bombarded with questions” regarding the availability of the product. Within a short window, pre-orders for the Apple Watch were quoting 4-6 weeks delivery time, and it was announced stores will not actually be carrying the device for purchase. It appears that the launch date of April 24 was more of a shipping date for some of the pre-orders than an actual release date. Within hours of pre-orders opening on April 10, the Apple Watch the new device was almost instantaneously sold out.

Recommended Videos

As a metric for determining how effectively Apple has handled this supply kerfuffle, Slice Intelligence took a crack at measuring how many Apple watches had actually been delivered from the 1.7 million pre-orders placed. From their investigation, it seems only about 22 percent of those orders have shipped. This is abnormally low for Apple and obviously a cause of frustration for waiting customers.

According to Slice, around 33 percent of the total Apple Watch shipments should take place in April, with the rest being spread out though May, June, and “Unknown Delivery.” The 38 percent that fall under unknown delivery are still waiting to hear a delivery date from Apple, so it could be quite a while.

Andre Revilla
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Andre Revilla is an entrepreneur and writer from Austin, TX that has been working in and covering the consumer tech space for…
This Apple Watch tech might make your iPhone better
The screens on the titanium and aluminum Apple Watch Series 10 cases.

According to Korea's The Elec (via MacRumors), LTPO3 display technology, which was first utilized in the Apple Watch Series 10, may also be adapted for future iPhones. This new technology improves both power efficiency and display performance.

On the flagship Apple Watch Series 10, LTPO3 enables Apple to optimize each pixel to emit more light at wider angles and improve battery efficiency.  As a result, the display is 40% brighter than on the previous model, the Apple Watch Series 9, which employed LTPO2. The newer technology also allows for a faster refresh rate when the watch is in always-on mode.

Read more
Telsa may be making an official app for the Apple Watch
A person checking the fitness data on an Apple Watch Series 9.

Whether you're a Tesla fan or not, we can all agree that the cars have some seriously cool features. Your iPhone can function as a car key and you can use it to unlock your doors. That's been a feature for years, but there hasn't been an official Apple Watch app (although third-party solutions do exist and work well.)

According to MacRumors, that might be about to change. The Tesla iPhone app was updated recently for iOS 18, but one person spotted references to an upcoming Apple Watch version of the app. The code makes it look like you'll be able to use your Apple Watch as a digital key to unlock your Tesla, assuming it's compatible.

Read more
I wore the titanium and aluminum Apple Watch Series 10. This is the one I would buy
A person wearing the titanium Apple Watch Series 10.

For the last few weeks, I’ve worn the latest Apple Watch Series 10 in titanium to find out if it’s the first smartwatch to take me away from only wanting to wear my various quartz and mechanical watches. I wanted to find out if paying more for the titanium version would help it give me that same warm feeling, like meeting up with a good old friend, I get when I put on one of my other favorite watches.

I thought I had the answer quickly, but then things were complicated when the aluminum Series 10 arrived for me to try. It changed my opinion, but was it enough to make me want to return the titanium smartwatch?
It’s not just about the titanium
Titanium Apple Watch Series 10, Milanese Loop band, Reflections watch face Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more