Apple Watch will go on sale in Apple Retail Stores in June, according to a comments made by CEO Tim Cook on his recent trip to China. Speaking to retail employees in the country, Cook reportedly “promised” that the device will be available to buy in stores “by June”.
We’ve heard a similar timeframe previously from retail SVP Angela Ahrendts. Cook’s comments reaffirm those of Ahrendts and suggest that a June in-store launch is still on track.
Regarding the Apple Watch, Cook began by telling the employees that “the Watch could not be going better, we’re working really hard on making more.” Cook joked that Apple wishes it had more operations staff and engineers to make the launch go even smoother, according to the sources. Notably, Cook promised that Apple Stores will begin carrying Apple Watch stock “by June.” […] For the first time, Cook also confirmed that the upcoming June in-store launch will include the company’s stores in China.
While the last configurations of Apple Watch are now shipping, most models now display July delivery estimates for new orders. Apple and its suppliers are reportedly catching up with demand, so it remains to be seen if it would be best to order online now or wait to pick up an Apple Watch in store.
During his meeting with employees, Cook also opened up about Apple’s plans for Apple Pay in China, part of his reason for the visit alongside Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue was to meet with potential Apple Pay partners in the country.
Cook reportedly stated that the implementation of Apple Pay would remain the same as the US system and that he is hoping for the launch to occur “soon”. “I think we’ve made progress”, Cook said about Apple Pay in China, adding “there’s different people and different banks involved”.
