Apple Watch Not To Be Available For Walk-in Purchase

(RTTNews) - Technology giant Apple, Inc. (AAPL) confirmed recently that customers would not be able to just walk-in and purchase the much awaited Apple Watch across the counters at local Apple stores from April 24, when it is scheduled to start shipping.

Apple reportedly told CNET that it will require some kind of online reservation in order to grab the Watch on the release date itself from an Apple Store. The Watch will be sold only in limited quantities on the launch day.

Apple is expected to use the online reservation to get a control on inventory when the smartwatch is released for sale. It would also enable Apple to provide the potential buyer a realistic date of delivery.

Even after an online reservation, customers might have to place an online order for a specific watch and have it shipped directly to the them or shipped to the local Apple store for a pick-up.

Apple launched the Watch on March 9 and said the watch will be available in Apple stores or start shipping on April 24. It will be available for pre-order from April 10.

The watch will be initially available to customers in nine countries, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US.

The Apple Watch comes in three collections, Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch in stainless steel and luxury Apple Watch Edition in 18 carat gold, and it is available in two sizes -- 38mm or 42mm. The pricing for Sport model starts at $349 and $399, while the mid-range model is priced at $549 to $1,099 and the luxury edition is priced at an exorbitant $10,000.

The Apple Watch requires to be paired with an iPhone 5 or above for use.