Apple Watch Hits Retail Stores In Mid-June

Apple Watch: My In-Store Demo

Supplies of the Apple Watch are finally catching up to demand. Apple said the Watch is going to be more widely available during the second half of June, and before long consumers will be able to walk into an Apple Store and buy one.

"The response to Apple Watch has surpassed our expectations in every way, and we are thrilled to bring it to more customers around the world," Jeff Williams, Apple's senior vice president of operations, wrote in a June 4 statement. Apple has not said exactly how many watches it has sold. When asked directly, Apple only said "a lot."

"We're also making great progress with the backlog of Apple Watch orders," wrote Williams, "and we thank our customers for their patience. All orders placed through May, with the sole exception of Apple Watch 42mm Space Black Stainless Steel with Space Black Link Bracelet, will ship to customers within two weeks. At that time, we'll also begin selling some models in our Apple Retail Stores."

Two weeks from Thursday, June 4, is June 18. If you placed an order for the Apple Watch at any point in May, you should expect your precious wearable to arrive by the 18th. On or about that same day, Apple will let you buy an Apple Watch in the Apple Store. Until now, consumers have only able to gawk at the wearable in stores. Apple is taking orders for the device exclusively through its website.

Apple exhausted supply of the Apple Watch swiftly when it went on sale in late April. Within hours, consumers attempting to place orders encountered back-ordered devices with shipping dates stretching to July. It appears as though Apple has been able to ramp up production of the device accordingly.

In addition to the broader availability in the US, the Apple Watch will go on sale in seven more countries June 26, including Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

[Check out a list of Apple Watch apps for road warriors. ]

Apple recently updated the Watch with a refreshed version of the operating system. The update improved performance of the device significantly. For example, third-party apps now function smoothly and without the delays and the sluggish performance pointed out by early adopters. Siri now functions more consistently, and the Watch is better able to measure certain fitness activities.

The Watch arrived as the market for wearables appears to be skewed toward fitness bands, according to IDC. With smartwatches counting for just 25% of wearable shipments during the first quarter of 2015, it will be interesting to witness what sort of impact Apple's wearable has on the prevalence of smartwatches and the wearable market as a whole moving forward.

The Apple Watch starts at $349 and ramps up to $17,000 depending on the model. The Watch Sport is the least expensive; the Apple Watch fills in the middle of the range with price points starting at $549; and the Watch Edition, made of gold, starts at $10,000.