Apple Watch to Be Available in Apple Retail Stores Starting Next Month

Now that supplies of the Apple Watch have begun to meet demand — the Link Bracelet, Modern Buckle, and the Leather Loop have finally starting shipping to customers while shipping estimates for the Sport have been steadily improving since the device’s launch — the device will finally see an end to its online exclusivity. According to Mac Rumors, the Apple Watch will be available at Apple retail stores as early as next month with the Cupertino giant sticking to its plans to keep the gadget as an online-exclusive through the month of May. Outside of Apple’s own web store, up until this point, the Watch has only been available in-store a select few boutiques, including the likes of colette in Paris.

The Apple Watch’s launch was highly unusual for Apple in that it was handled solely online in lieu of the lengthy queues outside of stores that usually go hand-in-hand with its product debuts. Though Apple has claimed it was handled that way in order to offer the best ordering experience for customers, industry insiders have suggested that supplies were severely constrained because of faulty Taptic Engines that were produced by a Chinese supplier.