The Apple Watch may have launched across several nations at the end of last week including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, but the company behind the much-hyped wearable does plan to extend its arm to other countries in the near future. We had heard that the secondary Apple Watch launch could take place on May 8th, but now, CEO Tim Cook has said that his company is aiming for a June roll-out.
Since the iPhone often gets a staggered, fortnightly release from the initial launch date to further countries, the May 8th rumor did make a degree of sense, but Tim Cook has put paid to those murmurings at today’s earnings call. Indeed, availability of the Apple Watch throughout the initial nine countries has been fairly scant, and many of those who pre-ordered on the April 10th – the first day that the device could be secured ahead of launch – are still waiting for their deliveries.
A little bit like most of Apple’s recent mobile launches, things have been a bit hectic, and as consumers in Apple Watch-selling areas continue to join the waiting list, those residing in other countries can take a little encouragement from the fact that they may have a chance of scoring a device by the end of June. I say may, because Cook stopped short of outlining precisely where the Apple Watch will launch next, although such details will surely emerge over the coming weeks.
If the Apple Watch has taught us anything, it’s that money speaks more loudly than a foghorn, so no matter where you happen to live in this world, there’s no question that you could still get hold of the sought-after gadget if you’re willing to part with vast sums of cash.
The jury is still out on the Apple Watch, though, and amid the wave of opinion and reaction to the device, it’ll be very intriguing to see whether it lasts. The ecosystem is strong already – 3,500 apps is not bad for a product that is scarcely four days old – and while Apple is in a much stronger position than Android Wear, the real battle will be in convincing the wider market that a smartwatch is a necessity.
We’re definitely in the honeymoon phase right now, but you only have to look at Google Glass for a sobering reminder that cool concepts don’t always stick.
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