Customers pre-ordering Apple Inc.’s smart watch on Friday will have to wait at least a month for delivery, a sign of strong early demand for company Chief Tim Cook's first new major product.
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People flocked to Apple's stores around the world to get a close-up look at the Apple Watch, the tech company's foray into the personal luxury goods market, with Apple predicting demand would exceed supply at product launch.
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Cook, interviewed on cable television channel CNBC, said initial orders were "great" for the device, available for pre-order online and to try out in stores by appointment, but not to take home.
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A key factor in the watch's success will be demand once an initial wave of interest from Apple enthusiasts subsides.
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The watch goes on sale officially on 24 April, online and through appointments in shops; including trendy fashion boutiques in Paris, London and Tokyo, part of Apple's strategy of positioning the wearable computer as a must-have accessory.
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But soon after online pre-orders opened on Friday, Apple's website listed shipping times in June for some models of the watch and four to six weeks for others. There was immediately brisk bidding on eBay for confirmed orders for watches, with hundreds of sellers looking to make a few hundred or even thousand dollars by passing on their watches, once received.
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The Apple Watch sport starts at 349 USD while the standard version comes in at 549 USD in the United States. High-end "Edition" watches with 18-karat gold alloys are priced from 10,000 USD and go as high as 17,000 USD.Â
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 Customers pre-ordering Apple Inc.’s smart watch on Friday will have to wait at least a month for delivery, a sign of strong early demand for company Chief Tim Cook's first new major product.
