Why people won't be waiting in line for Apple Watch
Apple Watch goes on preorder Friday before being released in stores April 24. You won't have to get in line to scoop up one for yourself -- but you will have to get online.
In order to buy one of the new wearables, customers won't just be able to waltz up to an Apple store, and there won't be a long line winding down the block like there historically has been for new iPhones and iPads. You will have to make a reservation for an appointment to come in and spend 15 minutes with an Apple Store employee to check out a couple different models at a time and a tutorial on the tech.
Compared to the white-glove treatment for Apple Watch Edition customers ready to plunk down $10,000 to $17,000, who will get a full hour and their own personal helpline number, these appointments are a requirement, not a privilege.
"You're actually going to have to have a time slot so they can walk you through the process of figuring out how it works, getting it to fit right, things like that," CNET editor Dan Ackerman told CBS News.
Maybe Apple wants to create an air of exclusivity. Perhaps it's a way to control inventory and time spent browsing, especially given that this is the only Apple gadget that gives consumers many combinations of options to choose from. Or it could just be that the company's first wearable requires a little extra explanation.
"The couple times I've tried the Apple Watch, it's not quite as intuitive as some other Apple products and I think they really need the 15 minutes to walk you through the basics," said Ackerman. "I don't think they want people to walk out of the store and go 'I have no idea how to use this thing.'"