Apple Watch In-Store Pickup Reservations May Be Limited To One Per Customer

If you’re eager to buy the Apple Watch, Apple Inc. will gladly sell you one. But if you want more than that, picking it up in-store may not be the best option.

Unlike previous Apple product launches, Apple Watch in-store pickup reservations will be limited to one per customer, according to documents obtained by MacRumors. And pickups of the Watch will be restricted to the person named on the reservation. If the Watch isn’t picked up by a designated date and time, the reservation may also be canceled.

In comparison, Apple has previously limited purchases of its latest iPads and iPhones to two in-store purchases per customers. But unlike those launches, the entire preorder and purchase process will be handled online even if the customer visits an Apple store during the preview weeks. So no walk-in purchases are expected to be allowed -- at least initially. Though in-store pickups will be limited to one per customer, the policy doesn’t extend to Apple Watches ordered for delivery.

Preorders for the Apple Watch begin April 10 at 12:01 a.m. PDT/3:01 a.m. EDT. Try-ons and preview appointments will begin the same day at Apple Retail Stores in Australia, China, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, France, the U.K. and the U.S., and in dedicated Apple Watch shops in Paris, London and Tokyo. The Watch officially goes on sale two weeks later on April 24, with prices starting at $349 for the aluminum Apple Watch Sport, $549 for the stainless steel Apple Watch and $10,000 for the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition. Unlike the Sport and Watch, the Edition is expected to be limited to its flagship retail shops.