Motorola's Moto 360 Android Wear smart watch was finally here, but only for an hour.
When Motorola announced that it had started selling the first round-faced smart watch to showcase Google's Android Wear wearable platform, fans who have waited months to get the device scrambled to buy the Moto 360 in a jiffy, rendering Motorola's virtual shelves empty in just an hour.
At 12 p.m. Eastern Time Friday, the Moto 360 first became available in America via Motorola's website. After only an hour, however, the Moto 360 was already sold out. The Moto 360 product page on the manufacturer's website says: "Availability determined at checkout. Or see it at Best Buy."
Motorola confirmed to Re/code that the Moto 360 is currently sold out but it is "working hard to replenish stock."
"Availability may be limited for a while due to high demand," says a Motorola spokesperson.
Unfortunately, fans who are excited to get their hands on what is widely touted to be the Android Wear smart watch to set the bar for all other Android Wear smart watches to follow will also be frustrated to find out that BestBuy.com has also ran out of Moto 360 stock. A spokesperson for Best Buy says "customer interest was high" for the smart watch.
Google Play Store, which also sold the device, announced over Twitter that Moto 360 is now sold out.
#Moto360 is sold out! Stay tuned for updates to our #AndroidWear collection. https://t.co/nrfdglbQsP pic.twitter.com/n2hDiRQisp
— Google Play (@GooglePlay) September 5, 2014
Waiting seems to be the best thing to do. Motorola recommends that fans sign up for a waiting list, where they will be sent a notification once the company stocks up on the Moto 360 again. Best Buy says customers can wait for Sept. 14, when the company will start selling the device at its physical retail stores. To make sure they get a smart watch, customers can also make a $25 gift card deposit to reserve their Moto 360.
However, for those who are willing spend double for the Moto 360, a number of listings have cropped up on eBay for the device sold at prices from $350 to $500. Motorola sells the device for $250.
The overwhelming response comes amid the mixed first reviews for Motorola's much-awaited smart watch. Users who were lucky enough to grab hold of the Moto 360 before customers overturned the shelves laud the Moto 360's beautiful design, which makes it much more appealing than earlier smart watches that look like miniature smartphones plastered to the user's wrist.
The biggest flaw most reviewers are griping about, however, is the lackluster battery life. With a 320-mAh battery, the Moto 360 only lasts for 12 hours, a challenge most manufacturers still have to figure out to overcome.
Motorola did not provide details as to how many units it actually sold, but the company is well-known for its struggle to keep up with the demand for its products. Last year, the Moto X also ran into supply snags when Motorola ran sales for the smartphone.
