It's already been two months since Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. If you've set aside some money to buy the new smartwatch, you may have to hold on to your cash longer than you expected.
Last September, the wearable device was announced with a vague release timeline of "early 2015." Now, there is evidence that the timetable has changed. According to report from 9to5mac, the device may be launched "in the spring."
The revised launch period came from Apple Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts. She mentioned the new schedule in a video message to employees, a transcript of which was leaked by a source.
"You guys were hired because you're the best people in the world. And you know how to service customers, but we are sprinting a marathon right now, and it's not going to stop. Right? We're going into the holidays, we'll go into Chinese New Year, and then we've got a new watch launch coming in the spring," Ahrendts was quoted as saying.
This means that the wearable device will be released any time between March and June. This is in line with an earlier leak, which claimed that Apple was running into production delays with the upcoming smartwatch. "One person briefed by the Apple department involved in shipping the watch quipped that Apple would be 'lucky to ship it by Valentine's Day,'" a report from The Information read.
According to the source, Apple had earlier planned to release the Apple Watch by the end of the year. Software problems were said to have pushed back the launch to Feb. 14. Later reports also claimed that Apple was having difficulty with the device's batteries. The 9to5mac report mentioned that the company was still working on improving the Apple Watch's battery system.
The Apple Watch was first shown during Apple's iPhone 6 launch event last Sept. 9. The device is expected to come in two sizes (38mm and 42mm) and has a price that starts at $349. The Apple Watch allows users to take calls, send and receive text messages and view health information without pulling out a smartphone. The device is designed to be paired with an iPhone and is compatible with the iPhone 5 or later models.
