Apple is getting ready to finally start selling the Apple Watch in stores
9to5Mac reports that Apple's retail chief Angela Ahrendts sent a video memo to Apple retail staff which advises them to get ready for the Apple Watch's in-store launch.
It sounds like Ahrendts is pretty excited for the launch: "This is our moment to shine, this will be a launch unlike any we've ever had before … this is what you were born to do, this is why you are at Apple," she reportedly said in the video.
Ahrendts also says that "this is where the rubber hits the road, and now we need to make sure that we are above and beyond ready."
We don't know exactly which date the Apple Watch will arrive in stores, but Apple CEO Tim Cook let slip during a visit to China that it will arrive in June.
Apple has been trying something new for the launch of the Apple Watch. Ahrendts said ahead of the watch's launch that "this is a significant change in mindset, and we need your help to make it happen." Instead of letting people queue outside its stores for the moment the device went on sale (like iPhone launches), Apple wanted a more high-end experience.
Ahrendts has overseen a launch featuring pop-up shops in luxury retailers like Selfridges in London, letting customers try on watches in-store. But you can't buy a watch once you've tried it on, instead you have to go away and order it online.
That's about to change: The video memo makes it clear that Apple will stock the Apple Watch in stores, and customers will be able to check online that their local store has their desired model before going to buy it.
By all accounts, the Apple Watch launch has not gone to plan for Apple. It even had to remove the launch date from its website after it ran out of stock of the device hours after it went on sale. Ahrendts hinted at the confusion surrounding the launch, acknowledging in a video sent to retail employees in April that employees were being "bombarded with questions" over the device's availability.