Apple Retail Chief Confirms: 'We've Got A New Watch Launch Coming In The Spring'

Angela Ahrendts, Apple's newly hired retail head, has announced in an internal video message that the Apple Watch will be launched in Spring next year, later than previously thought.

9to5mac obtained a transcript of the message, in which Ahrendts reminds retail employees that the Apple Watch is coming in Spring. Here's what she said:

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.

It seems that there have been delays for the launch of the Apple Watch since its announcement in September. The initial launch date has only ever been announced as "early 2015," but an internal source claimed recently that the company was having trouble working towards a Valentine's Day release. Ahrendts' comments mean that the Apple Watch is now planned to launch in any time from late March through to June 2015.

9to5mac is also reporting that Apple is going to try out something new when selling Apple Watches. Instead of handing them over to customers in sealed boxes, Apple is going to let people try them on in stores. This certainly makes sense, as after all, it will be something that you wear on your wrist.

Ahrendts officially joined Apple in May 2014. She was previously the CEO of fashion brand Burberry, having joined the company in 2006. Her full title at Apple is Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores.