Apple Watch launches quiet, most inventory spoken for

It’s Friday, April 24th, the long-awaited day of the Apple Watch launch/the Watchening.

And it’s pretty quiet out there.

Unlike many of Apple’s product launches, there isn’t much inventory of the device in the stores, the lion’s share of the inventory has been spoken for via massive pre-order sales numbers and the few stores that have units in stock are apparently experiencing long lines from customers eager to get their hands on the item.

Over at the 4th Street Apple Store in Berkeley, California, it was business as usual. Pulling in at 8:45 AM, I noticed no line whatsoever and employees arriving, knocking on the door and being let in to prepare for their shifts. One employee that I talked to stated that there was no Apple Watch inventory at this location and that all of the inventory had been spoken for. Another employee stated that it was unknown when they would be receiving inventory to sell in the store and to keep checking the Apple retail web site for more information.

Reactions to the Apple Watch itself were mixed, but generally positive.

“I don’t have a lot of perspective on it, but I’ll be curious to see what it turns into,” said Jaimee Calloway of San Francisco, California. “Usually these things are so expensive at the beginning and they improve over time, so we’ll see.”

“I think it is beautiful but it’s pointless,” said Vashti Joseph of Berkeley, California. “People think that it’s going to take them away from their phones but they are just going to be glued to the Apple Watch instead.”

“I think it’s nice for people that can afford it, but it’s not a necessary tool.” said Joseph. “It doesn’t solve any problems.”

Thomas Lehr of Oakland, California responded with much more gusto as to the Apple Watch and its potential, but was hesitant as to its battery life.

“I’m an apple guy. I would love the Apple Watch if it had a longer battery life. I’ve been rocking a 6th gen iPod nano as a watch for about 2 years now and I can go weeks without charging it,” said Lehr. “Plus, since it doesn’t run on the iOS I can use it as a jump drive to transport files. I would upgrade to an Apple Watch if they would address the battery life issues.”

Opinions will differ, but the Apple Watch is out the door, it’s on its way and it’s now part of the Apple universe/ecosystem.

As always, please let us know about your Apple Watch experiences in the comments.