Apple Watch orders statuses changing to “Preparing for Shipment” (Updated)

Your pre-ordered Apple Watch might be about to head out the door.

A number of Apple Watch order statuses have begun changing from “Processing Items” to “Preparing for Shipment” as Apple gets ready to send out the first Apple Watch orders to customers who pre-ordered their devices on Friday, April 10th. The order statuses have shifted over to “Preparing for Shipment” for some buyers and are listing prospective delivery dates of April 24th to May 8th, while the first orders are expected to begin arriving on Friday, April 24th.

The change to customer order statuses came only minutes after Apple began charging credit and debit cards for Apple Watch purchases. Like other major Apple product releases, bulk shipments of the Apple Watch have already been arriving at central distribution centers across the United States from China, where the Apple Watch was manufactured. Apple Watch orders will ship out from these central distribution centers via Fedex and UPS, so despite the late shipping date, many devices will arrive on Friday.

Deliveries could come from any of the major shipping hubs in the United States, which include Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky (UPS’ WorldPort location); Indianapolis, Indiana; Newark, New Jersey; and Oakland, California. Many orders are likely to pass first through Anchorage, Alaska, where both UPS and FedEx have logistics centers, before heading out to other distribution sites.

Once an order changes to Preparing for Shipment, customers may be able to track by reference number using a phone number on the UPS and FedEx websites to get tracking information before a shipping email even goes out.

Via MacRumors