You won’t be able to just walk into the store and buy an Apple Watch

I’m sure you’re familiar with the inevitable mile-long lines that pop up at Apple Stores across the globe when a new device launches. Well that’s not going to happen with the Apple Watch. Not only is the device going to be sold in very limited quantities, you’ll need to make an online reservation for the device, you won’t be able to just walk in and buy whatever they have in stock. To be fair though, there’s still probably going to be tons of lines. 

Well, we knew the Apple Watch was going to be sold in limited quantities on launch day—we just didn’t know how limited, nor how long the limited supply might last. Apple has finally chimed in to give some additional details about the Apple Watch’s big April 24 release date, and you might not be too thrilled if you’re used to just waltzing in to your local Apple Store and doing whatever you want. First up, take that dream scenario and toss it aside. Apple has officially confirmed to CNET that all Apple Watch sales will require some kind of online reservation, period. You won’t be able to just walk into a store, grab one off the shelf, and buy it day-of. And this isn’t just a launch day peculiarity. Until Apple changes its mind—which it might not—all Apple Watch purchases will require you to make an online reservation if you plan to pick up the device at an Apple Store. That’s not to say that you’ll only be able to get an Apple Watch at an Apple Store, of course. You can also just have Apple ship the smartwatch to you, if you prefer.