Apple Watch will be available to buy in stores from June

Apple Watch
Pick up an Apple Watch in store from June.

While you can wander into an Apple Store and take a peek at an Apple Watch today, you can't actually buy one and take it home with you - you'll be asked to reserve the wearable online once you've tested it out in-store.

That will change next month, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, when high street stores will finally get enough stock of the smart timepiece to be able to hand you one over the counter.

Apple has been struggling to supply enough watches for early adopters eager to try out this new bit of gadgetry, but it seems that the pressure is easing slightly and units should be more readily available from here on in.

Apple Pay for China?

Cook's comments have been reported by the usually reliable 9to5Mac from last week's tour of China. It has the potential to become a key market for Apple and the smartwatch roll-out will include Chinese stores.

There were also hints about Apple Pay coming to China, according to "sources with knowledge of the briefing", with Cook saying progress had been made with potential partners. For now, Apple Pay is US-only, though the company has hinted that will change during 2015.

Existing Apple Watch owners got their first software update yesterday. The new firmware fixes a few bugs, improves app speed and increases the accuracy of the activity tracking sensors on the gadget.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

Latest in Smartwatches
Apple Watch Series 10
Apple unveils new Apple Watch bands – here's what's in the Spring 2025 collection
OnePlus Watch 3
The OnePlus Watch 2 won't get Wear OS 5 until Q3 of this year, and the news for the OnePlus Watch 3 is even worse
Honor Watch 5 Ultra
Honor's new Android smartwatch has a 1.5-inch AMOLED display, 15 days of battery life, and works with iPhone and Android
NHL Apple Watch ref
Apple Watch is transforming the way NHL games are refereed
Apple Watch series 9 on a blue background with the text lowest price
Apple Watch Series 9 falls to lowest-ever price on Amazon with a massive 33% off
Apple watch pair with iphone
Apple sued over 'false and misleading' Apple Watch claims – here's what you need to know
Latest in News
Google Pixel 9 Pro
Here are the 7 best Pixel 9 and Pixel Watch 3 features landing in March’s Pixel Feature Drop
Bang & Olufsen Beogram 4000C Saint Laurent Rive Droite Edition
Bang & Olufsen's latest reworked turntable is a masterpiece of retro revival, in a breathtaking wooden presentation box
Apple Watch Series 10
Apple unveils new Apple Watch bands – here's what's in the Spring 2025 collection
iPad Air M3
Apple makes one hardware change to the iPad Air that might be the best indicator of its true lightweight tablet intentions
Shure MoveMic 88+ lifestyle image
Shure's tiny MoveMic 88+ gives creators a cheap and easy way to record crystal clear audio on a smartphone
An operator fires a saw blade from a weapon
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 gets two-week delay, will now release in April