The Apple Watch is on sale but Apple doesn't want you to buy one yet - here's why

The Apple Watch officially went on sale Friday  but if you've been trying to get your hands on one you'll probably have realised by now that it's not that simple. In fact, it almost seems like Apple doesn't want you to buy one. So read on to find out why it's currently so difficult to get your mitts on an Apple Watch.

Back at the beginning of March, Apple told the world that the Apple Watch would be hitting the shops on April 24, today, with prices starting at £299 and getting towards a mind blowing £14000 ($18000 USD). And while that's technically the case, with the Watch popping up in six designer boutiques spread over London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Berlin, it's a lot more difficult getting hold of Apple's latest gadget if you live somewhere slightly less salubrious.

Before you start furiously knocking on the doors of Apple Stores up and down the country, begging for the must-have wearable, it's worth considering the fact the Apple Watch is unlike anything else Apple has previously sold. It's not just a piece of tech, it's no longer about what the Watch can do, but this time Apple is hinging its success on the Watch being fashionable, selling on its looks and desirability. The Apple Watch is a whole new ballgame for the company, and as it’s something more personal, it needs to take a different approach - and of course, Apple doesn’t know what the demand is going to be like, so taking a limited approach makes more sense.

Just look at the people Cupertino brought in when designing the Apple Watch, with ex-Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts and ex-Nike designer Ben Shaffer lured to Apple, and the company has been since driving interest in the Watch by making sure it's seen on the wrists of the influential and famous, including fashion designer Karl Largerfeld, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams. Make no mistake, Apple really wants people to lust after its Watch, and part of that means making it trickier to get hold of one.  

And let's face it, if you spend money on a fashion accessory, the last thing you want to see is everybody in the room wearing the same thing. You want to stand out, you want to feel special, and that means Apple needs to carefully control how many Watches are out there - at least for starters.  

So while you can buy the Apple Watch if you ring up and make a reservation at one of the top six fashion boutiques, it'll certainly be a while before you can hand over cash and take one away from a regular Apple Store, or even other designer shops like Selfridges. The limited approach is certainly more likely to appeal to fashionistas, and it's a world away from seeing thousands of people queue round the block for regular Apple gadgets - there's nothing cool about desperately queuing up, right?

Of course, there are other ways you can get hold of an Apple Watch - and rather than battering down the doors of Apple Stores, Cupertino would much prefer you to pre-order its wearable. The first batch of Watches reportedly sold out in hours, but it's only a matter of time before you can get your hands on a Watch from the next batch. This is actually a far more pragmatic approach from Apple, with batches making it a lot easier to judge demand.  

And with people buying the Watch either online or in specific fashion boutiques, it means there will be more time to make sure you get the right fit if you do go and try one on - something that's more important than ever, particularly if you're splashing out for the mega-pricey Apple Watch Edition.  

The limited approach certainly helps to make the Watch feel more special if you do get your hands on one, but can you imagine pre-ordering and waiting, or heading to a dedicated boutique, or is it simply a step too far?  

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Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4

 

 

The Easter bank holiday may have made this a short week, but that doesn't mean we've been short on gadgets. There have been loads of great gadgets to feast your eyes on - especially with Gadget Show Live taking place, and we've also seen a couple of titans of the gadget world finally go on sale. So read on as we catch up with all the week's biggest and best news stories, in your Gadget Digest.

A good week for Apple

After months of sitting back and waiting, you can now finally pre-order an Apple Watch, and you could be wearing the year's most desirable bit of tech before the end of the month. Apple is expecting stock shortages though, so if you want one make sure you put your name down as soon as possible.

That wasn't the only news from Apple this week, as it looks like the Retina screen on the latest iMac could be about to get a whole lot better. According to LG, the next-gen iMac could pack in an almost barely believeable 8K screen, up from the already razor sharp 5K iMac that’s out now. We can only imagine how good photos and movies would look at that resolution, although it'll be a while before there are any apps or services that truly take advantage.

The latest phones and phablets

We fell in love with the searingly sharp, bright and colourful Quad HD screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but it seems that Samsung isn't content to rest on its laurels, and its replacement - the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 looks set to pack in the sharpest screen we've ever seen. A phablet with a 4K display certainly sounds interesting!

Speaking of phones with pin-sharp screens, the Quad HD-toting LG G3 has a successor is on the way, and the LG G4 looks like it'll also cram in an impressive camera. LG certainly wants us to think so anyway, and its official teaser video shows off a snapper with a fast F1.8 lens.

Gadget Show Live

This week also saw Gadget Show Live kick off, and the show will still be underway at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham over the weekend. We saw some brilliant gadgets there at the beginning of the week, and there are also shows taking place all weekend. Throw in some ridiculous vehicles and what more could you ask for if you're looking to be entertained this weekend?

Wearable wonders

For lots of us, the Moto 360 was one of the most stylish wearables yet, but it wasn't perfect. There was the 'flat tyre' look at the bottom of the round screen for starters, and there's definitely scope for improvement. That's where the second-gen Moto 360 comes in, and it looks like it could get a fully round display. Throw in an even sleeker design, and it could well be the wearable to take the fight to Apple.

If you prefer your wearables to be a little more subtle, how about the Jawbone Up3? The sporty wristband is finally set to hit the shops, although it's currently only shipping to the US - UK fans will be able to get one "later this year". It should be good for fitness fans though, with its bioimpendance sensor claimed to be more accurate than a more traditional optical heart rate monitor.

And in other news

We absolutely loved the Bolt - a tiny electric skateboard that’ll get you from A to B in no time at all, and you'll also be able to film all the aerial action using one of two new DJI Phantom 3 drones. It also looks like electric cars are finally starting to deliver too, with the Tesla Model S 70D promising to get you all the way from London to Leeds on a single charge.

What's your favourite gadget of the week though?

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Apple iPhone 7, HTC One M9 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, Apple Watch, Amazon Fire TV

 

We've been particularly excited about the Apple Watch this week, with Cupertino's wearable hitting the shops in April, but there’s been loads of other great stories during the past week as well. So make a brew, sit back and join us as we catch up on all the biggest gadgets of the past seven days.

All go in the smartphone world

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is arguably the best smartphone we've ever seen, but it's still not perfect. The lack of microSD could be enough to put some people off, although it looks like a solution could be on the way in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, which could boast removeable storage. Is that enough to make you wait?

If you do decide to hang on though, it's Samsung's future phones that could really shake things up, with rumours of a folding blower on the way. We're certainly excited - it could be the latter-day reinvention of the much-loved flip phone!

The Samsung Galaxy S6 also made the news for offering the ability uninstall bloatwear, and that'll certainly appeal to lots of owners. Ditching the apps you don't use will result in a faster, smoother OS, and you'll also have more storage space to play with - sounds good to us.

Not to be outdone by Samsung, HTC hit the headlines with the shiny new HTC One E9, which showed off a snazzy design in leaked snaps. The One M9 Plus is set to be unveiled next month, too.

Apple was once again in the headlines this week with its iPhone 7, and this time we could see a camera that features a DSLR-like zoom lens. The iPhone 6's camera is already pretty good, but we certainly wouldn't turn our noses up at an optical zoom, and it can only make an already impressive smartphone even better.

The best wearables

With the Apple Watch set to touch down next month, developers have been working on apps and ways to take full advantage of Apple's wearable, and there's a Philips Hue Apple Watch app on the way. So get ready for lightbulbs can can be controlled by tapping your wrist!

We're used to seeing smartwatches come with hefty prices, but that's not the way it needs to be. Hannspree showed exactly that this week, with a smartwatch that comes in at just £30, yet still promises to deliver notifications and more straight from your smartphone.

We were also happy to see Google Glass pop up again, with the chief of Google - Eric Schmidt - pointing out that the innovative headwear will make a return at some point in the future. With battery and other tech getting better every day, you can bet it'll be more stylish and more capable the next time around, too.

A good week for tele addicts

Apple TV has had a tough time of it recently, with other cheaper devices like Google's Chromecast enjoying the limelight. Not one to sit back and give up, Apple is set to unleash a new Apple TV in June, and you can expect to see it offer third-party apps and Siri integration. Siri, find us something good to watch!

If it's cheap you want though, TV and movies on demand won't get much more affordable than the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which is set hit the UK costing just £7 for new Amazon Prime customers. If you've already got Amazon Prime, it'll cost you £19 - still a decent saving on the usual £35 price tag.

There's also the Google Nexus Player, which is set to go head-to-head with the Apple TV, and you can now get your hands on one for £80.

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Apple MacBook, Apple Watch, HTC One E9, Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, LG G4

 

This week started off with a bang, with Apple unleashing a brand new MacBook and the Apple Watch, and since then we've seen loads of fantastic gadgets. Now we're heading into the weekend, it's time to sit back and catch up on all the stories you may have missed, and make sure you're up to date with all the most exciting news.  

All things Apple

The week started off with some particularly exciting Apple gadgets, not least the brand new 12-inch Apple MacBook. Thinner, lighter and more desirable than the Air, and with a Pro-rivaling Retina display, could this be one of the best MacBooks yet? You'll have to ignore the almost complete lack of ports if you do want one, and it's definitely not the most powerful laptop out there, but we still can't help but want one...  

The same goes for the Apple Watch, which was finally given a price and launch date - you'll be able to get your hands on one on April 24. We're not convinced it'll be the ultimate wearable, but it's definitely one to add to the wish-list.  

If like us, the claims on battery life for the Watch aren't enough to impress you, this handy strap that doubles as a charger could be the ideal solution, but you'll need deep pockets - it's £166.  

It's not all good news for Apple fans this week, and the company also hit the headlines when designer Jony Ive spoke out about battery life, pointing out that whatever your complaints, you simply dom't need a bigger battery in your iPhone. With the thought that larger batteries would compromise the beauty and design, it looks like future iPhones will also place aesthetics ahead of function.  

All the latest smartphone news

It's also been a great week for smartphone fans, with loads of blowers hitting the headlines. We saw the first brand new Vaio smartphone for starters, although it didn't quite manage to meet our high expectations.  

The LG G4 Note phablet also popped up this week, going head to head with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and we saw leaks of the LG G4 smartphone too. Could this be the best smartphone to land during 2015?  

Not if HTC has anything to do with it, and hot on the heels of the HTC One M9, we saw news of the HTC One E9, which could manage to cram in a 5.5-inch Quad HD screen, an octa-core processor and a 20-megapixel camera. We already love the One M9, but this has all the potential to beat anything on the market, especially if it comes with the same great build quality.  

There was some sad news too though, with the Google Nexus 5 finally bowing out. It was an impressive handset, and with the Nexus 6 going upmarket, it could be the last truly affordable Nexus smartphone we get to see.  

We can't blame Google for wanting a piece of the high-end action though, and Samsung is also bringing out the big guns with the new Galaxy S6 Active, which could add waterproofing and shock resistance to the mix.  

And in other news...

Fancy a cheaper MacBook rival? The Chromebook Pixel could well be up your street, coming in at £799 and impressive build quality. Other innovative gadgets this week included the Dyson V6 Fluffy and V6 Absolute, and we loved the Podo - a gadget that promises to banish selfie sticks to the cupboard, never to be used again!

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