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Apple Watch to Roll Out in 7 Countries, Hit Stores June 26


FILE - People wait in line after spending the night for the new Apple watch at Maxfield, a high-end fashion boutique in Los Angeles, April 24, 2015.
FILE - People wait in line after spending the night for the new Apple watch at Maxfield, a high-end fashion boutique in Los Angeles, April 24, 2015.

Apple Inc said it would start selling some models of its watch at retail stores this month, and also roll out the gadget in seven more countries.

The watch has been on display in Apple stores since April 10, when it became available for preorder online and at shops including trendy fashion boutiques in Paris, London and Tokyo.

Apple had directed people to order online, preventing long queues around its stores that have become a norm with the company's rollout of new products.

The company said all orders, except one model, placed through May would be shipped to customers within two weeks.

"The response to Apple Watch has surpassed our expectations in every way," said Jeff Williams, senior vice president of operations. "We're also making great progress with the backlog of Apple Watch orders."

The company has not given any sales figures for the watch since it began taking orders, but has often said demand was outstripping supply.

"We believe the company has made significant progress in reducing its backlog as production ramps," S&P Capital IQ analyst Angelo Zino said in an email.

Shipments of at least 30 million watches were plausible next year, Zino said.

Apple Watch will be launched in Italy, Mexico, Spain, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland and Taiwan on June 26, the company said. Apart from the online stores, customers can buy the devices at Apple's retail stores and some authorized resellers.

The watch is currently available in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and the UK.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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