Still no Apple Pay in stores at Target just yet, but Apple Watch will be joining the lineup of iPhones and iPads in select stores this week – and all stores by October 25th.
Target operates over 1800 stores across the United States, greatly expanding the points-of-sale for Apple Watch going into the holiday quarter. Aside from the couple hundred Apple Stores in the US, Apple Watch has been sold in a few premium vendors plus Best Buy, T-Mobile, and Sprint… Between Target picking up Apple Watch at select stores this week and all stores by the end of the month, the retailer says it will also begin selling Apple’s wearable online at target.com (and in its iPhone app where you can use Apple Pay at checkout).
Target says it will carry 20 models in total, ranging from $349 Sport versions to $599 stainless steel Apple Watches. Both the smaller 38mm and larger 42mm Apple Watches will be available, including newly introduced color options gold and rose gold in the aluminum Sport collection. Select models will be sold in stores, with all models available online.
Best Buy, which sells models in the same range, took a similar approach of launching in a few stores then expanding to all over a short period. Also like Best Buy before it got Apple Watch, Target sells a selection of Apple Watch accessories including third-party bands and cases.
Apple hasn’t released numbers for how many Apple Watches it has sold so far, but retail availability going into the gift-buying season is greatly expanded compared to the roughly 3-month period after launch where orders were only available through apple.com. Apple has also refreshed the lineup with a collection of new bands, including more Sport colors and an improved Classic leather band. watchOS 2 was also released this month, adding support for faster, native apps and new watch face options.
