Don't plan on giving that new Apple Watch for Valentine's Day!
If you're planning on giving your girl friend an Apple Watch for Valentine's Day ...forget it!
The Apple Watch ... it's taking its time getting there.
.Apple executives have consistently told consumers to expect the wearable in early 2015 — by which they apparently mean next spring, the technology blog 9to5Mac reports
Angela Ahrendts, Apple's senior vice president of retail and online stores, told retail employees in an internal video message to brace themselves for a grueling stretch.
"We are sprinting a marathon right now, and it's not going to stop," Ahrendts said in the video, according to a transcript obtained by 9to5Mac.
"We're going into the (Christmas) holidays, we'll go into Chinese New Year and then we've got a new watch launch coming in the spring."
The new Apple Watch was shown during a new product release on Tuesday, Sept. 9, in Cupertino with great fanfare in September but Apple has taken its time bringing the gadget to market.
While Apple executives have already conceded that the watch must be charged nightly, they are still trying to perfect the battery system, 9to5Mac reported.
What's more, GT Advanced Technologies, the company that was to manufacture synthetic sapphire for the watch face, filed for bankruptcy last month, perhaps affecting Apple's timetable for the gadget, said the San Jose Mercury News, citing Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney .
While it is difficult to discern what's going on behind the scenes with the watch, Apple is famous for holding back devices until they are near-perfect, Dulaney noted.
"They don't want returns," he said. "They're going to make sure the thing is rock-solid."
Though the watch won't hit homes in time for Christmas, a spring debut might suit the gadget, which has a strong fitness focus.
"Everybody will be out jogging," Dulaney said. "Sounds perfect for a run."