How to get ready to preorder Apple Watch Series 7

The time when you can preorder the next generation of Apple Watch is drawing close. Apple will start taking people’s money at exactly 5 a.m. PDT this Friday, Oct. 8.

If demand is as heavy (and supply is as light) as expected, the company might quickly run short of Apple Watch Series 7 available on launch day. That means that if you delay your order, you might have to wait extra days or even weeks to get your new device.

If you want in on day one, there’s more you should do to get ready than simply setting an alarm. Here’s how to get completely ready to put in an Apple Watch Series 7 preorder.

Get the Apple Store app

The first step is to download the official Apple Store app. It’s a lot easier to use than Apple’s website, and less likely to crash from huge numbers of people all trying to buy at once.

Supplies of the new Apple Watch could be constrained. Tipster Jon Prosser warned recently, “I’m told that the first round of mass production started just under a month ago, so initial stock will be very limited.” The same sort of thing happened with the 2021 iPad Pro, and those who didn’t quickly get in an order for that tablet found themselves waiting more than two months for delivery.

So open the Apple Store app now and tap on your image in the upper-right corner to open your account info. Scroll down to Primary Payment and check that it shows the right credit card info. Because the middle of placing your order Friday morning is a bad time to realize your credit card deets are out of date.

Also, check that your shipping address is correct. That’s not something you want to be typing in when you’re in a hurry and/or drowsy. You can find it under Primary Shipping.

Choose your exact Apple Watch Series 7 configuration

Now it’s time to decide on the exact Apple Watch you want to preorder. The new model is described on the Apple website, even if you can’t order it yet. Go ahead and decide on the size, type of case and band style you prefer. You don’t want to be trying to make up your mind early in the morning.

Same case materials, but new colors

Pick the color of the device. If you want an aluminum casing, you can choose from midnight, starlight, blue, red and a new green. Stainless steel cases come in silver, graphite or gold. And titanium models come in natural or space black.

New sizes for Apple Watch Series 7

A highlight of Apple Watch Series 7 is a display that’s up to 20% larger than Series 6 and a 50% increase over Series 3. Decide now whether you want the 41mm or 45mm version.

Bands

Don’t forget the matching watch band. And don’t worry Apple Watch Series 7 is compatible with older bands.

At the time this is being written, it’s not possible to use Apple’s website to enter a configuration and save it. You might want to write your decisions down somewhere so you don’t have to think through them again on Friday. (It’s also possible Apple will let you save your configuration prior to preorders opening, so check the site and/or the Apple Store app Thursday.)

Set your alarm

As mentioned, the Apple Watch Series 7 goes on sale Friday, October 8, at 5 a.m. PDT. That’s Pacific Daylight Time. If you’re on the East Coast, it’s 8 a.m. No matter what, go ahead and set your alarm clock now because you don’t want to wake up Friday morning with the nagging feeling you’re forgetting something.

If you’re in the U.K., you have until 2 p.m. Probably no problem about oversleeping, but you should still set an alarm.

Placing your order

On Friday morning, you’ll need to open the Apple Store app and be sure you’re on the Shop tab. (Look at the bottom of the screen to be sure.) Scroll down until you see Apple Watch Series 7 and tap on the Shop button.

That’ll open a screen with a range of options. Choose the one you decided upon and tap on it. From there, you’ll enter your exact configuration. This is where you’ll be happy you already made up your mind because there’ll be a lot of options. Colors, sizes, case materials … you name it. Once you’ve jumped through every hoop, the Add to Bag button will appear.

You’ll be asked to double-check your purchase, then you can check out. And this is where you’ll be happy you already confirmed you’re using the right credit card and delivery address.

Then you wait. If you do all this quickly enough, you can expect your Apple Watch Series 7 to arrive October 15. If you procrastinate, it might be somewhat later. Before the holidays? Maybe.

P.S. Want to sell us your old Apple Watch?

If you need cash to pay for this fancy new Apple Watch you just ordered, you can sell your old gear to us via the Cult of Mac buyback program. We’ll give you a fair price for your used Apple Watch or iPhone — and take away the hassles of selling your old Apple gear.