Fashion Retailers Get Behind Apple Watch

SAN FRANCISCO — The Apple Watch is here at last — and the fashion retail world is getting firmly behind it. The company unveiled details of the long-awaited — and much-hyped — smartwatch, its first new product since the release of the iPad five years ago and its first true fashion item, at a media event here Monday that also included a slew of other product announcements, apps and an update on retail growth in China. The mere revelation in the fall that Apple was planning to enter the category sent other watch brands scurrying to compete and could prove the catalyst that the yet-to-take-off wearables sector needs. None of that will be clear until after April 10, when the watch is available for preorder. It begins shipping April 24 to select countries, including the U.S., U.K., France, Japan, Australia and Canada. While the initial frenzy over the device is likely to be immense, the question remains whether it will be seen as a tech product, a fashion one — or both. “I’m not predicting [sales numbers] today, but I’m really confident,” Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said as he walked past reporters out of the company’s demo area following the media

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