Apple Watch to Launch Outside US in April, Reveals CEO Tim Cook: Reports

At a recent briefing with Apple employees in Germany, Tim Cook reportedly discussed an assortment of Apple Watch-related matters, including the international rollout which is expected in April. A list of announcements of apps and compatibility with the Apple Watch were also made, according to employees who were present at the event.

Cook first spoke of the Apple Watch's capabilities with hotel systems, stating that 'some of the best hotels in the world' would be able to have their room doors unlocked by guests wearing the Apple Watch. In some cases, the watch would even be able to expedite check-in procedures. Starwood Hotels has announced that it is already working on an app for the Apple Watch.

Tie-ups with other major companies were also revealed by Cook (via 9to5Mac), the most significant being Panera Bread, a chain of bakery-cafe restaurants in the US, which will allow customers to pay using their Apple Watches. Another major announcement involved Apple's entry into the enterprise with long-time partner Salesforce.com. Apart from that, plenty of health and fitness apps are also expected to be announced, along with the official announcement of the pricing and availability of the Apple Watch. All of this is expected to take place at Apple's Spring Forward event on March 9.

Employees in attendance at the Berlin Apple store event also confirmed (via 9to5Mac) that Tim Cook has stated that Apple Watch will launch outside of the US in April itself, departing from the trend of keeping Apple products exclusive to the United States at launch.