CHICAGO — It didn’t matter that Mel Torgusen had already ordered her Apple Watch at 2 a.m.

She still had to be at the Apple Store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile at 10 sharp — just to touch one.

“Ever since the announcement, I’ve been counting down the days,” said Torgusen, standing at one of a dozen stations the store had set up for prospective buyers to try the watch. “I’m an Apple person and I didn’t need to try it on to know I’d want one.”

A steady stream of the curious and devoted filed into the store Friday for the big Apple Watch preview. There were about 20 people who had signed up for the early appointments lined up outside the store when the doors opened. Others who did not schedule appointments for a personal tour went past a showcase of watches, then quickly registered for private showings.

If you are tired of your bulky and disorganized key ring then Cult of Mac Deals has an offer you’ll love.

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After China, India is the next big developing market Apple wants to conquer — and apparently the Indian government couldn’t be happier about it.

Meeting with Apple’s regulatory head for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa on Friday, India’s Communications and I.T. Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad urged the company to consider opening a Research & Development facility in the country — legitimizing India’s booming tech industry in the same way that Apple’s R&D facility in Israel does for that country’s.

“Apple is an effective brand in India and personally I requested them to consider opening a good R&D centre in India,” Prasad said, following the meeting.

There’s no question that Google Chrome is one of the best web browsers you can get, but it’s long been a resource hog under OS X. By simply avoiding it on the new MacBook, your battery could last more than three hours longer in between charges.

If you haven’t already pre-ordered your gorgeous gold MacBook, you’re going to be waiting 3-4 weeks for it to ship. Initial supplies have already been claimed since the device went on sale this morning, but the silver and space gray models are still available in 1-3 days if you live in the U.S.

One of the things highlighted in this week’s Apple Watch early hands-on reviews is that the device’s constant stream of notifications has the potential to drive you nuts.

With rival companies never wanting to miss out on a chance to parody Apple while it’s gaining so much attention, Netflix has taken a shot at Cupertino with its joke ad for an even more distracting wearable: the Netflix Watch, which provides on-the-move access to Netflix’s vast archives.

Check it out below.

Now that the Apple Watch is officially available for pre-orders, Apple has opened up its new Concierge service, allowing you to schedule appointments with Apple Specialists for official Watch fittings.

Provided you can find an available slot, that is!

The Apple Watch is now available for pre-orders, and with it Apple has revealed a few more details about the cost of its AppleCare+ service for the wearables — ranging from $49 for the cheapest option all the way up to $1,500.

Find out what you need to know below.

Did you get to your computer too late to get one of the earliest shipping Apple Watches? No problem: Confirmed preorders are already showing up on eBay.

At a premium, of course.

Shipping dates on the Apple Watch may have already slipped back as far as August in some cases, but there’s one surefire way to get your hands on Apple’s hotly-anticipated wearable: be a big name celebrity.

As users around the world counted down the seconds until they could preorder an Apple Watch, both Katy Perry and Drake posted pictures to their Instagram accounts, showing themselves posing with their brand new Edition devices.

Is it too late for me to start a career in pop music?

The gold Apple Watch Edition is expected to be big in China, but if the first hour of pre-orders are any indication, Tim Cook’s going to need to order up a lot more gold.

Within the first hour of pre-orders going online the Apple Watch Edition has already sold out in China.

You can finally pre-order the Apple Watch of your dreams, but if you want one ASAP skip the Space Gray or fancier models.

Shipping times for the Apple Watch have already slipped into May for the Apple Watch Sport, while some of the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition models won’t ship until June or even August.

Apple Watch pre-orders just went online, but if you’d like to go try-on Jony Ive’s amazing timepiece before you buy it, you can now schedule a one-on-one appointment to go through the different models.

Apple Stores have been outfitted with new viewing tables and demo stations for the pre-order launch. Reservations only last 15 minutes, (unless you’re buying the Apple Watch Edition), but that should be enough time to find the right case and band combo to match your style. Some readers overseas have sent us pictures of their Apple Watch try-on sessions.

Take a look at the store makeover:

It’s officially April 10th on the West Coast, which means the Apple Store is now open for Apple Watch preorders.

The Online Apple Store is still down for some visitors, but we were just able to place an order for the Apple Watch Sport 42mm Silver Aluminum Case. Shipping estimates are already slipping into May so you may want to hurry and get your order in sooner rather than later.

The Apple Store iOS app seems to be the easiest way to get an order in right now while the website is down. You can also schedule a try-on appointment to try on watches through the website or iOS app.

This week, Lewis has the inside look at the best way to pre-order that Apple Watch, Buster and Luke have a ton of insight on the wristband based on early reviews, and there’s even more, like the straight dope on the new Macbook from Buster, top keyboard shortcuts for all Mac users from Rob, and a fascinating piece from David about custom action figures, including an armored whale that’s no fluke!

Check it all out in this action-packed–yet still free–April 10th issue of Cult of Mac Magazine!

For the first time since the disappointing Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, the world’s most ultra-violent fighting franchise is making its way onto iOS, courtesy of Mortal Kombat X Mobile: a stripped down, swipe-based version of the console Mortal Kombat X, which fuses together card battler and bone-crushing action.

The construction of Apple Campus 2 came under fire earlier this week, after the Mercury Times reported that Apple had a blanket ban on hiring ex-felons. However, Cult of Mac has learned that such a ban never existed.

“We believe in opportunity for everyone, and Apple has never had a blanket ban on hiring people with felony convictions,” an Apple spokesperson told Cult of Mac.

Some ex-felon applicants were turned away within the past seven years, because of a part of the background process. Those restrictions are now being lifted though, as Apple says it’s recognized that “that this may have excluded some people who deserve a second chance.”

Here’s the full statement from Apple:

To make the most personal device ever, Apple is using sapphire glass for the Apple Watch to make its display more durable. None of the reviews we read yesterday complained about scratches on their Apple Watch, but iPhoneFixed managed to get its hands on a 38mm Apple Watch display and put it through a barrage of tests.

Apple Watch’s glass stood strong during tests with keys, sandpaper, and even a hammer. Then the crazy nerds busted out a power drill to and throttled it on the glass. The results might shock you.

Check out the glass after the test below:

I was setting up my MacBook Pro with Retina display to work with a new external monitor today, thinking that when I connected to the monitor via HDMI and closed the lid, I’d see the display up on the new monitor.

I was disappointed when I saw absolutely nothing up on my new monitor, so I went searching to find out how to make it work. Is it a special setting in the System Preferences? I haven’t had an external monitor for a while, now; maybe things are more complex.

Luckily for me (and you!), it turned out to be much simpler to make happen. Here’s the recipe.

We’re eagerly counting down the last few hours until we can preorder the Apple Watch, but I think I may have found a new love for my wrist: The Apple II Watch.

The brilliant folks over at Instructables unveiled a retro Apple Watch styled after the Apple II computer. If Apple made a smartwatch back in 1985, this would be it. The amazing device actually works and you can make one yourself.

Check out its incredible features:

This post is brought to you by Macphun, creator of Noiseless.

iPhones double as great cameras, but they do have limitations, especially when you’re taking pictures at night or simply in low-light conditions. The photos can appear grainy when viewed later, enlarged on your pristine Mac screen.

Noiseless is a new photo-editing Mac app that cleans up your pixelated or grainy images and helps you create refreshed, clear pictures for your photo library. And you can download a free preview of this powerful photo app for free.

We’ve been patiently waiting for Google to make Android Wear watches compatible with the iPhone, and according to a source in Google’s development team, the search giant is now closer than ever to marrying the unlikely duo.

The new MacBook goes on sale this week, and while the first reviews have raved about its incredible design, unbelievable thinness and jaw-dropping display, it’s probably not for you.

While early critiques might have alleviated concerns that the new MacBook’s CPU is about as powerful as a 2011 netbook, there are a few other issues you should know about before you rush to the Apple Store to snap up a shiny gold MacBook.

These are the new MacBook’s 10 biggest flaws:

Marvel’s new show about blind superhero Daredevil swoops into your Netflix queue this Friday, and the looming arrival of “the man without fear” got us in the mood to watch some other comic-inspired TV shows and movies. To make it interesting, however, we’re avoiding the obvious Marvel and DC characters and focusing on lesser-known and original characters.

Here are a few more metahuman stories to help you get your fix of “BIFFs!” and “POWs!” Be sure to tell us some of your favorites in the comments.

Tim Cook has only said that the Apple Watch Edition will be available in “select stores” later this month. You won’t be able to just walk into any location and try on the ultra-expensive gold model.

Now we know exactly which Apple retail stores around the world will sell the Edition when it goes on sale April 24th.