Apple Setup Issues: Apple Watch Verification Failed, HomePod Stuck on Configuring

Apple's status page shows an ongoing issue with "iCloud Account and Sign In" since early Christmas morning.The issue seems likely to be related to activation issues users having been experiencing on our forums. Most notably are a number of users complaining that their new Apple Watch is failing verification upon setup. Users have been reporting this issue in our forums. BeatCrazy writes:I realize it's Christmas morning and Apple's activation servers are probably on overload, but this still seems