Earlier this year, I wrote an article dedicated to the new(ish) medium of wearable technology; the smartwatch.

Back then, these were still relatively fresh in the general public domain. I recall summing them up as fancy novelty tech items that maycatch on at some point.

Day-to-day, I've still yet to notice a single person wearing or using one, granted I don't generally walk around checking out peoples' wrists, but if it had caught on in the way the tech giants that develop them hoped they would, I imagine I'd have spotted at least one.

Sometimes a gadget will catch on, sometimes it won't. Sometimes it's an immediate hit, sometimes it requires time. Sometimes, however, it requires a new player to take on the challenge and change the way the game is played altogether.

As has been the case many times before, Apple is now the new player. If anyone can make the smartwatch what Samsung, LG and others have tried to make it thus far, it's Apple. Enter; the Apple Watch.

It's been a long time coming. People have been expecting it for years, and wanting it for even longer. In a similar way to how long-standing Apple fans eagerly awaited Apple's first venture into the smartphone market, hype has built and built around how Apple would make their first mark on the watch.

Many expected it last year alongside the iPhone 5S and were left bitterly disappointed when it no-showed. This time though, their hopes and dreams were finally met.

The first iPhone revolutionized the smartphone industry and it took years for the other players to catch up. The same goes for the tablet. Most of us outwith the tech industry weren't even aware there was such a thing as a tablet before the iPad, and again, it took others years to catch up. While I can't say the same will happen with their smartwatch, what I can say for sure is, they've made a very good attempt to make it purely an Apple product.

Samsung have been doing smartwatches for some time now, yet I'd be surprised if even half of Samsung's own smartphone user-base is even aware of their existence. Upon release of the Apple Watch, I'd be equally surprised if there is a single smartphone user of any kind, that isn't at least vaguely aware that Apple also now make watches.

So what is the Apple Watch?

Well, let's break it down to its basics for a moment. It is, first and foremost, a watch. Rather than painted numbers and several hands to tell you the time, however, the Apple Watch has a high definition waterproof touch screen and 'Digital Crown' jog wheel to do that job.

Naturally, this means your watch is now going to do a whole lot more than just tell you you're running late. Along with its immensely accurate time-keeping (within +/-50 microseconds, in case you're interested), the Apple Watch is going to tell you the weather, your calendar appointments, your messages as and when they come in, your heart rate, it's going to track your exercise and fitness levels, it's going to guide you via maps and navigation, control your music, act as your personal voice assistant and much more all while sitting innocently on your wrist. Think of it, if you will, as a gateway to your iPhone, without having to pull said iPhone out of your pocket (since this is such an arduous task that's "so 2012").

Presented alongside the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the Apple Watch was shown off in the traditional elegant, exquisite Apple fashion that doesn't just show you a product, it makes you genuinely believe you cannot continue for much longer without it, even if it's a piece of technology you didn't realise existed before you they showed it to you.

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Shut up and take my money!

Many are gazing lustfully at the presentation videos and demonstrations of this product already, desperate to get their hands on it, and if you're one of them, there are a few things you'll need to know.

Firstly, while the new iPhones are out later this month, the Apple Watch isn't going to grace us with its presence until early 2015, so you won't be finding it wrapped under the Christmas tree this year.

Secondly, you'll need to make sure you have an iPhone to go with it; the Apple Watch is going to be reduced to simply a watch without it. Next, you'll need to make sure you know exactly how you want it to look; there are three different designs for the centrepiece of the watch itself, each with six different strap options from plastic, to leather, to metal. All in all there are going to be an extravagant eighteenvariations to choose from depending on what look you're going for. The straps will be interchangeable but there will naturally be an Apple price tag on these.

I signed off my earlier article on smartwatches by asking whether this tech would catch on and I answered simply with "time will tell". This time, my answer is a more defined "probably". Why has this answer changed? You guessed it - because this time, Apple are making it.

Whether you like them or not, they sell products like few other companies in the world are able to. I've seen plenty of former (and some still) Apple haters give in to their desires and embrace the company's products, be it in computer, tablet or mobile phone form. The Apple Watch, I feel, will be no different.