The Apple Watch is likely to be the most significant product launch of 2015 - but it faces a challenge to convince users that they need to splash out on a high-end smart watch - the cheapest model will cost €320.

The company has a lot riding on the watch - it is the first original Apple product launch in 5 years, the first post-Jobs launch, and said to be the Apple product that Jony Ive has had the most creative control over.

So what are the first impressions?

New York Times

New York Times' technology columnist Farhad Manjoo says that it took him three "long, often confusing and frustrating days" to fall in love with the watch - but once he did he "fell hard."

He asks the question, "Can the Apple Watch free us from phones?" - and comes to the conclusion that paradoxically adding a new piece of technology will help to streamline our tech usage - simplifying our interactions and making our use of technology less evasive.

"By notifying me of digital events as soon as they happened, and letting me act on them instantly, without having to fumble for my phone, the Watch became something like a natural extension of my body — a direct link, in a way that I’ve never felt before, from the digital world to my brain. The effect was so powerful that people who’ve previously commented on my addiction to my smartphone started noticing a change in my behaviour; my wife told me that I seemed to be getting lost in my phone less than in the past. She found that a blessing," he writes.

The NYT man has particular praise for the 'tap' alert function - a series of vibrations that signal different alerts (one for a text message, or for a calendar alert etc).

Mr Manjoo also concludes that the watch might struggle to connect with people who are less dependent on / addicted to their phones than a NYT tech columnist.

The Verge

The Verge offers an in-dept analysis of the watch - noting that the design is less stark than Apple's other flagship products.

It comments that rather than feeling like an extension to your smartphone - the Apple Watch feels more like a mini-computer on your wrist - which is both a "good and bad" thing.

Nilay Patel begins his review by pointing out that over the 10 days that he spent with the watch there are "obvious potential and hints of genius" - but he notes that it can be slow at times - and again, he says that it takes some time to get used to the device.

The review is anchored by the fundamental question - "would you actually use the Apple Watch instead of your phone?"

In the accompanying video Mr Patel is critical of the integration with the iPhone IOS - saying that it sends too many notifications to the watch - making it distracting.

He uses the example of being in an informal work meeting while text, email and Instagram notifications ping off on his wrist - he also notes that the watch's integration with Apple Pay is "by far" his favourite feature.

The Wall Street Journal

The WSJ's piece follows the same arch as the NYT review - exploring the "more is less" idea that the Apple Watch will mean that you will spend less time dealing with messages and notifications on your phone.

Geoffrey A. Fowler comes to the conclusion that the watch made his interactions more efficient - meaning that he spent less time on his phone - and that he felt more "present" during real-life interactions.

Bloomberg 

Bloomberg leads with the headline, "You’ll Want One, but You Don’t Need One" - the reviewer, Joshua Topolsky says that it took him a week to get used to the wearable - and to start to like it "a little bit."

He also says that you need to "cull" the notifications that are synced between the watch and your phone - otherwise the excessive notifications become annoying.

Mr Topolsky praises the fitness features - and concludes that the watch is the best developed piece of wearable technology out there.

The Telegraph

Again the watch's design is praised - but this review says that the Apple Watch is effectively a "remote control" for the iPhone.

Like some of the other reviews - The Telegraph argues that the watch will mean less time tied-up staring at our phones - and that this is the real 'break-through' that is offered by the watch.

It concludes that it will not be an essential purchase when it launches later this year.