Australians have had their first hands on look at the Apple Watch, the tech giant’s first new product category in five years.

Flagship Apple stores along the eastern seaboard opened at 9am on Friday with a range of preview watches to try on and play with.

Yet enthusiasts will have to wait another two weeks to own one of the gadgets, with the first online orders being delivered on April 24.

Unlike the iPhone and iPad, which are available in the shops from the day they launch, the Apple Watch will initially be available via online order alone.

It comes in 54 configurations of band, size and case, with prices starting at $499 and maxing out above $14,000 for a luxury gold model.

Apple will be hoping to kick start the smartwatch market, which is pretty much populated by only a handful of tech devotees despite several attempts in recent years from the likes of Samsung and Sony.

The watch connects wirelessly to a user’s iPhone and is designed to deliver notifications such as email and texts to a user’s wrist.

It’s also fitted with a range of sensors to collect health data, and can be used to view pictures, monitor news and connect to social media.

Early reviews have praised the watch as the most advanced smartwatch yet released but some have noted teething difficulties typical of first generation technology.

App developer, Ben Pasternak, who queued outside Sydney’s George Street store on Friday morning, praised the intuitive interface, which includes a navigation wheel on the side.

“I felt like as soon as I used it, I knew how to use it straight way,” he said.

“I’m more confused about which one I want.”

AAP