The iWatch has been unveiled. And it could cost you £8,000+

Apple unveiled its new iWatch on Monday evening.

The much-anticipated device was described by Apple CEO Tim Cook as “the most personal device we have ever created”. “We designed Apple watch to appeal to a whole variety of people with different taste and different preferences,” he said.

The watch has an 18-hour battery life and will be available in "many countries" from 24 April.

Its three editions - the watch, sport and edition - come in two different screen sizes - 38mm or 42mm - from a choice of six colours.

The price depends on the watch band. For the Apple watch edition (available in 18-carat gold or rose gold) prices start at £8,000.

Apple Watch Sport - £299 and £339

Apple Watch - £479 to £949

Apple Watch Edition - Starting at £8,000

The iWatch has the ability to:

• Receive calls and read/flag/delete emails

• Send a sketch to a friend’s watch

• Tap your iWatch to get friend’s attention

• Send your heartbeat to a friend (a whole new way of sexting)

• Report on fitness progress

• Communicate with your phone over WiFi and bluetooth

• GPS tracking

• Support apps from Facebook, Instagram and Uber

• Make touch-less payments

To use the watch the owner will need to have an iPhone 5, 6 or 6+. Interestingly the company hinted the watch could free us from the tyranny of constantly checking our phones by giving people the ability to receive notifications by just glancing at our wrists - although sceptics may point out we will all just stare at our watches instead.

As well as the iWatch, Apple revealed a series of new products designed to change the way we use technology including a 2lbs MacBook and ResearchKit, an app intended to encourage medical research.

More: ResearchKit: Apple wants you to help cure diseases using your iPhone