It has been talked about and hyped-up for more than a year , but a basic evolutionary instinct could end up putting people off buying the new Apple iWatch . For once it is nothing to do with the price of the wearable technology , but the basic layout of the screen can apparently trigger a sense of 'fear ' in those who are susceptible . The hexagonal appearance of the iWatch 's apps on its small screen can cause trypophobia which is a fear of holes . Scroll down for video . Freaking out ! Some potential buyers of the new Apple iWatch ( left ) say they are suffering from panic attacks and feelings of trypophobia after seeing the layout of the screen . Honey to the bee : Trypophobia is the uncontrollable and completely irrational fear of objects that have an irregular pattern of holes . In fact , the reaction can be so severe that even seeing photos of holes can set off a panic attack . Until recently , it did n't garner much attention from scientists or doctors . However the phenomenon appears to be more widespread than first thought . There is a Facebook group devoted to those who believe they are sufferers . According to the website Trypophobia.com , the phobia is a 'weird kind ' and is generally considered as the fear of shapes . Usually , the fear is caused by shapes created by nature such as the holes in a beehive or the seeds in a pod , but if arranged in the right order , man-made objects such as the iWatch can also elicit a similar response . A number of people have now taken to Twitter to voice their reaction at seeing the display for the hi-tech device . 'The Apple watch is a cluster of circles no no no no ' , wrote one , whilst another showed a similar reaction : 'Anyone else getting a weird trypophobic reaction to the Apple Watch ? I 'm sorry I ever learned about that phobia existing ! ' Side by side : Twitter is now full of comparisons between the iWatch and occurrences in nature of . Weird : Many people do not realize they have the phobia until they see an object that triggers the reaction . New found fear ? Trypophobia is not recognized as a condition in the American Psychiatric Association 's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or other scientific literature . Apple unveiled the much-anticipated Apple Watch on Monday . The basic watch sells for $ 349 , but other models sell for $ 10,000 and higher . A couple of years ago , researchers at the University of Essex conducted research into the phobia . It was concluded that it is not the holes that people fear but their brains associating the holes with danger . The study suggested the widespread , predominantly latent phobia is associated with ancient threats such as beehives , poisonous flowers and venomous creatures . The reaction to these holes is intense . 'These can make them feel that their skin is crawling , shudder , feel itchy and physically sick when seeing these images because they really find it disgusting and gross . Some of these people think that something might be living inside those holes and some of them are afraid that they might fall in these holes , ' the website explains . Despite people trying to convince themselves that there is no danger , not least from a watch , trypophobes have an unconscious reflex reaction that they ca n't control . Human nature : The holes , or images of holes , stimulate ' a primitive portion of his or her brain that associates the image with something dangerous '
Everyday objects with many closely-packed holes can be a trigger for people who report suffering from trypophobia . The circular layout of apps on the Apple iWatch can trigger panic attacks . In fact, it is not uncommon to see someone in their 20s or 30s carrying around an iPad that has been hacked and modified by some other person, which could lead them into a spiral of anxiety The iWatch was launched on Monday with prices starting at $ 349 .