Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) showed signs of intense development for its highly-rumored next product—the iWatch after hiring Alex Hsieh, a former software engineer at Atlas Wearables, a startup that develops sports training-oriented fitness devices.
According to the profile of Alex Hsieh on LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD), the Cupertino-based tech giant hired him as a firmware developer this month. His responsibilities at Apple is still unknown to the public, but many observers in the technology industry are speculating that he will be helping in the development of the iWatch.
During his tenure at Atlas Wearables, Hsieh was one of the people who were instrumental in bringing into reality the unique fitness tracking product of Atlas Wearables.
Apple expected to release iWatch this fall
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expected to release a wearable device this coming fall. The tech giant has not yet revealed the official name of the product, but the media already called it the iWatch.
Eddie Cue, senior vice president, internet software and services at Apple previously boasted that the product pipeline of the company this year is the best he has ever seen in 25 years. Many believe that he is referring to the iWatch.
Potential features of the iWatch
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the iWatch is integrated with more than 10 sensors to track and monitor health and fitness data. Last month, Rosenblatt Securities analyst Brian Blair indicated that the device has a round face, and it looks like a traditional watch.
According to Blair, his sources told him that the iWatch is thinner than the Motorola smartwatch, but the devices look the same. Previous rumors suggested that Apple would release two different models of the iWatch, which are fully health and fitness oriented.
Technology observers noted that the tech giant hired a number of executives with experience in the medical device space including former Cecacor CTO Marcelo Malini Lamego, sleep expert Rou J.E.M. Raymann, and former Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) consultant and fitness guru Jay Blahnik.
Last week, it had been reported that the tech giant selected a number of professional athletes to test the iWatch.
