Whenever you’re talking about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), there’s always an “I” in team, and now there are reports that the company has been building an iWatch dream team. 9to5 Mac’s Mark Gurman has actually put together a list of the sources told him are working on the rumored device.
Apple making progress on wearable computing
According to the report, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has “experimented” with various wearable computing device designs. He said there have been various internal prototypes which were able to clip onto various clothing, like the iPod Shuffle, and be worn around the wrist.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said at the All Things D conference earlier this year that they were interested in the wrist as a possible place for a wearable device. Gurman notes that he also serves on the board of directors at NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) and wears the company’s Fuel Band, a smart watch for fitness enthusiasts.
Apple moves into fitness devices
He said another Apple executive, Bob Mansfield, who’s the company’s senior vice president of technologies, has also been seen wearing the Fuel Band. Sources reportedly told 9to5 Mac that for a while after returning to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) after leaving in the middle of last year, he worked on “future products,” specifically, health products.
The company has apparently also been examining other wearable devices like the Jawbone Up.
Apple’s iWatch team filled with high profile experts
The site identified a number of “both lesser-known and high-profile workers” that are said to be working on the iWatch in secrecy. The work is said to go on in buildings that are separated from the company’s main headquarters.
The project is reportedly headed up by Apple vice president Kevin Lynch and James Foster, a senior hardware director. Lynch’s team is said to be working on software, while Foster’s time focuses on the technologies and mechanics of the device. A number of other teams inside Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are said to be collaborating as well, like the Industrial Design team led by Jony Ive and the Hardware Engineering team led by Dan Riccio.
Lynch’s team is said to be made up of hardware and software designers who worked on the iPod. Lynch himself, who left Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) to go to Apple, is said to be excited about whatever it is he’s working on. Foster’s team is said to be made up of experts in power efficiency, chips and sensors. His team is supposedly similar to the team built by Scott Forstall to create the first iOS for the iPhone.
Other details about iWatch team revealed
In addition to these high-profile workers, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also reportedly took some battery experts from various departments like its Mac division. Former iPhone engineers have also been said to be recruited, as well as some of the employees inherited from Authentec when Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) acquired the company. The former Authentec employees are said to not only be working on a fingerprint sensor for a future iPhone model, but also possibly a fingerprint reader that could be embedded into a high-resolution multi-touch display. However, the technology for that probably won’t be ready for several more years, according to 9to5 Mac’s sources.
Other tidbits about the alleged iWatch
The report indicates that a number of those working on the iWatch have patents which could help with the device’s creation. Also Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has reportedly hired experts in various fields. People who specialize in devices which analyze sleep patterns are said to be working on the iWatch. Experts in various medical and sensor fields have also reportedly been hired.
Specifically, experts in glucose and other biometric measurements areas are said to be working on the project. Employees from AccuVein, C8 MediSensors and Senseonics have reportedly left their companies to work at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Well-known fitness consultant and educator Jay Blahnik is also said to have accepted a position there recently. And then who could forget former Yves St. Laurent CEO Paul Deneve, who came to the company recently as well.
Unfortunately though, not everyone Apple recruited for the team has been happy. At least one of them supposedly defected to go to Google X, which is the program behind Google Glass.
So when will we see the iWatch? It could be late next year, according to 9to5 Mac. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been snapping up trademarks for the iWatch name all over the world, so clearly, it’s preparing for something big.
