Apple is reportedly teaming up with some of the world's fittest people to test its upcoming iWatch, which is expected to have fitness- and health-related features.
The iWatch has starred in all sorts of rumors recently and is widely expected to debut this fall with iOS 8 on board, taking advantage of the new OS's Health and HealthKit features.
In order to test its upcoming wearable, Apple is reportedly working with various athletes from the NHL, MLB, and NBA.
"Apple has teamed up with some of the sports world's most notable professional athletes in order to test the upcoming "iWatch's" fitness capabilities in intense training environments, according to a source with knowledge of the testing," reveals a new report from 9to5Mac. "This source says that Apple has invited athletes from the MLB, NHL, and NBA to its Cupertino-based campus on multiple occasions over the past several weeks to brief the players on the upcoming wearable device and provide an opportunity for testing to be conducted in professional conditioning environments."
According to the report, Lakers athlete Kobe Bryant was spotted at Apple's campus, as he was supposed to meet up with Sir Jony Ive in regards to testing the upcoming iWatch. Los Angeles Kings right winger Dustin Brown was also spotted, as well as a player from the Boston Red Sox and a few other athletes. The publication further points out that all athletes involved have allegedly signed non-disclosure agreements regarding the existence of Apple's wearable device.
Apple has also hired former Nike fitness consultant Jay Blahnik to work on its smartwatch. Blahnik was part of the development of the Nike+ running accessory and app, which went inside Nike shoes and paired with the iPhone. This, however, is not the first time we hear about a possible Nike involvement in Apple's wearable plans.
As previously mentioned, Apple unveiled its new iOS 8 back at WWDC, and also detailed new Health and HealthKit tools to keep all fitness- and health-related data in one place. The company has yet to introduce a device of its own to take advantage of Health and HealthKit, but that should change this fall. The iWatch is rumored to sport up to 10 sensors for monitoring all sorts of things, especially health and activity levels, and should maximize the potential of Health and HealthKit.
With no word from Apple so far, however, take everything with a grain of salt until official confirmation. We'll keep you in the loop as soon as more details surface.
