Apple hires head software engineer from Atlas Wearables, likely to work on the iWatch

Alex Linkedin

Apple is believed to have an interesting pipeline of new products planned for the second half of this year, including new Macs, iPhones and its first wearable device. It has been speculated over the past several months that the company is gearing up to launch the so-called “iWatch” in the fall, a smart watch that will double as a health and fitness tracker for managing your heart rate, calories, blood glucose levels and more…

It is known that the Cupertino-based company has gone on a hiring spree over the last one-and-a-half to two years, recruiting some of the top talent within the health and fitness sector. As reported by Network World (via 9to5Mac), its latest hiring is Alex Hsieh, who served as the lead software engineer at startup Atlas Wearables as recently as last month. Hsieh is now a firmware developer at Apple, according to his LinkedIn profile.

While it is unknown exactly what Hsieh is assigned to work on at Apple, the timing of this hire and his past experience with health and fitness trackers strongly suggests that he is involved with the iWatch. The smart watch is expected to come in multiple designs with more than 10 sensors, including those for blood glucose and sweat. It could also have a curved OLED screen and wireless charging.

Here is a video of Hsieh discussing the Atlas in February:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ndQmCX8IXM

Apple has also hired former Nike fitness expert Jay Blahnik to allegedly work on the iWatch, while enlisting the help of Dr. Michael O’Reilly to help get FDA approval on the smart watch. Apple has even turned to professional athletes to test the iWatch’s fitness capabilities in intense training environments, including Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles Kings right winger Dustin Brown.

Apple is expected to unveil its first wearable device in October.