Company insiders say Apple has assembled a team of 100 designers to work on its rumored iWatch device, a bit of tech worn of the wrist that interfaces with iOS.
"Apple Inc. has a team of about 100 product designers working on a wristwatch-like device that may perform some of the tasks now handled by the iPhone and iPad, two people familiar with the company's plans said," writes Bloomberg News.
"The team, which has grown in the past year, includes managers, members of the marketing group, and software and hardware engineers who previously worked on the iPhone and iPad...The team's size suggests Apple is beyond the experimentation phase in its development, said the people."
Apple is coming off a mediocre holiday season, and the company's stock has dropped 14 percent over the last three months, so it is pursuing projects to revitalize sales.
The inside sources are apparently with Foxconn, one of Apple's main manufacturing partners. "Foxconn has been working on a spate of technologies that could be used in wearable devices, one of these people said," writes The Wall Street Journal. "In particular, the Taiwan-based company has been working to address the challenges of making displays more power-efficient and working with chip manufacturers to strip down their products."
That would be crucial to developing wearable technology. Smartphones are merging with tablets, growing bigger and more powerful, but an article of clothing can't constantly draw attention to itself with excess weight or heat.
Google has been experimenting with augmented reality; its Google Glasses offer additional information on a wearer's surroundings, as well as providing a link to the internet and wireless communications.
Apple has not released anything publically about the iWatch, but the timing of the leak is suspiciously useful to Apple's PR department. Look for more info soon, as there's no way 100 people can keep their mouths shut for very long. Someone has to leave a watch in a bar eventually.