According to multiple reports, Apple has hired fitness expert Jay Blahnik, who consulted on Nike's FuelBand, for an unspecified project, suggesting the Cupertino company is ramping up development of a health-oriented wearable device.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, AllThingsD reported that Blahnik will be working at Apple in an unspecified capacity, seemingly confirming a rumor from .
As Apple has not verified the claims, Blahnik's supposed position at the company is not yet known, though it can be assumed he will be working on a fitness device possibly similar to Nike's FuelBand.
Blahnik's reported hire adds to the growing hodgepodge of rumors about Apple's so-called "iWatch." At the D11 conference in May, Apple CEO Tim Cook when asked about a possible Apple-branded wearable device.
"The whole sensor field is going to explode," Cook said. "It's a little all over the place right now. With the arc of time it will become clearer."
This isn't the first time Apple has shown interest in the health monitoring market. A report in July found the was a number of experts from the "non-invasive medical sensor" field, with specialties ranging from vein mapping to glucose tracking.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted earlier this year that Apple is looking to produce a that does more than tell the time and serve as a smartphone remote control. Instead, he believes the product will focus on biometric security and advanced healthcare features.