Two key members of the Apple team working on the iWatch/iBand (or your favorite “i” + wearable nickname) have confirmed their new jobs at Apple via their LinkedIn profiles. Jay Blahnik, formally a key advisor on the Nike FuelBand project and a world-renowned fitness expert, joined at Apple in July of 2013. Divya Nag, a rising star in the medical research world with experience in FDA approvals, joined Apple in April 2014.
We broke the news on the Blahnik hire in July 2013:
And the Nag hire in April:
Both Blahnik and Nag list their roles at Apple as within the Special Projects group. Sources say that Blahnik is working on fitness matters related to HealthKit and the upcoming Apple wearable device while reporting to Apple Senior VP of Operations Jeff Williams. Nag, sources say, is working under Dr. Michael O’Reilly (another recent Apple hire) on health-related projects, and she is also working with governments on product approvals. In recent years, Apple has also hired several high-level fashion industry experts, developers of glucose sensors, experts in sleep analysis, engineers with wearable hardware development experience, and scientists with knowledge of non-invasive vein mapping.
We’re likely to begin seeing the fruits of all of these hires by October, the month in which Apple currently plans to debut its long-awaited fitness and health-oriented wearable device.
