BY STEVE KOVACH
Apple has enlisted a few professional athletes to test the fitness-tracking capabilities of its upcoming smartwatch, according to Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac.
Apple has tapped notable names such as Kobe Bryant of the L.A. Lakers to test the so-called iWatch under a variety of conditions. Bryant was spotted at Apple’s headquarters a few weeks ago and was reportedly there to meet with Apple’s design boss Jony Ive.
The development comes as both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters report that the iWatch will launch this October. The WSJ report said the device will be packed with sensors to measure your health and fitness. It’ll also come in a variety of sizes. The Reuters report said the iWatch will have a 2.5-inch screen, although that seems very large for something designed to be worn on the wrist. (Samsung’s Gear 2 smartwatch has a 1.6-inch screen.)
Gurman has previously reported that the iWatch will be able to detect stuff like hydration levels, sweat, steps taken, and heart rate.
During Apple’s WWDC keynote a few weeks ago, the company introduced Health, an app that will be available in the new iPhone software, iOS 8, that will be available this fall. It’s likely Health will sync with the iWatch and serve as a dashboard for all your health and fitness stats. (Business Insider)
