Apple 'aggressively' hiring staff for wearable tech assault

Vendor accepts it lacks the in-house nous to crack wrist computer market, according to FT report

Apple has embarked on a hiring spree to bolster its potential move into wearable technology, according to the Financial Times.

An FT article today claims the fruity vendor has begun hiring "aggressively" to tackle design problems with its rumoured "iWatch" wrist computer.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook has spoken enthusiastically about wearable tech and earlier this month the firm hired the outgoing boss of fashion house Yves Saint Laurent to work on undefined "special projects". It has also trademarked the term iWatch in numerous geographies.

But it may be at least a year before Apple's wrist computer sees the light of day, the article said, adding that Apple has accepted it currently lacks the in-house engineering nous required to make the transition.

Apple's share price has fallen significantly since it briefly became the world's most valuable company last summer. The vendor is yet to launch any new products under new chief executive Tim Cook and the growth in its sales of iPhones has slowed in recent quarters.

This has increased the pressure on Apple to find the next big thing, and the iWatch has now progressed from an exploratory phase to having several dozen staff dedicated to its development, the article said.

Apple has company in its plans to crack the wearable tech market, however, not least from start-up Pebble, which claims it has received more than 2750,000 orders for its eponymous "smart watch", according to the Guardian.

Meanwhile, Google is currently testing out its "Glass" head-mounted system while Dell has also recently signalled its interest in the wearable tech market.