Despite the fact that the iWatch is rumored to go into production as early as July, and see a public release in October, work on the wearable seems to be ongoing. Another new hire points to precise features that could make their debut in Apple’s iWatch.

Lucky for the world, there are people out there that keep up with their social networking tools, especially the ones geared towards their employment. Thanks to an update to his LinkedIn page, it’s being reported that Alex Hsieh, formerly of Atlas Wearables, has made the transition to Cupertino to start work for Apple. The role? Firmware developer. As initially reported by Network World, the move more than likely means that Hsieh will be tasked with fine tuning the firmware of Apple’s first wearable, rumored to be called the iWatch.

Not many people may have heard of Atlas Wearables, but the group is known for working with wearables that can track the wearer’s physical activity. Which, as we’ve heard on numerous occasions over the last few months, is something that the iWatch is certainly geared towards, thanks to a plethora of sensors. What’s very interesting about Hsieh’s addition to Apple, is that he has worked on APIs for Atlas that allowed third-party developers to integrate Atlas’s hardware with their applications. If that sounds familiar, it should, because Apple unveiled their own initiative in this front with HealthKit’s announcement during WWDC 2014.

The iWatch is going to be a device that, if all the rumors pan out, is going to be quite expansive in its capabilities. Or, all of these recent hires, which include (but are certainly not limited to) Dr. Michel O’Reilly, former Chief Medical Officer at Masimo. Also from the same company came Marcelo Lamego, a research scientist there, while also the Chief Technology Officer at Cercacor. And let’s not forget that Apple has reportedly been working with professional athletes to fine tune the fitness and sports-focus of the wearable.

All in all, it certainly sounds like Apple has a wearable coming down the pipe. Will we see it later this year? It is certainly possible, and it looks like Apple’s working hard to make that a reality. If Apple does indeed launch an iWatch this year, do you plan on buying one?