LA Lakers' Kobe Bryant Discusses iWatch, iOS 8's Healthbook With Apple?
The Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant recently called in at Apple’s Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino, California to discuss “upcoming products” with Jony Ive’s team, according to a recent article.
The news comes in an exclusive report from 9to5mac, which was sent a picture of Bryant sitting outdoors at the Infinite Loop campus (above). The image appears to be legitimate: as the publication explains, its metadata indeed indicates that the picture was taken on an iPhone handset at Apple’s Cupertino campus.
In its report, 9to5mac notes that “an immediate connection would be a possible endorsement deal with Apple on either the upcoming iWatch or Apple’s upcoming Healthbook product.” Bryant has endorsed Nike before (Tim Cook indeed sits on the Nike board) and he also signed an endorsement deal with Hublot, a watch brand based in Switzerland, in March last year.
The website explains:
Apple is somewhat connected to Hublot as an executive from the watchmaker recently accused Apple of attempting to poach employees from the firm. Bryant is also a sponsor for technology company Lenovo, and with Samsung having LeBron James as a close partner, perhaps Apple is looking to get into the athlete spokesperson game.
Apple is indeed expected to launch a so-called “iWatch” device later this year, and the product should offer users iOS-connected health and fitness functionality in the form of a dedicated “Healthbook” app. We’ve also heard that Apple could be partnering with Nike in order to bring its iWatch to the market, with Nike’s CEO recently noting that he’s “excited” about his company’s future relationship with Apple.
Cupertino is expected to launch its long-rumored wearable device in late 2014. We’ll keep you updated with further information as we receive it.
In the meantime, see: The EFF Celebrates Apple’s Efforts To Protect User Privacy In Its Annual Report, Bentley’s Latest Ad Was Shot On An iPhone 5s, Edited On Apple’s iPad Air, and Flappy Bird Developer Gives Us A Sneek Peek At His New Game.