Renowned for its creativity within the industry, it would appear Apple has suffered a crisis of confidence.

Forever proud to be leading the line across many tech markets, the Cupertino giant is never one to shy away from innovation.

Yet it would appear the company has lost faith in the ability of its own engineers, after beginning an "aggressive" hiring spree ahead of the upcoming iWatch release.

In what would be Apple's first new product launch since the death of Steve Jobs, CEO Tim Cook seems acutely aware of the need for perfection - perfection the company can ill afford to miss.

But while plans for an Apple iWatch may still find their way to the scrap heap, many believe the company will press ahead with the launch, after applying for the iWatch trademark in Japan.

The hiring of Yves St Laurent executive Paul Deneve got tongues wagging most however, with the fashion guru lured back to the company to work on special projects under Cook.

“He’ll be working on special projects as a vice president reporting directly to Tim Cook," said Apple on July 3.

Exact details of the company's hiring spree have yet to be released, but sources close to the company say Apple is looking beyond existing staff in a bid to crack the iWatch code.

The Financial Times report that the recruit stems from the “hard engineering problems that they’ve not been able to solve", which could be seen as a blow to investors.

FT speculates that the recruitment drive confirms the inability of Apple staff to create new products, but following comments from Cook in May, shareholders need not worry.

Defending the company's level of innovation amid scrutiny, Cook insisted the company had "several more game changers" that would enter the market.

Cook's strong interest within the wearable tech market also implies the iWatch release will be a matter of when, not if, with the CEO saying "it's an area where it's ripe for exploration."

But as some industry analysts debate whether the product will be more pleasure rather than business for Apple, in a world where actions speak louder than words, most would agree it's the latter.

Has Apple lost its vision? What is so bad about hiring new staff? Tell us your thoughts below