Apple 'Just Do It' when it comes to watch hires

Has Tim Cook used his sway in the boardroom to lure Nike's top design director onto Apple's wearable devices team?

That's the whispers coming out of Silicon Valley, as designer Ben Shaffer jumps ship to Cupertino.

Studio Director of the Innovation Kitchen at Nike, Shaffer is widely credited with in a part in designing wearable products such as the Nike Fuel Band and most recently the Flyknit shoe.

According to a close source within Nike, 9to5Mac reports that Shaffer is the latest Nike worker to join the company's iWatch group of designers and consultants.

Given Apple CEO Cook is also a Nike Board member, the website speculates that the company's "own wearable computer will have similar fitness-tracking abilities" compared to Nike's Fuel Band product.

Shaffer's hiring follows Apple's recruitment of Nike fitness consultant Jay Blahnik to the iWatch team, as plans for the wearable device become clearer.

Recognised as one of the premier fitness instructors in the industry, Blahnik has been a Nike Elite Athlete and Nike consultant for almost 20 years.

Including work on Nike’s Fuel Band also, Blahnik’s portfolio and alleged appointment suggests the tech giant will dive head first into the fitness aspects of the device - a claim backed up by the recent hire of Shaffer.