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Apple reportedly has 100-person team working on 'iWatch'

Unnamed sources tell Bloomberg that the team has grown over the past year and includes marketing, software, and hardware employees.

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Is Apple eyeing an iWatch?
Is Apple eyeing an iWatch? Sarah Tew and Christopher MacManus/CNET

As the Apple "iWatch" rumor mill gets wound up, a new report holds that Apple already has a team of 100 people working on the rumored smart wristwatch, including some prominent Apple employees.

Following a spate of reports that Apple is developing an iOS-based wristwatch, unnamed sources tell Bloomberg that the team working on just such a device has grown over the past year and includes employees from its marketing, software, and hardware units who had previously worked on the iPhone and iPad.

Key members of the team are said to include James Foster, Apple's senior director of engineering, and Achim Pantfoerder, a program manager who is credited with 13 Apple patents, including an electronic sighting compass and ambient light sensor.

The Bloomberg report comes on the heels of a New York Times report over the weekend that said Apple was experimenting with wristwatch-like devices that sported curved glass. However, a team of this size and with such prominent membership suggests the company might be farther ahead than the experimental phase.

CNET has contacted Apple for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

Previous reports held that Apple had partnered with Intel to develop an iOS wristwatch that would be Bluetooth-enabled and sport a 1.5-inch OLED screen.