Apple and Nike could be working together to launch a brand new iOS fitness tracker called the iBand.
The news emerged earlier this month that Nike was laying off a large part of its Fuelband division staff with the aim to abandon its hardware altogether.
It now seems that Apple may be the reason behind the layoffs, but not for the iWatch as originally thought.
According to two Geektime sources in Cupertino, Apple and Nike are working together to launch the iBand, a fitness tracker capable of monitoring your movements like other devices including the Jawbone UP24 and Misfit Shine.
However, there are also suggestions that the wrist-worn device will act as a “gestural controller” for iOS devices including the iPhone 5S and iPad Air .
The new report suggests Nike “will play a significant part in shaping” the iBand, with the device no doubt taking advantage of the technology and software of the Nike Fuelband SE.
It is tipped to launch in the autumn of 2014, which is the same time as the mooted iWatch launch.
Following the news of the Fuelband team redundancies, insider sources suggested earlier this week that Nike is looking to push its Fuelband software and services to third-party manufacturers.
“Sources familiar with Nike’s thinking” implied that Nike is working to bring the Fuelband software to the heavily rumoured Apple iWatch, which is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 6 later this year.
Both the iWatch and the iPhone 6 will run iOS 8, with the latest Apple mobile OS tipped to feature a new HealthBook app capable of storing all your fitness and healthcare data. No doubt, if the rumours are true, the Fuelband software will feed into the Healthbook app later this year.
“Building on these successful products and services, Nike and Apple continue to partner on emerging technologies to create better solutions for all athletes,” said Nike spokesperson KeJuan Wilkins, adding fuel to the iWatch collaboration rumours.
Read more: iPhone 5S tips and tricks