Rumor: Ex-Adobe exec Kevin Lynch heading Apple team of former iPod employees

Kevin Lynch, a former Adobe executive who caused a stir when he recently joined Apple, is now in charge of a team comprised of employees who used to work in the company's iPod division, a new rumor claims.

Lynch is said to be in charge of a new team at Apple with many engineers who previously worked on the company's iPod lineup, according to sources who spoke with MacGeneration. Among the names on the new team are said to be Robert Curtis, who worked on iPod firmware for several years, along with Steve Bollinger, who is credited with numerous iPod and multitouch patents.

It's unknown exactly what Lynch's new mystery team is working on, but the site speculated on Friday that the new division could be working on Apple's rumored smart watch accessory. One report from February claimed Apple already had a 100-person team working on an unannounced watch, including personnel who had previously worked on the iPhone and iPad.

It was revealed last month that Lynch had taken a position at Apple — an announcement that drew the ire of a number of Apple supporters because of Lynch's connections with Adobe Flash and disparaging public comments made about Apple's refusal to support the platform on its iOS devices.

In his position at Apple, Lynch reports to Bob Mansfield, who leads the new "Technologies" group created by the company last fall. That new division is a combination of Apple's wireless teams and its semiconductor development efforts.

The hiring of Lynch came after a number of high-profile changes in Apple's personnel, most notably the ouster of Scott Forstall, previously the company's head of iOS development.