Nike and Apple launch Nike+iPod product line

[AppleInsider]

Nike and Apple today formally announced a partnership that will bring the worlds of sports and music together with the launch of a series of Nike+iPod products.

The first product developed through this partnership is the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a wireless system that allows Nike+ footwear to talk with an iPod nano to connect users "to the ultimate personal running and workout experience."

Nike CEO Mark Parker and Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled Nike+iPod at an event in New York attended by seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe.

"Nike+iPod is a partnership between two iconic, global brands with a shared passion for creating meaningful consumer product experiences through design and innovation," Parker said. "This is the first result, and Nike+iPod will change the way people run. Nike+iPod creates a better running experience. We see many more such Nike+ innovations in the future."

The new Nike+ Air Zoom Moire is the first footwear designed to talk to iPod. Nike plans to make many of its leading footwear styles Nike+ ready, connecting millions of consumers to the Nike+iPod experience.

"We're working with Nike to take music and sport to a new level," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "The result is like having a personal coach or training partner motivating you every step of your workout."



With the Nike+ footwear connected to iPod nano through the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, information on time, distance, calories burned and pace is stored on iPod and displayed on the screen; real-time audible feedback is also provided through headphones. The kit includes an in-shoe sensor and a receiver that attaches to iPod.

A new Nike Sport Music section on the iTunes Music Store and a new nikeplus.com personal service site will help users maximize the Nike+iPod experience, Nike said.



Armstrong, who is preparing for his first NY Marathon, said, "If you can incorporate time, distance and calories burned together and make it function for both the fitness runner and the high level athlete, it will take working out to a whole other level."

"I definitely use music both ways," Radcliffe said. "I listen to faster music if I am doing a workout in the gym to just get the best out of myself, but I also use it to help me relax in the buildup to a big race."

Specially designed Nike apparel, including jackets, tops, shorts and an iPod nano armband, will bring together the Nike+iPod experience with waterproof pockets that accommodate iPod nano and are designed to make it easy to operate while staying tuned to your music during an active workout.



Pricing & Availability

The Nike+iPod Sport Kit is expected to be available within 60 days for a suggested retail price of $29 (US) through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores, Apple Authorized Resellers as well as Nike.com Niketown, NikeWomen stores and select retail stores in the US.

The Nike+iPod Sport Kit requires a Nike+ shoe and an iPod nano with a USB 2.0 enabled Mac and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 6.0.5; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000, XP Home or Professional (SP2) and iTunes 6.0.5.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Elixir]

brilliant, i've been waiting for this!!!!


i've always wondered why apple was taking so long to hit the sport market hard with ipods. i've been using my ipod at the gym since gen 1 before anyone had any damn clue and now you walk around the gym and ipods are all you see.



perfect combo.

[SpamSandwich]

A wireless iPod solution would be a great thing for instructors so they could control the music (possibly being broadcast to a receiver-outfitted Boombox) and their workout while performing in front of a group.

[ReCompile]

Brilliant!! Brilliant!!! A good way for both companies to re-charge their products. With wireless, and sync'd to a mac, you could open the world to all kinds of 3rd party software. A performing athlete could have 2 way communication with coaches, sync to their music they are performing to, keep track of workout statistics that are stored and transmitted to your computer, etc.
Way to go Apple and Nike.

[JustDoIt]

This is only the beginning!

[iPickle06]

i agree with you all...this is really an excellent idea (especially for pro's)

i was hoping for an anouncement of a wireless 2nd Gen Nano to go along! ;-D

[aegisdesign]

I guess we're getting iTunes 6.05 any moment now in Software Update then!

You'd have thought with Lance there they'd add a heart rate monitor and cycle computer setup.

[audiopollution]

Originally posted by aegisdesign
You'd have thought with Lance there they'd add a heart rate monitor and cycle computer setup.

I expect that the line of Nike+iPod products will grow to include such things.

[blackbird_1.0]

The iSwoosh. Walk Different. ™

[SpamSandwich]

Originally posted by audiopollution
I expect that the line of Nike+iPod products will grow to include such things.

I know of a whole raft of people who would jump on this like nobody's business.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally posted by aegisdesign
I guess we're getting iTunes 6.05 any moment now in Software Update then!

You'd have thought with Lance there they'd add a heart rate monitor and cycle computer setup.

Not to mention...GPS!!!! 8)

...and speaking of GPS... there is a whole world of other iPod products that could spin off with that nifty addition. Maps, phone, regional dating, local advertising... the mind boggles.

[CosmoNut]

So it won't work with the 5G iPod, huh?

[JustDoIt]

Originally posted by CosmoNut
So it won't work with the 5G iPod, huh?

Nope.... NANO only.

[aegisdesign]

Originally posted by CosmoNut
So it won't work with the 5G iPod, huh?

All Nike's clothes in the NikePlus range have slots for the nano. A 5G would be a bit heavy not to mention problems with hard drives and exercise.

See the video at http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/

[monkeyastronaut]

yay i have a nano. this is so cool.

now if apple had some wireless headphones / earplugs that look nice and don't cost a fortune...

all-wireless nano.

[disco]

About time they did this. In 2003 I posted the following on this site:
(I want a cut of the profits from this partnership.)

What someone really needs to develop is one device that does the following:

-MP3 player (preferable hard-drive based)
-FM tuner
-GPS receiver
-Heart rate monitor
-Performance data recorder

I can't imagine anything more that an athlete would need. This would allow someone to monitor their speed, distance, pace and heart rate, while at the same time providing entertainment.

Timex has just developed something close, sans the MP3 player. It's called the Timex BodyLink. Rather than being a single device, it's an LBN (Local Body Network) of intercommunicating pieces.

I see why they made it a system: it makes it modular and allows users to add only the components they need, and also leverage products they already own.

However, I think a truly integrated system could be insanely great. Imagine getting detailed audible notifications when you're off-pace, or your heart rate falls out of your desired zone. The GPS talks to the Heart Rate Monitor and the MP3 audio engine. It could be very cool indeed.

But it will never happen. As innovative as Timex is, they don't make very user-friendly products. And this would be a product even too niche-y for Apple. That's why I wished the iPod had well-documented API's. You could add on some mighty powerful hardware that would make the iPod much greater than the sum of its parts.

[amac4me]

The ubiquity of the Apple brand is taking shape. Apple products are making their way into more parts of our lives.

[MacGregor]

I have been hoping that Apple would open up the iPod API's (and FrontRow too for that matter) so that 3rd party's could even further develop the ecosystem (beyond all of the hardware perifs), but I can see why Apple would want to do their own models with companies like Nike for now. If Apple can set the tone for how to connect to iPods in innovative ways they will lay a better framework for the future .... and capture the initial profits too, but in the end I hope they sell the tech for a modest percentage and let the little companies do the heavy lifting.

[RolandG]

I hope this will soon be available internationally...

Will it work with non-Nike shoes as well? One won't be able to snuggly fit it inside the shoes but maybe it will work fixed to a shoe's outside.

And why is the reciever so bulky?

[guiness]

Why would therre be a problem with 4G/5G/Minis? I go running with my 5G all the time and there's no problems. In fact, I'm sure many of you will remember with Apple first released the iPod and one of its main facts was that it included a memory chip capable of not skipping if a person went running...and that was long before Apple released flash based nanos. We'll just have to see if Apple will actually block it from working with 5G iPods or whether it just recommends use with a Nano. I can't imagine they wouldn't want to keep encouraging people to buy the much more profitable 60GB iPod over a Nano.

[solsun]

Originally posted by guiness
Why would therre be a problem with 4G/5G/Minis? I go running with my 5G all the time and there's no problems. In fact, I'm sure many of you will remember with Apple first released the iPod and one of its main facts was that it included a memory chip capable of not skipping if a person went running...and that was long before Apple released flash based nanos. We'll just have to see if Apple will actually block it from working with 5G iPods or whether it just recommends use with a Nano. I can't imagine they wouldn't want to keep encouraging people to buy the much more profitable 60GB iPod over a Nano.

Im-pretty-sure-it-would-work-with-a-5th-gen-iPod.

They-use-the-same-connector.

[guiness]

I'm not sure if it will be available everywhere, but it is posted on Apple Canada's site www.apple.ca .

I would assume it's available in most countries though, becase at the bottom of this page it says
Nike Sport Music not available in all countries. which hints at yes...

[Regek]

It might not work with a full-size iPod because the software required for the device to work might only be in the Nano. No real physical reason, just a business one.

Also, I see that the battery for the sensor is non-replacable. I wonder how long it lasts and whether replacement sensors will be available without replacement receivers.

[rongold]

If this new wireless system is only to be used with the iPod Nano, it seems that it is pointing to the introduction of built-in wireless capabilities with the regular iPods.

[monkeyastronaut]

Originally posted by guiness
Why would therre be a problem with 4G/5G/Minis? I go running with my 5G all the time and there's no problems. In fact, I'm sure many of you will remember with Apple first released the iPod and one of its main facts was that it included a memory chip capable of not skipping if a person went running...and that was long before Apple released flash based nanos. We'll just have to see if Apple will actually block it from working with 5G iPods or whether it just recommends use with a Nano. I can't imagine they wouldn't want to keep encouraging people to buy the much more profitable 60GB iPod over a Nano.

jogging or running with a hard drive attached to your arm or waist might be riskier in the long term to the overall lifetime of the device*. maybe that's why apple is limiting its use to the nano only. they don't want people sueing them for broken 5Gs when in use with this product.

anyway, this will probably require an ipod firmware update, so keep an eye on that to see if other ipods are supported.

*just an assumption. i can't back this up.

[TednDi]

Originally posted by aegisdesign
I guess we're getting iTunes 6.05 any moment now in Software Update then!

You'd have thought with Lance there they'd add a heart rate monitor and cycle computer setup.

yea, that would have made sense. or a bicycle adaptor.

Perhaps it will be included in Nike+ cycling shoes.

[G_Warren]

Originally posted by RolandG
Will it work with non-Nike shoes as well? One won't be able to snuggly fit it inside the shoes but maybe it will work fixed to a shoe's outside.

Unless it is pressure sensitive, in which case it will need to be positioned under the foot.

[rongold]

Originally posted by rongold
If this new wireless system is only to be used with the iPod Nano, it seems that it is pointing to the introduction of built-in wireless capabilities with the regular iPods.

Scratch that. I see now that it uses a proprietary protocal.

[TednDi]

Originally posted by rongold
If this new wireless system is only to be used with the iPod Nano, it seems that it is pointing to the introduction of built-in wireless capabilities with the regular iPods.

Does this count as new hardware?

[aegisdesign]

Originally posted by TednDi
yea, that would have made sense. or a bicycle adaptor.

Perhaps it will be included in Nike+ cycling shoes.

You can't detect anything in a cycling shoe. Wheel magnets and heart rate straps only.

[filburt]

Originally posted by Regek
Also, I see that the battery for the sensor is non-replacable. I wonder how long it lasts and whether replacement sensors will be available without replacement receivers.

Unless the battery lasts at least a year on typical use (2-3 hours a week), spending $29 to buy both the sensor and receiver everytime the battery is depleted is going to be expensive.

[ecking]

Is the guy in the commercial on the nike site using a macbook or an ibook?

I wonder how they'll eventually expand this into weight training. hmmm...

[Splinemodel]

Originally posted by aegisdesign
You'd have thought with Lance there they'd add a heart rate monitor and cycle computer setup.

Does Nike make bike shoes? Secondly, is there a good way to get heart rate from someone's foot? I don't think the puse is too strong down there to be absorbed through a sock. Plus the pavement pounding stuff.

Originally posted by filburt
Unless the battery lasts at least a year on typical use (2-3 hours a week), spending $29 to buy both the sensor and receiver everytime the battery is depleted is going to be expensive.

The radio in your car's keyfob lasts a long time. custom, short range radios can run on very low power. A lithium primary cell should be able to drive it for quite some time.

[Benton]

Is there a video link to introduction?

[inkswamp]

Quick show of hands: how many of you have been using Macs since the early- to mid-90s? I have and I recall very clearly how limp and ineffectual Apple's marketing and its product strategies were.

It's amazing to see that same company being so aggressive in nailing down every segment of this new market they're in. And I'm not even someone who normally gives a rip about that kind of thing, but the contrast between the old Apple and the new is remarkable.

[TednDi]

Is Nikeplus personal service Apple web objects or xserve powered?

[TednDi]

Originally posted by inkswamp
Quick show of hands: how many of you have been using Macs since the early- to mid-90s? I have and I recall very clearly how limp and ineffectual Apple's marketing and its product strategies were.

It's amazing to see that same company being so aggressive in nailing down every segment of this new market they're in. And I'm not even someone who normally gives a rip about that kind of thing, but the contrast between the old Apple and the new is remarkable.

Steve got burned the first time.

Or, this would be a 95% apple world.

[sandau]

this product announcement is the 'Shuffle' killer. Goodbye workout Shuffle, you were terrific.

[aegisdesign]

Originally posted by Splinemodel
Does Nike make bike shoes? Secondly, is there a good way to get heart rate from someone's foot? I don't think the puse is too strong down there to be absorbed through a sock. Plus the pavement pounding stuff.

Yes, they do make bike shoes. They have done since about 1993 IIRC. They also make bike kit too. That's what Lance wears as did the US Postal Team. There's some kind of co-licencing deal with Trek (the bike manufacturer). Lance runs like a duck as do most cyclists as the muscle development is all wrong for running.

Your foot isn't the place for a heartrate monitor. Usually it's a strap that goes around your chest.

Originally posted by Splinemodel
The radio in your car's keyfob lasts a long time. custom, short range radios can run on very low power. A lithium primary cell should be able to drive it for quite some time.

My Polar heartrate strap battery lasts a couple of years before I send it back for replacement - it's completely sealed. You can swim with it even. Nike/Trek both make heart rate monitors too but Polar are the leaders.

I hope Nike have made the radio signal from the transmitter coded, otherwise you'll get interference from other people's shoe transmitters. Personally, I'm an ASICS fan for running shoes and Shimano for bike shoes so unless Apple open this up to other manufacturers I can't see it being useful.

[xanthohappy]

An interesting thought:

Obviously both Apple and Nike have teamed up on this venture with the purpose of selling more products. Apple's pretty covered, as obviously this will only work with an iPod, but what's to stop other shoe manufacturers from putting holes underneath the insole in future shoe models? I'm guessing you can't patent something like that. Nike has a headstart for certain, but do you think they could lose out on their investment in the long run?

Additional thought:

Unless you can't sign on to Nike's online service without a valid shoe purchase. Hmmmm...