Nike teases Tuesday reveal of new iPhone-controlled self-lacing sneakers

AppleInsider

One of the features of Nike's self-lacing sneakers for the mass market -- set to be announced Tuesday -- will be smartphone control, including the iPhone, according to a teaser video.

Posted on Twitter, the video shows various athletes reacting to the shoes as they lace up. One person can be seen using an iPhone 7 Plus or 8 Plus, and another hints that an app can adjust each shoe individually. An accompanying photo shows a person with an iPhone X or XS.

Nike is due to make its announcement at 8 a.m. Eastern time.

The game will never be the same.

Tune in tomorrow at 8AM EST. @nikebasketball pic.twitter.com/4LrJGpPDY6

-- Nike (@Nike)

January 14, 2019

Nike has said little else about the shoes except that they're based on 2016's HyperAdapt 1.0, priced at $720. Reports have suggested that the follow-up will cost about $350, which is still expensive for sneakers but may attract more people wanting to be on the cutting edge of sports gear or fashion.

The HyperAdapt was in turn based on the Nike Mags, which took their inspiration from 1989's "Back to the Future Part II." That movie predicted self-lacing Nikes alongside technologies like hoverboards and flying cars.

Nike is a long-time Apple partner, reaching back to the days of "Nike + iPod" accessories. That association has fallen by the wayside in favor of Nike-branded models of the Apple Watch.

DAalseth

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

baconstang

If you can't tie your own shoes, how will anyone be sure you got past kindergarten?

Also, I'll be looking forward to hackers untying other people's shoes.

mike eggleston

DAalseth said:

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

For a child who has disabilities, either mental or physical (or in the case of my youngest daughter, both); this could be a game changer for her. Right now, she has to have daddy or mommy tie her shoes, when all of her peers can do it themselves. For her, she would feel more independent just because she can tie her own laces.

SpamSandwich

I don’t know about “self-lacing” shoes, but I would like a system (similar to ski boots) where the lace tension could be adjusted after the shoe has been laced up. I think this could be done mechanically and involve no batteries or motors. In sports like running, one’s foot expands and contracts (swells) depending on blood flow so it’s important to be able to vary the tension.

ravnorodom

Wow. Cool. It's the sneaker from "Back to the Future".

applesauce007

Hmmm... Autonomous Systems.  Apple has been working on that but no specific announcement yet.

DAalseth

mike eggleston said:

DAalseth said:

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

For a child who has disabilities, either mental or physical (or in the case of my youngest daughter, both); this could be a game changer for her. Right now, she has to have daddy or mommy tie her shoes, when all of her peers can do it themselves. For her, she would feel more independent just because she can tie her own laces.

That's what velcro shoes are for, or any other of the alternatives. You sure as heck don't need a $720 pair of shoes that are controlled by an app on your phone. 

ihatescreennames

DAalseth said:

mike eggleston said:

DAalseth said:

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

For a child who has disabilities, either mental or physical (or in the case of my youngest daughter, both); this could be a game changer for her. Right now, she has to have daddy or mommy tie her shoes, when all of her peers can do it themselves. For her, she would feel more independent just because she can tie her own laces.

That's what velcro shoes are for, or any other of the alternatives. You sure as heck don't need a $720 pair of shoes that are controlled by an app on your phone. 

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to read the article? It clearly states the follow-up will be about $350. 

And how do you know her disabilities allow her to use Velcro sneakers, which have been around for a long time and if they were an option would be a clear choice?

Just because you can tie your shoes and don’t need something like this doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be what someone else could really use. 

anome

mike eggleston said:

DAalseth said:

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

For a child who has disabilities, either mental or physical (or in the case of my youngest daughter, both); this could be a game changer for her. Right now, she has to have daddy or mommy tie her shoes, when all of her peers can do it themselves. For her, she would feel more independent just because she can tie her own laces.

Also for adults with mobility problems that make it hard to bend, or arthritis that makes it hard to do up fastenings, whether laces, velcro, or zippers. Gives them a level of independence they don't necessarily have now.

Then, there's just the fact that people might find this cool. Some gadgets are just fun to have. Nothing wrong with that.

ihatescreennames

anome said:

mike eggleston said:

DAalseth said:

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

For a child who has disabilities, either mental or physical (or in the case of my youngest daughter, both); this could be a game changer for her. Right now, she has to have daddy or mommy tie her shoes, when all of her peers can do it themselves. For her, she would feel more independent just because she can tie her own laces.

Also for adults with mobility problems that make it hard to bend, or arthritis that makes it hard to do up fastenings, whether laces, velcro, or zippers. Gives them a level of independence they don't necessarily have now.

Then, there's just the fact that people might find this cool. Some gadgets are just fun to have. Nothing wrong with that.

This is clearly incorrect, because of third grade and Velcro. /s

My MIL falls into the category of mobility problems with arthritis. It is a struggle for her to put shoes on, let alone tie them. She frequently favors a slip-on shoe but even those aren’t particularly easy for her and aren’t always appropriate. Something she could slip on and have automatically lace/tighten would make a big difference for her. Granted, these sneakers probably wouldn’t be her choice, but if this sort of thing moves into other shoes that may catch her interest. 

DAalseth

ihatescreennames said:

DAalseth said:

mike eggleston said:

DAalseth said:

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

For a child who has disabilities, either mental or physical (or in the case of my youngest daughter, both); this could be a game changer for her. Right now, she has to have daddy or mommy tie her shoes, when all of her peers can do it themselves. For her, she would feel more independent just because she can tie her own laces.

That's what velcro shoes are for, or any other of the alternatives. You sure as heck don't need a $720 pair of shoes that are controlled by an app on your phone. 

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to read the article? It clearly states the follow-up will be about $350. 

And how do you know her disabilities allow her to use Velcro sneakers, which have been around for a long time and if they were an option would be a clear choice?

Just because you can tie your shoes and don’t need something like this doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be what someone else could really use. 

Even $350 is a absurd price for a childs sneakers. Kids grow and need new shoes at least yearly
If the person is that handicapped, I doubt they would be able to use a cell phone
No,. don't try to sugar coat this as something for handicapped people. These shoes are for the vain and stupidly affluent

SpamSandwich

DAalseth said:

ihatescreennames said:

DAalseth said:

mike eggleston said:

DAalseth said:

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

For a child who has disabilities, either mental or physical (or in the case of my youngest daughter, both); this could be a game changer for her. Right now, she has to have daddy or mommy tie her shoes, when all of her peers can do it themselves. For her, she would feel more independent just because she can tie her own laces.

That's what velcro shoes are for, or any other of the alternatives. You sure as heck don't need a $720 pair of shoes that are controlled by an app on your phone. 

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to read the article? It clearly states the follow-up will be about $350. 

And how do you know her disabilities allow her to use Velcro sneakers, which have been around for a long time and if they were an option would be a clear choice?

Just because you can tie your shoes and don’t need something like this doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be what someone else could really use. 

Even $350 is a absurd price for a childs sneakers. Kids grow and need new shoes at least yearly
If the person is that handicapped, I doubt they would be able to use a cell phone
No,. don't try to sugar coat this as something for handicapped people. These shoes are for the vain and stupidly affluent

What’s wrong with people who are in different income groups choosing to voluntarily spend their money on things other people may not want?

netrox

For disabled people, there are shoes made for them. Self lacing isn't one of them.

christopher126

Hmmmm...not really interested in this, but I do gravitate to slip on shoes whenever possible. Just can't be bothered tying laces all the time!  

ireland

There better be a button on the shoes because needing your phone to tie your laces is stupid. Personally, I tie my laces in such a way that I never need to open them, and just pop my sneakers on and off. I need to readjust the laces maybe once every six months. 

ireland

applesauce007 said:

Hmmm... Autonomous Systems.  Apple has been working on that but no specific announcement yet.

You mean Apple-speak for a car.

explosu

Everyone's talking about why you'd want them to tie themselves. I want to know why you'd want them to look like just giant horse schlongs.

22july2013

In a professional sports league would it be permissible for a coach or spectator to use an athlete's phone to control aspects of the athlete's equipment (eg, shoes, gloves) during a professional game?

anome

22july2013 said:

In a professional sports league would it be permissible for a coach or spectator to use an athlete's phone to control aspects of the athlete's equipment (eg, shoes, gloves) during a professional game?

Depends on the league, and whether they've thought to address it. For instance, Formula 1 banned telemetry so the pit crew couldn't monitor the engine condition and make recommendations to the driver. (I don't know if any teams had configured their cars for remote tuning. You'd think it would be helpful, but apparently unfair.) Cricket, IIRC, has a general ban against people from off the pitch communicating with the batsmen, so I think this might be a non starter there.

If teams could have their coach adjust things on their equipment during play, would this lead to electronic warfare between teams, trying to jam each other's signals, or even force their own signals on the other team. Like tightening an opposing player's shoes so they can't run, or loosening them so they trip. Could liven up some sports no end.