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Nike/Apple To Announce Partnership Tuesday?

You guys are killing me

I'm a first time writer and the only reason I subsribed is because the comments on here as absolutely ridiculous I felt the need to address them.

1) Nike's sweatshops aren't any worse than any other company. Want to know why? They are doing what the US Gov't allows them to do - the exact same thing as every other shoe company and besides the point - we're talking about a new product and no, 99% of Americans DON'T GIVE A CRAP! (hence the massive popularity of Nike shoes)

2) A TON of people wear Nike shoes, it's the largest shoe company in America - they have a 47% market share (second place is all of 16%). Next time you go to the gym look at the brand of shoes people are wearing (yes, including the people on the treadmill), the overwhelming majority of them are Nike (I went last night and looked around to confirm this).

3) I am a runner (Cross Country, Track and still run today) and I've had Nike shoes for a very long time. I've tried asics and new balance and they don't work with how I run.

4) Nike shoes do last longer than 6 months, the current pair that I've been running in I've had for almost 4 years and i've logged a ton of miles on them and I wear them anytime I wear shorts - basically, I wear them A LOT.

5) Nike "makes" as much stuff as Apple does. Nike does all the research for their shoes and then has them made in other countries. When was the last time you got a Mac that didn't say "made in China" on it? Apple studies, researches and comes up with new stuff. Nike studies, researches and comes up with new stuff. While I don't really like the "Shox" shoes they spent about 10 years working on those and millions upon millions of dollars in R&D.

Now, I'm sure I'm going to get comments about how crappy Nike shoes are (don't care, they are the dominant shoe, much like how the iPod is dominant mp3 player but people still insist it's awful). How it's morally awful that Apple has joined with Nike because of sweatshop allegations and I'll just say that while you may be right, 99% of Americans really don't care (being completely honest with ourselves here). Base line is this - it's a really cool way to track your data and when my current pair of running shoes finally bites it I'll probably get a nike+ shoe since they cost about the same as the regular nike shoes.

link to share data "Nike is the industry leader, with a 47% market share"
http://www.unc.edu/~andrewsr/ints092/vandu.html

Oh yeah, lastly. Nike shoes are still "cool" - one of my friends buys them because he likes the look of them.
 
thanks for educating me.

Felldownthewell said:
A dead worker, a beaten worker, a raped worker, a worker with no fingers does not make the shoes come off the line any faster. It simply makes no sense that a capitalist factory would torture employees in ways that would inhibit their productivity. Of course some factories will do that- and that should be changed. Just because some factories do it does not mean that all factories do, and it does not mean that Nike factories do. $0.17 an hour is far more than the same guy would make farming in a week! As I have said, I am all for economic reform and human rights, but if the job was so terrible, people wouldn't be lined up outside the factory looking for work.

I also want to point out that unless you live in a formerly undisclosed utopia and are posting from a computer you made yourself from silicon and plastic you made yourself, are running your own OS, and are your own ISP, you are part of this "capitalist fantasy land."
Click to expand...

re dead/injured worker - not completely true. the dead worker, yes. but the fear that one death or lost finger instills in the others that makes them work hard to meet their quotas, forcing them to pee their pants while working on the factory floor (literally) does in fact increase production. and yes, this does happen in nike factories. you clearly are not open to another take on the truth, so i will just rest at this.

you also have ignored everything i have said about the actions by the governmnet and the imf/world bank in this. the other opportunities are taken from them. yes, this is an option, and may, at this point, be the only remaining, hence "best" option, so they line up. that does not mean that it was not forced on them.


I do what i can to avoid participation in companies like nike. i minimize my own consumption, clearly, not completely. you are right. but you are wrong to think that it is to the same extent as everyone else. and i realize the limits and problems with capitalism and i am doing my part to fight those limits. what are you doing?
 
mpw said:
Where'd you get that? I read on the Apple/Nike pages that it was proprietary tech.
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It's a proprietary 802.11 wireless format. Read it in the Macbytes section last night.
 
I wonder if Felldownthewell already has these shoes, his dad works for Nike (no, not in a sweatshop). Here is a post he made for proof.
 
mpw said:
Apart from the front page and subsequent pages linked from it, wow tough crowd!
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Wha!? The site's completely changed from when I went on. All it had when I went on, was choosing your country etc.
EDIT: The site you linked was the US site. Nothing about it is mentioned on the UK site.
 
G99 said:
Wha!? The site's completely changed from when I went on. All it had when I went on, was choosing your country etc.
EDIT: The site you linked was the US site. Nothing about it is mentioned on the UK site.
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Probably not going to be available in the UK straight away. No great shock there esp. since Nike don't have the market share here that they appear to have in the US and also they'd want to launch Europe wide if they came to the EU so that's another hurdle to quick marketing campaigns too.
 
This does seem to be filling the need that doesn't exist, but aside from that it is just very gimmicky and seem almost ripe for a retrospective show already - "Next on I love the '00s - remember the shoes that talked to those devices called iPods?" It hits me as a little bit more waste being generated for no good reason... perhaps Apple will include the Nikes in their electronics recycling program.
 
no comment

152553364_428de3e9d7_o.png



Nike likes golf too! So in our next venture we intend to have the have an (optional) golf score keeper iPod software download. And you can also get the new water protective iPod sport case with climbing clip, to attach to your golf bag for keeping your score in check. I know the title is "no comment", so shoot me ;) :D
 
as a marathoner, i think this is a fabulous thing. as a technology/marketing professional i say kudos to Apple. i admit i wish it was another shoe company, but for training i don't mind if i have to lace up a pair of Nike's. this partnership will make my training much easier.
 
I Hope This Deal Is Not Exclusive

Hmm...as a runner I am not at all exited by this deal. For me, and many runners I know, Nike shoes are horrid. I use the term most runners to refer to those that I know...about 15 or so. A decent pair of Nike shoes will cost me $140.00, but a great pair of New Balance running shoes may be found for $65.00 to $85.00.

From a marketing standpoint, its brilliant. Nike is huge, and this will gain the most attention.

I feel in love with New Balance in the Marines. Previously, as a wrestler, I ran three times a day and primarly used Asics. Asics makes great boxer/wrestling shoes.

In the Marines they issued us New Balance. It was a cheap shoe, but boy did it do an amazing job. I put at least 200 miles of running during boot camp on those New Balance shoes. They actually helped in my recovery of blisters from boots. After boot camp, in the "fleet", I purchased a higher end New Balance running shoe and never...never...looked back.

As a runner, I'll simply stick with my experience, known distances, and a good stop watch hidden behind a predetermined start/finish to analyze my performance. But I do hope Apple extends this to other running shoe companies. That would make my iPod Nano so much more enjoyable.
 
corywoolf said:
I wonder if Felldownthewell already has these shoes, his dad works for Nike (no, not in a sweatshop). Here is a post he made for proof.
Click to expand...

I don't have them; I don't run, first of all (4 ankle surgerys and a broken knee make it rather difficult...biking hockey and skiing are my sports) and second of all, this project was very hush-hush. To the extent that people have no idea where the product is or where it is going so they are having trouble shipping it.

To gelbin I think it is true that we are deadlocked. I just want to finish by agreeing with you that I am sure that there are factories that practices as horrible as you describe. I am even sure that some of these factories make Nike product. However this does not mean that Nike condones it or even that they don't try to stop it, and it does not mean that all or even most of the factories terrorize the workers. When the workers have had enough, they will rebel and fight for their rights. In the mean time, we need an international organization that will make international labor laws and then ENFORCE them, as opposed to the WTO, which makes terrible laws and declares every labor protection law a "barrier to free trade".

I don't remeber seeing anything you wrote about the IMF/World Bank, but I hate them because they indebt 3rd world countries to the US then use that leverage to control them. But that is neither Nike nor Apple related so I'll stay away from that.

Nike pays my bills, so I am not going to pretend that I am anti-capitalism. I know that out there somewhere is a better system, we just haven't found it yet. In the mean time, I do what I can not to fight capitalism, but to try and get organizations that exploit capitalism to be done away with and governments that condone torture to act. I take public transpotation, walk, and ride my bike because I do not believe in what oil companies are doing right now. I go to protests and I write letters and all that stuff that may not make a difference right away, but in the end needs to be done. It may not be up to your standards, but it is up to mine.
 
bigmc6000 said:
I'm a first time writer and the only reason I subsribed is because the comments on here as absolutely ridiculous I felt the need to address them.
Click to expand...

Yawn. Do you own their stock? No? Maybe you are a DIRECTOR for the company and participate in their profit sharing plan? No?

Then I'm at a loss as to why you are coming to their defense. I don't wear Nike products because I don't believe in paying $129 for a pair of shoes when Nike PAYS folks like Tiger and LeBron MILLIONS of dollars to wear their products.
 
This is why

It has nothing to do with being a director or being a stock holder. No one is giving them a fair shake. The only person who has said anything to the contrary is the son of a Nike employee - like that's no biased. There's nothing in my post that isn't based in fact. Any good business man knows that your company is going to do what the powers that be allow you to do (ie the US Govt) and as many people have said these are the same factories that everybody else uses. Also, I think it's crazy that people are saying nobody wears Nikes and Nikes are crap blah blah blah. When I was in HS a good 70-80% of the people on the track and CC teams wore Nikes. When you go to the gym and look at the people on the treadmill, most of them also wear Nikes. I know people like their particular brand of shoe but saying something other than what you like is crap is pretty childish. I don't wear the other types of shoes because they don't cater to the needs of my feet and I feel very uncomfortable wearing them. Now how hard is it to say that rather than "they are complete crap and I talked to a couple people who said the same thing"?

I'm just tired of the absurd # of comments that really contradict what's actually going on in the US which is: A TON of runners buy nike shoes, a TON of people track their pace, distance, etc using devices that are rather uncomfortable to wear (bulky GPS devices), this is a great option for a lot of people and I really think nano sales will increase because of this. Most of the people in this forum are seriously underestimating the marketing prowess of the nike running shoe and the fitness agenda in general.
 
But our current ipods do not have any wifi or whatever right? Won't this mean we will have to buy ADDITIONAL attachments to wireless-enable our ipod or else buy the next gen ipod??!??


mpw said:
Where'd you get that? I read on the Apple/Nike pages that it was proprietary tech.
Click to expand...
 
all i know now is that i just found a great gift for my mom come this Christmas. she loves to run and has just started to get into rowing. i think she would love this.
 
knackroller said:
But our current ipods do not have any wifi or whatever right? Won't this mean we will have to buy ADDITIONAL attachments to wireless-enable our ipod or else buy the next gen ipod??!??
Click to expand...

The Nike product linked from their pages and from Apples IS a two part sensor/transmitter & reciever, the reciever part attaches to the iPod docking port. This would mean that as I and others have posted any future developement of this to allow the sensor part to be used to go online live and battle other rowing machine users across the internet would need either revised iPods or a link directly to your Mac. I don't know but it may just be an update to allow the WiFi equipped hardware to communicate with Nike's proprietory transmitter.
 
How can we let the company know?

I was dismayed to hear of the Apple-Nike partnership, and even more dismayed to read here so many arguments justifying sweatshops and global economic strategems that anyone who has spent real time in the Third World knows are a lot of hooey. I am, however, glad to read here postings of those who oppose this partnership--not that I think anyone is likely to rescind it (sigh). I love Apple products, and for a long time I admired the company. Now I just like the products. I am an avid runner, too, and wish Apple had partnered with New Balance instead--or anyone but nefarious Nike (ain't buying the 'Nike doesn't own those offending factories' argument). I am not going to give away my new MacBook Pro, but I'll never buy a Nike product, and may think twice about that rumored new higher capacity Nano when it comes out. And you can bet I'll stop preaching Apple to the world.

Does anyone think people from Apple actually read this forum? Or does anyone know how we CAN express our extreme displeasure to the company? I sure would like to let them know how really disappointed I am.
 
Me for one, can't contain my excitement as to this new announcement. I just think its a fantastic idea. I want to run, and like running, but sometimes the motivation factor just doesn't kick in. If I have my iPod with the Nike+ apparel, I think nothing could be better, checking how I have done in the past week, differences in speed, etc. It will just be...greaaaaaaaaaat! When are they going international with this????
 
bigmc6000 said:
I'm a first time writer and the only reason I subsribed is because the comments on here as absolutely ridiculous I felt the need to address them.

1) Nike's sweatshops aren't any worse than any other company. Want to know why? They are doing what the US Gov't allows them to do - the exact same thing as every other shoe company and besides the point - we're talking about a new product and no, 99% of Americans DON'T GIVE A CRAP! (hence the massive popularity of Nike shoes)


4) Nike shoes do last longer than 6 months, the current pair that I've been running in I've had for almost 4 years and i've logged a ton of miles on them and I wear them anytime I wear shorts - basically, I wear them A LOT.
Click to expand...


SO its ok because people don't give a damn? Thats stupid, Nikes don't last any long then any other brand. Assuming that was true i guess things lasting longer matters when 1) Your pay 2x as much as other brand 2) The people making them get treated like crap

It kills me that Apple team up with them, really it does.
 
Yeah, sorry, saw that later. For a sensor AND receiver, seems quite a good price at $29. After all, the ipod radio thingy already cost more than that.


mpw said:
The Nike product linked from their pages and from Apples IS a two part sensor/transmitter & reciever, the reciever part attaches to the iPod docking port. This would mean that as I and others have posted any future developement of this to allow the sensor part to be used to go online live and battle other rowing machine users across the internet would need either revised iPods or a link directly to your Mac. I don't know but it may just be an update to allow the WiFi equipped hardware to communicate with Nike's proprietory transmitter.
Click to expand...
 
gnat said:
there they go.
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Can I ask where you got that phrase from? I work at a shoe store and my old buddy who used to work there used to always say that to mock the customers.
 
Felldownthewell said:
No, of course not. I am anti-WTO and anti-IMF/World bank, don't get me wrong. I wish that there was an international organizationt hat would enforce labor rights for everyone, but it is not the job of the US. Also, I don't see how employing thousands of otherwise starving farmer Chinese is "raping". I agree that conditions should be improved and so on, but in the meantime I don't see how throwing thousands of workers out on their asses will help the situation.
Click to expand...

The OBJECT is not to force NIKE out of business. It's to get NIKE to use some of their vast profits (over $14 billion per annum) to make it's overseas employees lives a little better. As it stands, you're right - work or starve, it's the only game in town. But by working, you're just starving slower - Nike wages are not of a subsistence level. It is said that if NIKE were to kick back .25 cents per clothes item, it could double it's overseas workers wages. They could pass that .25 cents off to you by raising the price. But they haven't. Nike factories overseas are dangerous places to work. You have no healthcare. Verbal and physical harassment are rampant. And by purchasing Nike products, you are paying them to continue this practice.

It wouldn't take much to clean up their act. They just won't do it (and NIKE is not the worst offender).

I think it's a mistake to partner with Nike based on their record. It tarnishes Apples image. And I've made my living with Apple computers for over 20 years now...
 
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