Nike/Apple To Announce Partnership Tuesday?

[Jovian9]

Surely inconsistent sizes shouldn't stop you buying their shoes?

I mean I normally try a size 12* on and if it's too small I go up to a 13 or down to 11 if it's too big. Once I find the right size I buy the shoe and from then on the size stays consistent, although sometimes my feet swell.

It's not that easy. When running long distances over and over throughout the year you have to find the proper sizes for your feet or you will develop all kinds of nagging little injuries/pains. I no longer wear Nike/Adidas for running b/c of that. I now go with Asics.
For a runner I think this is a great idea......though I'm not going to buy Nike shoes, the device, and a nano to do it.....they need to make this compatible with my 5g.

 

[autrefois]

...

As for Nike as a company, here's why I don't like them: They are a marketing company, plain and simple. They "make" nothing--their shoe production is subcontracted to low-cost Asian manufacturers, and I don't even know if they do product design. They make massive markups on their products (probably 80-90%, yet why don't they net more money? Because the bulk of the profit made on each pair of shoes or piece of branded gear goes into advertising--commercials, sponsorship, branding, celebrity endorsement deals. Nike people have been quoted as saying as much during the 90s.

That is, you pay $90 for a pair of not-so-good Nike shoes that cost maybe $10 to make for one reason, and one reason only--most of the rest of your $90 goes to advertising so that people who look no farther than what Michael Jordan tells them is cool will think Nike is cool.

Personally, if I'm going to buy shoddy shoes produced by underpaid and poorly treated workers, I'm at least going to get the economic benefit of it and buy a no-name brand for $20 or $30, instead of giving $70 of my hard-earned money to pay rich sports stars and buy ad time just so my shoes have a Swosh that says "corporate America has paid to make you think I'm cool".

If you want to get into the raw economics of it, there's also something to be said about production in the country of sale, since it leads to reinvestment in the economy and, on the grand scale, better wages and conditions for all in that country.

Personally, though, I wear Red Wings, which as far as I know are made in the US. At the very least, they're built to last, and the soles are replaceable--it's nice to be able to re-sole a pair of shoes instead of chucking a perfectly good, broken-in leather upper just because you wore out the sole.

This is an issue I've read tons about, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone put forth better reasoning for not buying from Nike and the like. You don't come off as holier-than-thou or as a raving lunatic (which *both* sides sound like sometimes when they get emotional).

I think the Nike-Apple partnership is a bad move for Apple's die-hard faithful customers; since many of them are pretty liberal they will either be less faithful (and stop "evangelizing") or stop buying Apple products altogether.

However, I think a number of the Mac faithful and most of Apple's newer customers are not aware about and/or don't care enough about such issues for it to change their buying habits. Unless a massive boycott movement started (highly unlikely with uncertain results), this fortunately or unfortunately will not likely be an issue except on boards like this.

Economically, this partnership will almost certainly be a good move for Apple. It's understandable that they would create such a partnership. That doesn't mean everyone has to like it, though. Since I doubt I could put things more eloquently than Makosuke did in his post, I'll just leave my comments at that.

 

[MacMyDay]

To me, this is the most conclusive proof yet that there will be in fact be PowerBook G5's next Tuesday.

 

[vsack]

I wonder if the range will expand to things like cycle computers / rowing machines / HR monitors all syncing with your iPod so you can store you workout info. Not being a runner a pedometer is no biggie but a cycle computer that synced with my Mac to record workouts would be cool.

And to take it a step(sic) further what if you had say a rowing machine at home in front of your Mac and your iPod syncing from rower to Mac, you could have rowing races with other MR users!

....and I'd like to see the ipod/nike concept do more: Ipod connected to cadence, miles & speed for bicycling, altimeter for backcountry skiing & GPS for those hikes in Canyonlands NP, heart rate monitor & all data to sync to my mac (Polar's HRMs still don't seem to connect to macs).

Perhaps this will motivate some kids and adults to put down the nofriendo and actually get outside. . . but I'm way off base now...

 

[Phobophobia]

If only some of you people could listen to yourself.

 

[imaswitcheryeah]

Can anyone find this page on the iTMS?

I do believe that the page will be available in iTunes 6.0.5 when it comes out, or Apple has not added the link anywhere in the current store since the new products are not out yet.

I for one am very excited about this. I've just started getting into running and the community aspect on the nikeplus.com website is going to be quite the motivator. I also was about to buy new gear and the $100 shoes are nice (and simply designed, I don't like all that crazy shock stuff anyway) and a much lower price than i expected, even if you say the total purchase is $130 for the shoes and the sensor kit. Maybe they will have contests on the site to win cool prizes at some point?? Amazing..

 

[Sean Gadoury]

What happened to the good old days, when people would just run for no reason, a la Forrest Gump?

DID YOU HEAR THAT NIKE'S PRODUCTS ARE MANUFACTURED IN SWEATSHOPS?!

 

[AdeFowler]

Can't believe I'm on MacRumors reading about people's shoe buying habits

Anyway, politics aside, I think this is a marketing masterstroke.

 

[Leesure]

Brilliant!

Would I rather it be Asics or Saucony or anyone but Nike? Sure, but it starts there. If it takes off, and it will, then other shoe makers will start incorporating the little well in the sole and you'll be able to choose.

As a distance runner and triathlete, this is a great tool and adding the playlists with coaching to iTMS is brilliant. If it only incorporated a HR monitor, it'd be perfect.

Despite what's been said by a few here (all marathon runners for sure ) Nike does make some very good shoes...I may have to try a pair.

 

[slffl]

Great product. I hope you can listen to music while you get the audible cues.

As far as working with faceless corporations, goodbye Apple, looks like you're becoming the next Wal-Mart or Dell.

As soon as Jobs is gone, the board will drive Apple into the ground.

 

[Felldownthewell]

Product-wise, it sounds like a decent deal. It's not that expensive, and it sounds like a way for health nuts to monitor their workout. I did notice that the battery in the little shoe transmitter isn't replaceable, though--that's kind of stupid, even if perhaps necessitated by sealing issues.

As for Nike as a company, here's why I don't like them: They are a marketing company, plain and simple. They "make" nothing--their shoe production is subcontracted to low-cost Asian manufacturers, and I don't even know if they do product design. They make massive markups on their products (probably 80-90%, yet why don't they net more money? Because the bulk of the profit made on each pair of shoes or piece of branded gear goes into advertising--commercials, sponsorship, branding, celebrity endorsement deals. Nike people have been quoted as saying as much during the 90s.

That is, you pay $90 for a pair of not-so-good Nike shoes that cost maybe $10 to make for one reason, and one reason only--most of the rest of your $90 goes to advertising so that people who look no farther than what Michael Jordan tells them is cool will think Nike is cool.

Personally, if I'm going to buy shoddy shoes produced by underpaid and poorly treated workers, I'm at least going to get the economic benefit of it and buy a no-name brand for $20 or $30, instead of giving $70 of my hard-earned money to pay rich sports stars and buy ad time just so my shoes have a Swosh that says "corporate America has paid to make you think I'm cool".

If you want to get into the raw economics of it, there's also something to be said about production in the country of sale, since it leads to reinvestment in the economy and, on the grand scale, better wages and conditions for all in that country.

Personally, though, I wear Red Wings, which as far as I know are made in the US. At the very least, they're built to last, and the soles are replaceable--it's nice to be able to re-sole a pair of shoes instead of chucking a perfectly good, broken-in leather upper just because you wore out the sole.

The product sounds good. It makes sense. It may never catch on but I like it.

Now:

My dad works for Nike and I am at the World Campus all the time. I also have interned, so I will adress your concerns as someone with more than just an opinion. First of all, nike DOES design their own products. All of them. The biggest building on campus- Mia Hamm houses a huge top-secret design facility.

Secondly, Nike makes the shoes for $20. They are then sold by a re-seller (footlocker, for example) for $40. Footlocker then sells them for $80. That is how you get the crazy prices. Nike is not a retailer, they make the shoes then sell the shoes to the retailer.

Nike also has some of the strictest regulations for their factories. First of all, Nike does not own the factories. They are owned by other companies; Nike just rents them or subcontracts them to make product. This means that Nike has no immediate control over the factories and their practices. However, when it is found out that a factory has unagreeable practices, that factory looses its Nike contract, which is a major blow to the subcontractor. this means that the better they treat their workers the more likely they are to keep their contract, which leads to better worker conditions.

Next is your adversity to brands selling themselves as brands. Which you are writing about on an Apple computer. Hmm. Oh. And aren't Apple products made in China?

 

[gelbin]

all is well in sweatshops.

As for "sweatshops", anyone with minimal background on economics knows that they are a natural consequence of open international trade, and a result of usually lower productivity levels in lower wage countries...this gets balanced over time as interactions and market demands become more intensive among countries...that's why, in many poorer developing countries, salaries have gone up pretty fast.

And low wages are better than NO wages, by the way...as long as international labor standards are enforced, I am perfectly fine with that.

As for "sweatshops", anyone with minimal background on economics knows that they are a natural consequence of open international trade, and a result of usually lower productivity levels in lower wage countries...this gets balanced over time as interactions and market demands become more intensive among countries...that's why, in many poorer developing countries, salaries have gone up pretty fast.

And low wages are better than NO wages, by the way...as long as international labor standards are enforced, I am perfectly fine with that.[/QUOTE]
anyone with a minimal background in nike would know that it is not that simple, mr BR. Nike and other major companies have forced the indigenous people out of their previously sustaining existence. Most of them were farmers or the like in agricultural based societies. then NIKE or some other imperialist company comes in and in some backdoor dealings with local government forces the people from their land and current way of life, giving them no option of sustaining themselves, and leaving them with a horrible position in a nike contracted factory floor. On these floors, they are beaten, raped, humiliated, and taken out and killed when they try to organize.

Organizing labor is a human right. not in a sweatshop it is not. There is nothing "free" about a sweatshop. and there is nothing fair about subsidized american agricultural products going overseas complete with pesticides and growth hormone at the expense of local agriculture that does not use monsanto's gmo corn/soybeans, pesticides, or growth hormone in their milk. when you have successfully devalued their agriculture, and taken their land, you are right, their only choice is to slave for you in a factory. thanks, nike, and all your kin. and thanks BR for promoting this ignorance further than those who continue to profit from it.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

Despite what's been said by a few here (all marathon runners for sure ) Nike does make some very good shoes...I may have to try a pair.

igary actually has run tons of marathons...

i'm sure nike's shoes are improving, just as they're wedging themselves into other markets previously dominated by other brands (golf, soccer, etc), but i do find some humor in the fact that you joke about people who have criticized nike shoes as not being marathon runners, then go on to say that you may have to TRY a pair... hah


i'm still excited about the sync/analyze stuff. no plans to buy nike shoes anytime soon though.

 

[chukronos]

Talk about a niche segment.

Not really. The health and wellness industry is looking to increase from around 240 billion a year to about 3 trillion annually over the next 10 years. This type of product is the future. People are becoming obsessed with products that are associated with health. Polar HR is making a killing in devices similar to this. My Polar watch downloads my workout info to my computer. Now, Nike and apple are positioning themselves to make major profits from the next big business sector.
-Chuck

(Polar's HRMs still don't seem to connect to macs).

This aspect of polar HR monitors ticks me off! I have to download my stats to a PC. I called Polar 2 years ago and they said they may have something out soon for macs. Today, still nothing, that I know of. I wish someone with programming kowledge would get it done for a mac.
-Chuck

 

[gelbin]

subcontracts.

Nike also has some of the strictest regulations for their factories. First of all, Nike does not own the factories. They are owned by other companies; Nike just rents them or subcontracts them to make product. This means that Nike has no immediate control over the factories and their practices. However, when it is found out that a factory has unagreeable practices, that factory looses its Nike contract, which is a major blow to the subcontractor. this means that the better they treat their workers the more likely they are to keep their contract, which leads to better worker conditions.

Companies like NIKE use subcontractors so that they can limit their liability and not be personally responsible for the reprehensible behavior in their factories. They either know what is going on or they turn a willfully blind eye to the practices that make their shoes cheaply, and efficiently, on the backs of beaten and abused workers. Why don't you have dad take you over to indonesia to see the work camps for yourself? It will be nothing like "world headquarters" where you accompany dad on bring your child to work day. Facts are facts, i would pay my way to visit these factories if your dad would take me to some of his sweatcamps for a tour.

 

[jbembe]

I would love to see a similar device that would monitor bicycling perhaps through an already made bike computer that would sync with the iPod and some kind of statistic analysis software to track distances, speeds, etc. That would be awesome!!!!!

 

[50548]

yeah, and physical abuse along the lines of rape and murder are also an economic issue, right? thought so.


nike's running shoes aren't highly regarded, but perhaps something like this will be translated to other things as well. overall i think it's not a bad thing, but doesn't do much for me either.

Huh? Rape and murder? What does that have to do with the current thread? Now you're gonna blame companies for what people suffer on the streets too?

p.s.: by the way, I DON'T buy Nike, and I probably WON'T in the near future as well...they are CRAPPY shoes, don't last more than 6 months and are extremely overpriced, especially in other countries. Salomon has BY FAR the best shoes, rugged, durable and made to last at least 3 years, as the ones I currently have...

 

[Menhir]

Sensor battery not replaceable??

Did someone notice the tech specs sheet on this page .. http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/run.html .. ? It says at the bottom that the sensor's battery is not replaceable! So does it come with a charger? Do you have to buy replacement sensors when the battery runs out?

I understand that the sensor has to be as light and compact as possible, but it would really suck if you have to buy replacement sensors when you run out of charge (no pun intended!)

Edit: Sorry about the duplicate post. Didn't see that MainStreetMark had already posted about this.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

Huh? Rape and murder? What does that have to do with the current thread? Now you're gonna blame companies for what people suffer on the streets too?

no, it's the crimes that take place in their factories. and whether they rent them or own them, they are responsible. not usually by law, but we're not just talking about abiding by laws here.

this should be taken to the political forum.

 

[Leesure]

i do find some humor in the fact that you joke about people who have criticized nike shoes as not being marathon runners, then go on to say that you may have to TRY a pair... hah

Not sure what's funny here. I'd be interested in TRYing a pairsince I currently run in Asics...not Nike. Before that I was running in Brooks. I have quite a few training partners who run in and enjoy their Nike's.

Good for iGary, but I'm guessing that the majority of the people complaining about the quality of Nike sneaks are not distance runners.

FWIW and not that I think you'll care, but I've finished 3 marathons...one as part of an Ironman...and am training for another IM in June and wish I had this cool tool for my nano right now.

 

[Aeolius]

I loathe Nike and will never purchase any product bearing their logo. It all started with this ad they ran in 2000

 

[Felldownthewell]

Companies like NIKE use subcontractors so that they can limit their liability and not be personally responsible for the reprehensible behavior in their factories. They either know what is going on or they turn a willfully blind eye to the practices that make their shoes cheaply, and efficiently, on the backs of beaten and abused workers. Why don't you have dad take you over to indonesia to see the work camps for yourself? It will be nothing like "world headquarters" where you accompany dad on bring your child to work day. Facts are facts, i would pay my way to visit these factories if your dad would take me to some of his sweatcamps for a tour.

Interestingly enough, I HAVE seen factories in China (The eastern coast). Granted they probably cleaned up for us when we came through, so I don't pretend I have ever seen a Chinese factory when they didn't know I was there. However Chinese factories are the not the hell holes they are cooked up to be. Yes, they are factories. Working in factories is hard work. I am not trying to present some USSR-esque picture of the smiling factory worker. These people are poor and they will die with bent backs, bad eyes, and leather-tough hands. That is life.

This does not mean that the workers are abused in any way. Granted, they may be, but it is not condoned by Nike. Nike does not own factories because it is expensive, and if they bought factories in China (where the supply of cheap labor is) they would be accused of trying to put local factory owners out of business. Face it, when you are a fortune 500 company you can do nothing without being blamed for something.

What Nike DOES own are various warehouses around the world, which have workers who are NOT abused or anything like that. I know this because I have met several of them and talked to them outside the factory setting.

If the workers are abused or beaten, they would quit. There are over 1 billion people in China and a nearly endless supply of people coming in from the countryside looking for factory jobs. It is cheaper to fire the uppity worker and get a new one then to beat someone and loose valuble production time. China is a developing country. Workers make more in a week at the factory than they would all year on a rural farm. The right to organize, the 8 hour day, and the ban on child labor will come with the rise of the middle class, just as it happened here in the US and all over the developed world. In the mean time, they have to develop on their own; our intervention in their development is not our place. We are not the moral police of the world.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

We are not the moral police of the world.

does that mean that our companies need to be the moral rapists of the world?

 

[Ugg]

I wonder if the range will expand to things like cycle computers / rowing machines / HR monitors all syncing with your iPod so you can store you workout info. Not being a runner a pedometer is no biggie but a cycle computer that synced with my Mac to record workouts would be cool.

Yeah, I'd be all for that and I can't help but wonder if it might happen given that The Spear was at the Apple/Nike promo. I'd also like a decent way to attach my iPod to my handlebars. I usually put it in the middle back pocket of my jersey but it's sort of awkward when changing the volume. This way, I could keep track of my daily ride statistics on my Mac instead of writing it down after each ride. Of course, I never do it anyway but...

 

[jelloshotsrule]

Not sure what's funny here. I'd be interested in TRYing a pairsince I currently run in Asics...not Nike. Before that I was running in Brooks. I have quite a few training partners who run in and enjoy their Nike's.

Good for iGary, but I'm guessing that the majority of the people complaining about the quality of Nike sneaks are not distance runners.

FWIW and not that I think you'll care, but I've finished 3 marathons...one as part of an Ironman...and am training for another IM in June and wish I had this cool tool for my nano right now.

i just found it interesting that you were defending products (nike shoes) that you said you wanted to try... clearly some like them, some don't.

a lot of the people who like nike sneaks aren't distance runners too, it doesn't prove anything really. a lot of distance runners use new balance, asics, brooks, saucony, etc... those are brands that (generally) are running oriented, vs. nike's widespread footwear. obviously nike has the resources to throw in all the various areas of footwear, but they haven't totally taken it over yet.

hah. forget it, i don't really disagree with you, just found your initial post ironic. overall, i like the idea and the product too, just prefer not to buy nike for various reasons.