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Nike CEO 'Excited' About Future of Fitness Partnership with Apple

Is it only me that has never liked Nike either?

Nike seems the epitome of the very worst aspect of Apple in recent years.
Branding and looks THE most important aspect.

Take a five dollar T-Shirt Stamp a Nike logo on it, wow, a twenty dollar T-Shirt

Do we really want any more of this type of thing coming to Apple?
 
Alumeenium said:
who cares, I'm still not buying a iSquat iWatch

stupidest product line ever.

these will be pointless once we have embedded chips under our skin
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Yeah, I mean who would want to the option to take off a device the government could track?

/sarcasm
 
I am not at all interested in an Apple "Fuelband" any more than I am in one from Nike. I hope we can expect something WAY better. Besides, how is Nike a software company any more than it is a hardware company?
 
gugy said:
It's great that both Nike and Apple are working together. I hope the new device is waterproof. I am a avid swimmer and I would love to have it when in the pool.
Also all the water sports will benefit of such device.
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Thats my question also. I want to buy a new sport watch and I now looking for the Suunto Ambit 2 or Polar V800 because of there ability to use for triatlon.
But din't here any leaks or rumors that de "iWatch" wil be waterproof for several dozen meters.
 
whatever this thing is, i can't wait and will gladly spend a bill or two to own the first gen.
 
Piggie said:
Take a five dollar T-Shirt Stamp a Nike logo on it, wow, a twenty dollar T-Shirt

Do we really want any more of this type of thing coming to Apple?
Click to expand...

As a jogger, I agree, Nike running shoes are garbage, but their dri-fit shirts are awesome, worlds better than most other companies wicking shirts -- the lone exception, of course, Under Armour. Also, yes, their MSRP is overpriced, but sales are a plenty so no need to pay full sticker ever. Nike makes some great tennis shorts too (which I use for running b/c they have back pockets big enough for an iPhone).

As for wanting co-branded Nike/Apple gear, it's really nothing new. The Nike+ iPod sport kit has been out for years and it was incorporated into the nano a few years ago. Nike+ telemetry always piqued my interest, but I can't wear Nike shoes so deal killer. But the FuelBand changed that as I will wear a bracelet. So bottom line, the co-branding doesn't bother me as long as its a solid product and not just crass marketing.
 
imaginex20 said:
Explains why the Fuelband SE was such a lackluster update
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There were pretty vague about what the updates accomplished, I thought, after the SE came out.

The one big problem I had with the two 1st gen bands I had/have is that the screws holding the larger of the size spacer and the latching end of the band always loosened up. I was able to catch them before they completely fell apart and was able to 'fix' them with a spot of Loctite, but I wonder how many people had that happen to them and then either returned the band, or chucked it...

Other than that, I've liked the Nike+ system because it works across the various activities that I do for exercise/recreation.

If the Nike+ system bombs, I'll probably switch to a total Garmin system because it works better with biking than the Nike+ system, and all I've heard is carping about the other systems on the market. Short life spans/low quality, bad batteries, awkward interfaces, proprietary attachments, kludgy software, etc...

But, from a PR standpoint, this is a rather odd issue for Nike. How to not build partnerships: ditch your own product that isn't fully disclosed, and try to get other people to carry it for you. There *were* a few treadmills and steppers/ellipticals that incorporated the Nike+ system in them.


As an aside, I wonder how much their association with Armstrong played into their issues of late...
 
Chupa Chupa said:
As a jogger, I agree, Nike running shoes are garbage, but their dri-fit shirts are awesome, worlds better than most other companies wicking shirts -- the lone exception, of course, Under Armour. Also, yes, their MSRP is overpriced, but sales are a plenty so no need to pay full sticker ever. Nike makes some great tennis shorts too (which I use for running b/c they have back pockets big enough for an iPhone).

As for wanting co-branded Nike/Apple gear, it's really nothing new. The Nike+ iPod sport kit has been out for years and it was incorporated into the nano a few years ago. Nike+ telemetry always piqued my interest, but I can't wear Nike shoes so deal killer. But the FuelBand changed that as I will wear a bracelet. So bottom line, the co-branding doesn't bother me as long as its a solid product and not just crass marketing.
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Tangent: Not all of Nike's shoes are garbage. I have a pair of Bowerman Series shoes that have been the best shoes I've nearly ever had. I have had them for I can't remember how many years. I have swapped the liner in them as my feet have evolved over the years, and they got me back to running after neuroma surgery to remove the biggest one the podiatrist had ever seen.

I since switched to Brooks, but use a shoe pod adapter...

Many of their shirts are completely fantastic, although I have been getting the Under Armour superhero series... :D It does make me run faster... :)

Nike+ is in almost all of the latest versions of Apple products. I think the iPod Classic is the only one missing it because it doesn't have Bluetooth. You usually have to turn it on in settings to get it to work.
 
powers74 said:
These rumors just don't add up. Apple isn't going to just let someone else handle the software for their "smart watch". Maybe Nike is just going to start building tech into their clothes or something, I don't know. But Apple is going to have and integrated hardware/software solution. I would be shocked to learn otherwise. Unless it's an Office for Mac setup where there's a dedicated iWatch team bunkered up there in Portland or wherever Nike is, my guess is Nike will continue maintaining software for their existing FuelBand Wearers. Apple is pretty zany about who they compete with, and maybe they just came to Nike and were like, look, we're getting into smart band biz... maybe you should think about getting out.

Of course, I'm never right about this stuff.
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I think Nike software will be an App that comes pre-installed or at least is prominent in the iTunes. Like with the iPod Nano, Nike+ comes pre-installed as the fitness App. It is a pretty close partnership.

I doubt Nike will support their Fuel Band wearers past the end of this year. That doesn't mean the Fuel Band won't work. But there won't be new software or updates in 2015. And I say good riddance. The whole "fuel" concept was silly. We have a universal concept called the "calorie". The band should have just tracked that instead of some made up number that was supposed to be more fun or something.
 
Funny because I've used both original Fuelband and Fuelband SE and both had HORRIFIC software. I stopped using and sold them or scuttled both of them due to software annoyances and inaccuracies. I would hope Apple is not going to just port it over, what a nightmare.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
As a jogger, I agree, Nike running shoes are garbage, but their dri-fit shirts are awesome, worlds better than most other companies wicking shirts -- the lone exception, of course, Under Armour. Also, yes, their MSRP is overpriced, but sales are a plenty so no need to pay full sticker ever. Nike makes some great tennis shorts too (which I use for running b/c they have back pockets big enough for an iPhone).
Click to expand...

My favorite running shirts are Nike and and Armani Exchange - they both are awesome (yeah A\X I know... got some on sale and loved them.) Not a fan of their shoes for running either (more of an ASICs or Brooks fan). Nike makes great shorts too. I don't do the tennis shorts though, I prefer the Fundamental 2" Split Short.
 
xizdun said:
How come we haven't seen any iWatch-related (hardware or software) leaks yet?
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Because there is no iWatch. Or rather this is the iWatch – meaning the Fuel Band is what you should be looking for.

I think Apple still has a very tight secrecy on new products, like it did with the original iPhone.
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Nah, that's not the reason. Miniaturization does wonders, but only one wonder at a time. The technology simply isn't there yet, to make a useful computer in the size of a watch. That's why a smartwatch needs to remain a peripheral to a smartphone, without its own screen, processor, storage or apps.
 
powers74 said:
These rumors just don't add up. Apple isn't going to just let someone else handle the software for their "smart watch". Maybe Nike is just going to start building tech into their clothes or something, I don't know. But Apple is going to have and integrated hardware/software solution. I would be shocked to learn otherwise. Unless it's an Office for Mac setup where there's a dedicated iWatch team bunkered up there in Portland or wherever Nike is, my guess is Nike will continue maintaining software for their existing FuelBand Wearers. Apple is pretty zany about who they compete with, and maybe they just came to Nike and were like, look, we're getting into smart band biz... maybe you should think about getting out.

Of course, I'm never right about this stuff.
Click to expand...


Think the iOS Weather and Stocks apps which are powered by Yahoo or the pre-iOS6 Maps app before Google pissed Apple off.
 
NIKE knows the new Apple device will crush their sales so the bow out early instead of looking like losers later.
Now they are focusing on new iWatch apps. Smart move.
 
100 million...lofty goal.

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IJ Reilly said:
As a worldwide brand name associated with fitness they do have value as an Apple partner -- but I agree, both hardware and software do seem to be well outside of their core competencies. Maybe that's half of the message we are getting here. I also think "iBand" is a real possibility if in fact the FuelBand is being phased out.
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Yep, iBand and iWatch.

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Kirb112 said:
Think of the possibilities. I too thought it was stupid until i realized they could be looking to potentially replace the iPod nano line with the watch. Then it got my attention.

I'm not sold out on the idea, but I became more accepting once I got away from thinking of it as a phone-like device, and thought of it as more of a fitness tracker/iPod combination.
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I want one so I don't have to pull my phone out of my pocket 25 times a day to check alerts. That... and health monitoring.
 
I hope the iWatch does have a Fuelband app. I love both my Pebble and Fuelband but it's getting crowded on my wrist, if one device could do both jobs I'd be very happy.
 
Somehow the words fitness and idevices just don't jive. People are staring at their stupid phones all day. Hopefully the fitness programs include neck exercises and eye contact drills. Hilarious.
 
The Mercurian said:
Who is to say Apple didn't hire them the day after ?
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Yup that is exactly how the hiring process works in large corps. :rolleyes:

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Dagless said:
I hope the iWatch does have a Fuelband app. I love both my Pebble and Fuelband but it's getting crowded on my wrist, if one device could do both jobs I'd be very happy.
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I actually hope its a Fuelband, with a watch App, but done by apple.

A watch is still going to be a fail, they need something you will wear on the opposite wrist, while you still wearing a watch.

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Piggie said:
Is it only me that has never liked Nike either?

Nike seems the epitome of the very worst aspect of Apple in recent years.
Branding and looks THE most important aspect.

Take a five dollar T-Shirt Stamp a Nike logo on it, wow, a twenty dollar T-Shirt

Do we really want any more of this type of thing coming to Apple?
Click to expand...

You have just described the problem with Fashion companies in general.

Nike is nothing, look at Armani, Hugo etc, thier logos fetch a far bigger $$$$
 
I hope they don't focus on software because they are terrible at it. They have missed an amazing opportunity to develop a unified fitness platform. All of their devices' software feels like it is developed by entirely different teams that have no communication with each other. Just taking the Running app alone, most of the features are broken or only partly developed.
 
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