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Nike Fires Majority of FuelBand Team, Plans to Stop Making Wearables
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Fuel Points
Nike wouldn't know a proper unit if it bit them. Back when I tried the shoe insert + iPod (old style) to track steps, the graphs on Nike's website had no axes and no units. Now they switched to "Fuel Points (TM)".
What the heck is a Fuel Point? Calories (big C) let you compare food intake to energy output. Glad I switched away from Nike a few years ago - they have just gone downhill after so much promise.
Nike wouldn't know a proper unit if it bit them. Back when I tried the shoe insert + iPod (old style) to track steps, the graphs on Nike's website had no axes and no units. Now they switched to "Fuel Points (TM)".
What the heck is a Fuel Point? Calories (big C) let you compare food intake to energy output. Glad I switched away from Nike a few years ago - they have just gone downhill after so much promise.
Hopefully all the people laid off are able to get a job somewhere else if not Apple. While I am excited about Apple doing a wearable, I hate people may have lost their jobs due to them jumping in this arena...
"...a strategic shift that would still benefit the company in the long run, analysts said."
I see what they did there...
But yes this is definitely some peculiar timing and my exact thoughts when I read it were directly related to "iWatch".
I see what they did there...
But yes this is definitely some peculiar timing and my exact thoughts when I read it were directly related to "iWatch".
Some sort of collab with Nike is coming for iWatch, whether it's just some software application or more remains to be seen. Which I don't mind, Nike is one of the few companies with Mercedes Benz that seem to always nail it with their products, design and marketing like Apple does.
I totally agree. The rise of the numerous Fuelband competitors would not have happened at the same scale if they supported Android as well. Fuelband would likely have been even bigger on iOS today if there were fewer competitors that support both Android and iOS.
Nike = will do the wearable sports/fitness/activity software
Apple = takes care of the hardware
It's very analogous to the old Wintel duopoly. Microsoft handled the software part, and Intel handled the hardware. It's a proven strategy.
Fired or transferred to Apple?
Along with some of the patents/IP as well?
Nice way for Nike to recoup some money. And anyway, they know Apple's about to own the wearables market.
The headline of this article should really be changed to "Nike Lays Off Majority of FuelBand Team, Plans to Stop Making Wearables".
There is a difference between being fired and being laid off. A layoff is when your position is eliminated, which is clearly the case here.
There is a difference between being fired and being laid off. A layoff is when your position is eliminated, which is clearly the case here.
Well that is a shame. Really love my Fuelband since I got the original early last year and wear it every day.
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The Fuelband does support calories burned, and steps taken. The goal metre is Fuel but nothing is stopping you from disabling goals and checking the calories section instead.
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The Fuelband does support calories burned, and steps taken. The goal metre is Fuel but nothing is stopping you from disabling goals and checking the calories section instead.
ImperialForces
macrumors regular
This is why I'm going into medicine. You make a great product, and the corporation says, "Thank you. You're fired.".
Didn't know that. Marketing fail?
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It's no different. You bust your gut doing the right thing for the patient and they still come after you.
They probably realized they could not compete in the tech industry. Specially when Tim Cook might have given them a vague glimpse what Apple has up their sleeves with iWatch.
Its sad for the employees, because the fuelband is not that bad. But it is better to stick to your guns and focus on what you do best. Plus I think the engineers wont have any trouble finding new work since Wearables are probably the next big thing.
Its sad for the employees, because the fuelband is not that bad. But it is better to stick to your guns and focus on what you do best. Plus I think the engineers wont have any trouble finding new work since Wearables are probably the next big thing.
Subjective, but I tried the fuel band and it got returned to my local store within a week - the small I had (which even then was still mildly too big!) kept a charge for a day. Whilst I may have had duff hardware, the app failed to appeal to me compared to the likes of jawbone's Up (that got returned after about six months, loosening button) and fitbit (one, still going strong now).
I'm still in the market for a wrist bound tracker than I can see calls and texts notifications on, not much else (my wrist is too tiny to sport a pebble). The fitbit force seemed just about right to me until it got pulled before ever getting to the UK...
I'm sure Apple would sell a boatload of tweaked fuel bands, but the bangle idea is not one for me.
Certainly a strong pointer for the upcoming conference...
I'm still in the market for a wrist bound tracker than I can see calls and texts notifications on, not much else (my wrist is too tiny to sport a pebble). The fitbit force seemed just about right to me until it got pulled before ever getting to the UK...
I'm sure Apple would sell a boatload of tweaked fuel bands, but the bangle idea is not one for me.
Certainly a strong pointer for the upcoming conference...
It's not that the MP3 market or Smartphone Market failed, they were just niche markets. The genius of Apple is that they knew how to perfect the device and user experience. Simplify it so anybody at all could use it, and then market it towards the masses.
Wearables are not a failing market. Sales on these devices have doubled from 2 years ago to last year, and is in steady growth. They are still Niche. If Apple does it the right way, and they simplify it, give it the right features and look, create the products that will appeal to many that think, hey I NEED something like that, they will have done it again.
I personally like my SE, it gets me off my ass a little more than I used to, and I tend to park a little further a way than closer to where I'm going so I could win some hours and achieve my goals, they created the right product for my liking the way Palm Treo did for me, and my old Compaq Ipaq sd card MP3 player used to do for me. They appealed to ME, but anyone I showed them off too felt they were too complex.
This to me is how we find out the innovation of an Apple without Steve Jobs. If they do this next product right, the Apple is doomed naysayers go away for another couple years and we have some be really cool toys to play with.
Bravo to the reporter who used the word "fired'. I'm tired of people softening it up with words like laid off or right sized or smart sized.
Yup! You can't set calorie or step goals, though. So most of the app will be unusable. I find that I just set my goal to something ridiculously low. I'm not after the goal, since my week is sedentary during the week (around 1k points a day) and crazy busy at weekends (10k a day). That way you can see the graph and just pretend that fuel=calories so you can compare days visually.
The app is really nifty. Being able to go up against friends with these devices has got me going out for walks+hikes more frequently. I think the Fuelband takes it as far as Nike can go, next up I'd like to see stronger iOS connectivity with a new device from Apple.
Interesting that Nike, a company steeped in athletics, doesn't think they can cut it, but a bunch of small startups all have promising potential solutions.
Actually more like a shame that Nike doesn't understand that the internet of things will extend to clothing and sneakers and everything else.
Actually more like a shame that Nike doesn't understand that the internet of things will extend to clothing and sneakers and everything else.
If anything Apple needs the Nike branding to help solidify the iWatch as a sports /health tool and not just a new fangled nerd watch that consumers are confused about why they would want one.
If you don't understand Fuel Points I don't see how you are in a position to critique it? But at any rate it's just a metric like a Smoot or WHIP. It's useful to the person or group using it.
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Nike gets it. It's why they started the digital line in the first place. It's making a strategic decision to join Apple; not compete directly with it. Apple and Nike have partnered for years. Nike isn't retreating. The small start ups will be on life support a year after the iWatch ships if the iWatch is truly open with its own SDK.