Nike and Apple today announced a partnership bringing the worlds of sports and music together like never before with the launch of innovative Nike+iPod products. The first product developed through this partnership is the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a wireless system that allows Nike+ footwear to talk with your iPod nano to connect you to the ultimate personal running and workout experience.
Nike CEO Mark Parker and Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled Nike+iPod at an event in New York attended by seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe.
“Nike+iPod is a partnership between two iconic, global brands with a shared passion for creating meaningful consumer product experiences through design and innovation,” Parker said in the press release. “This is the first result, and Nike+iPod will change the way people run. Nike+iPod creates a better running experience. We see many more such Nike+ innovations in the future.”
“We’re working with Nike to take music and sport to a new level,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, in the press release. “The result is like having a personal coach or training partner motivating you every step of your workout.”
The new Nike+ Air Zoom Moire is the first footwear designed to talk to iPod. Nike plans to make many of its leading footwear styles Nike+ ready, connecting millions of consumers to the Nike+iPod experience. With the Nike+ footwear connected to iPod nano through the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, information on time, distance, calories burned and pace is stored on iPod and displayed on the screen; real-time audible feedback also is provided through headphones. The kit includes an in-shoe sensor and a receiver that attaches to iPod. A new Nike Sport Music section on the iTunes Music Store and a new nikeplus.com personal service site help maximize the Nike+iPod experience: http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/
Armstrong, who is preparing for his first NY Marathon, said, “If you can incorporate time, distance and calories burned together and make it function for both the fitness runner and the high level athlete, it will take working out to a whole other level.”
“I definitely use music both ways,” Radcliffe said. “I listen to faster music if I am doing a workout in the gym to just get the best out of myself, but I also use it to help me relax in the buildup to a big race.”
Specially designed Nike apparel, including jackets, tops, shorts and an iPod nano armband, bring together the Nike+iPod experience with waterproof pockets that accommodate iPod nano and are designed to make it easy to operate while staying tuned to your music during an active workout.
Lance Armstrong on Nike+iPod video:
Direct link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrcDyxpDY9s
How Nike+iPod works video:
Direct link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVDEXzxZWQw
The Nike+iPod Sport Kit is expected to be available within 60 days for a suggested retail price of US$29 through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores, Apple Authorized Resellers as well as Nike.com, Niketown, NikeWomen stores and select retail stores in the US.
The Nike+iPod Sport Kit requires a Nike+ shoe and an iPod nano with a Mac with a USB 2.0 ports and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 6.0.5; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000, XP Home or Professional (SP2) and iTunes 6.0.5.
More info about Nike+iPod: http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/
MacDailyNews Take: Don’t forget your iPod socks!
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Related articles:
Analyst: Nike+Apple = iPod as a platform – May 23, 2006
Apple and Nike shares rise folowing Nike+iPod announcement – May 23, 2006
Yeah, I knew you wouldn’t get it.
Are you done?
You could have powered your iPod for a few hours with all of this
This is brilliant. The more aspects of life that Apple can hook into with the iPod and/or Macintosh, the better. I am hoping for the iPod to become the portable/not portable interface to just about anything. This locks in the market for the iPod. Who would buy an alternative product which does not support these tie ins? I want an iPod GPS front end for both the automobile and for walking/hiking/shopping. And why not use Apple’s technology for home appliances? Adobe is talking about doing it with shockwave — hint to Apple: buy Adobe.
Rob Glaser must be downing Krispy Kremes to ease the pain of seeing all this business going to Apple. Maybe I should by some Krispy Kreme stock too.
Oscar/AG PenneyPacker…
why are you posing as oscar, then commenting back to yourself as another person? Check your email link… you left the same return email addy on all three posts…
MDN… same.. as in oscar and AG are the same person talking to each other
LinuxGuy
I agree. iPod is sustaining, for the moment, ubiquity and should find as many ways to incorporate it into the lifestyle aspects of our lives.
With the success, the participating parties, such as Nike in this case, have much to benefit.
I thought The Steveness wore New Balance, aren’t they a much ‘nicer’ company than nike?
Your perseption of the obvious is astute! I don’t know how you ever uncovered my secret.
Let me know when you’ve achieved closure so we can can all move along . . . .
further proof that the world is running out of ideas.
Have you ever thought about this ? If your nose runs and your feet smell – are probably upsides down ?
wow… so you’re an imbecile and a jerk too? your parents must be so proud.
sorry to get inbetween you and your meds…. have a nice trip.
Oscar:
You made the same mistake that I did. Friendly advice – don’t make this Hammer guy mad, he will flame you and call you names, because he is obviously superior to you and I. He doesn’t call himself Hammer for nothing.
This must be the patent filing for the talking shoe is published. will the ‘innovation’ ever stop?? LOL
I’m stupid. You’re smart. I was wrong. You were right. You’re the best. I’m the wrost. You’re very good-looking. I’m not very attractive
“I’m stupid. You’re smart. I was wrong. You were right. You’re the best. I’m the wrost. You’re very good-looking. I’m not very attractive”
OMG ROFLMAO
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No, thanks. I’ll wait for the John Deere+iPod.
I’m going over to anythingbutipod.com and post on every one of their glowing Creative and iRiver reviews: “Yeah, but can it talk to your shoes?”
Is there a link showing the introduction?
Amongst all this talk of politics and slave labor, am I the only one who notices that it requires iTunes 6.0.5? I guess there’s an update coming real soon.
I’m not scared of a Nancy like “Hammer Time.”
See, he cares what other people think, that’s why his “spidey tighties” are all in a bunch.
I don’t care what people think. I’ve got my own drum beat.
“Hammer Time” can be a Tree-Hugging Hippie all he wants – I don’t care. I just enjoy busting his balls over it. I respect people have the privilige to say and do what they want – that’s America. I revel in my right to tease, tease, tease, and annoy. I also love spelling things rong to pisse peple offe.
I’m just in one of those moods – “Captain Encite-O”
See am not condoning any neglect or abuse of workers, this is just not the time place or forum to discuss it, even though we can do what we want whenever we want. There are poor and unfavorable circumstances occuring every second of the day. We should all be doing something about it each and every day – that would make a difference! But I refuse to walk around with a load of rocks on my shoulders holding my head down like these Gloom-Mongers would have me
So. . . . . deal with it
Yeah i noticed the need for an update too.
I also noticed some fine print about the battery in the device wearing out. Does not mention anything about replacing the battery or the device – Hope it’s the former.
In the John Deere model it keeps track of calories you could have burned using a walking mower, fertilzer needed and which variety (16-16-16) and area mowed.
Thanks, rasterbator! That’s part of what I do.
Technical Writer, Copy Writer, Graphic Artist, Webmaster, Animator, Video Editor, Proofreader, etc.
I’m sure that any number of parts of every Apple computer and iPod come from overseas and are built in factories that may not follow the best human rights or environmental policies. It would be very difficult to build a computer that did not use these parts. The key note in my original remark is “PUBLIC”. Apple is doing this as a publicity stunt to sell more iPods. There’s very little groundbreaking technology at work here. Nike is doing it as a publicity stunt to sell more shoes. Neither of these companies are hurting in their market share (iPods and shoes) so except for pure greed, I don’t see a reason for Apple to try to build publicity by partnering with Nike. Nike is a greedy abusive corporation and they want a piece of the iPod pie. I can understand that. If Apple wants to build a remote pedometer that connects to the iPod, that’s fine, but why partner with Nike? There are a LOT of other shoe companies out there that would give their left shoelace to work with Apple on this. Probably many that do not embody the sweatshop mentality.
Oh, and about the tree-hugging hippie crap… Corporations spend billions to cover up their evil deeds. Don’t get mad because some of them become public knowledge despite. They’ll only stop their evil deeds if people stop buying their products because of them. People will only know about it through the diligent research of a few people who care. Thank GOD for the Internet! Knowledge is power!
Who is disagreeing with you?
Nike’s make my feet hurt, I prefer Vans
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