“Apple has teamed with fitness giant Nike, and the resulting product has become as vital a part of my training regimen as the sweats and sneakers,” Matt Vella writes for BusinessWeek.
Vella writes, “The Nike + iPod Sport Kit is a combination of gadgets that transform the nano into a reasonably sophisticated, running-oriented workout machine. A miniature transmitter fits into Nike Plus running shoes and beams data to a stamp-sized receiver attached to the dock connector on the bottom of the iPod. The pair let you track and store distance, pace, and calorie data from your workouts.”
Vella writes, “You can then sync the information in iTunes when you dock your iPod. From within Apple’s free jukebox software, you can see a handy summary of your latest workout. A link takes you to NikePlus.com where all the data is transformed into a glitzy set of animated graphs and charts that you can use on your own and share with friends. The site helps you set goals, such as sustaining a particular pace or reaching a weekly mileage total.”
“As with most Apple products, the pleasure is in the details. On a distance run, a voice announces your progress, pace and remaining mileage, counting down to the last 400 meters every 100 meters. Reach a personal best and celebrity athletes like Lance Armstrong congratulate you. A little hokey? Perhaps. But I found the encouragements more than welcome,” Vella writes. “Nike guarantees 90% accuracy when measuring distance. But even right out of the box, my test unit was about 98% accurate on a four-mile loop in lower Manhattan in a quick comparison to the same route entered into Google Maps and tracked with a GPS-enabled Garmin watch.”
Vella writes, “In a matter of months, I wore out the Nikes and am now using the transmitter duct-taped to a pair of Saucony shoes. With 2007 resolutions at stake, you’re likely to find it well worth the investment.”
Full article here.
Lance Armstrong on Nike+iPod video:
How Nike+iPod works video:
More info about the Nike+iPod Sport Kit (US$29) here.
Related articles:
Nike+iPod Sport Kit runners log over 3 million miles in first 5 months – December 20, 2006
Nike debuts new Nike+iPod Sport Kit TV commercial (with video) – December 18, 2006
Spotted: unreleased ‘Nike Amp+’ wrist-mounted Bluetooth iPod remote (with image) – November 27, 2006
Nike+iPod Sport Kit runners log over 1 million miles in 10 weeks – September 20, 2006
Marware debuts Sportsuit Sensor+ for iPod nano: Nike+iPod wireless sensor holder for non-Nike shoes – September 18, 2006
Apple sells 450,000 of Dvorak’s ‘nutty’ Nike+iPod Sport Kits in under three months – September 13, 2006
Singer-songwriter John Mayer tests Nike+iPod Sport Kit onstage – September 02, 2006
Chicago Tribune: Nike+iPod Sport Kit puts fun back into burning calories, it’s a great system – August 01, 2006
Will the New Nike+iPod Sport Kit sell more iPod nanos and Nike shoes? – July 27, 2006
USA Today: Clever Nike+iPod Sport Kit makes running more fun – July 21, 2006
Time Magazine’s Gadget of the Week: Nike+iPod Sport Kit – July 20, 2006
PC Magazine review gives ‘Nike+iPod Sport Kit’ 4.5 out of 5 stars – July 18, 2006
Using Apple’s iPod Sport Kit with non-Nike shoes – July 17, 2006
Apple’s Nike+iPod Sport Kit officially released today (link to High-res photos) – July 13, 2006
Apple releases iTunes 6.0.5 with Nike+iPod Sport Kit sync features – June 29, 2006
Nike+iPod Sport Kit now available for order at Apple Store – June 13, 2006
Video: Dvorak admits to baiting Apple Mac users for hits – June 10, 2006
Dvorak thinks iPod+Nike Sport Kit is ‘nutty’ – May 24, 2006
The making of Apple iPod+Nike Sport Kit and there’s more to come – May 24, 2006
Nike+iPod Sport Kit sensor’s battery will outlast the shoes – May 24, 2006
Analyst: Nike+Apple = iPod as a platform – May 23, 2006
Apple and Nike shares rise folowing Nike+iPod announcement – May 23, 2006
Nike and Apple team up to launch Nike+iPod, footwear that talks to your iPod – May 23, 2006
What’s up with nike + lately (http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/) ? They’ve had messages come up on their site since 12/31 saying they are getting too much traffic and to check back later. Looks like they victims of their success.
Total bullshit. They’re not victims, I AM! Them bitches didn’t see this coming?
Never underestimate your database traffic. They get 15K new runs every 24hrs or so. I’ve been waiting for this to happen, ever since 24.12.06. Didn’t even take 10 days.
The big question here is “Will I fail my goals if I can’t transfer my runs?”.
These tyres would be so great and same goes for the rims. Too bad they don’t match…
Does this work w/ a regular iPod?
Does it work on an elliptical machine, or only running?
To JB:
Works fine with running and walking; and elliptical may not produce enough impact to the sensor to register properly.
There has been talk of a hack to allow it to work with a non-nano iPod forever, but nothing’s out as far as I know.
Being a runner for the last 30+ years I got the Nike+iTunes gadget for my Nano which I anyhow enjoyed running with. But my conclusion is that it’s a toy, but a nice toy. For serious runners there’s other alternatives that gives better accuracy. On my last Marathon it logged 50km!
To JB and Neven :
I tried the kit on an elleptical, no go!!! As Neven said, the steps on elliptic machine are too smooth for the Nike kit to register them… Same thing on an exercise bike : kit won’t work with those…
> I tried the kit on an elleptical, no go!!! As Neven said, the steps on elliptic machine are too smooth for the Nike kit to register them… Same thing on an exercise bike : kit won’t work with those…
You’ll just have to wait until the builders of such exercise machines get wise and add iPod connectivity. That should actually be much easier to implement than the iPod+Nike device, since most of those exercise machines already have measuring devices. The tricky part will be establishing the community of users on the ‘net, which is the true success behind the Apple/Nike collaboration.
> As Neven said, the steps on elliptic machine are too smooth for the Nike kit to register them… Same thing on an exercise bike : kit won’t work with those…
Yeah, the Sport Kit Sensor works based on sensing shock. I have a quick writeup on my blog on how the sensor works.
You can also find all sorts of other iPod Sport Kit information on my blog here: http://ipodsportkit.com/