Nike teamed up with Apple to offer new products and services combined with the iPod nano. The new partnership will include electronics, clothing, and online services for people who like to listen to music while working out. Apple claims 50% of iPod owners use their music players during a workout. The new campaign is called Nike+ and features community and social networking components.
The first product is the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a $29 accessory connecting your shoe and your iPod. Runners can place a small sensor under their shoe insole and connect a receiver to their iPod nano to track statistics during and after their workout. Your workout progress and statistics such as pace, total time, and total distance are updated on-screen and with audio cues through your headphones. When you return to your desktop, sync your iPod nano and upload to Nike to track your progress over time and compare with friends. Nike will begin selling specially equipped shoes in June with a cutout for the sensor. Nike will also produce special apparel with an iPod nano pouch and headphone cord management.
The experience begins during your workout, but doesn't end there. You can connect to the Nike+ website and track your running statistics and improvement over time, tracking your individual goals along the way. You can share your training information with others, and setup virtual races with friends to compare your times over the same course. Nike also launched a podcast to follow the progress of a marathon trainer in San Francisco. Perhaps in the future anyone could add their own audio to their workout blog and statistics.
Not sure what to listen to during your workout? Nike athletes have contributed their favorite "PowerSongs" to get them pumped up.
- Ronaldo: Elevation by U2
- Landon Donovan: Where is the Love, Black Eyed Peas
- Freddy Adu: Motivation by T.I.
I think the new service will be extremely popular. If Nike opens up its data, allowing for easy sharing, personal trainers could follow the progress of their clients and tune workouts. The program is not limited to Nike shoes; other manufacturers could support a similar sensor cutout to pair with the workout tracker. $30 to obsess over workout statistics seems like a pretty good deal. Thanks Nike!
The Nike Mayfly running shoe wieghs 4.8 ounces and has a recommended lifespan of 62 miles. Only 5,000 of the $45 shoes (72 cents a mile) will be sold nationwide. 