Today I stumbled on this Wired gadget lab post about Apple and Nike taking the Nike+ program to the next level. Check out this clip with some of the details:
Apple and Nike are in talks with gym equipment makers to include the Nike+ functionality in their machines so that their use can be tracked and aggregated. At the start of a workout, you plug your iPod into the machine and it will record everything you do for later upload to a computer, and then on to the Nike+ site via iTunes.
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Why This Works for Nike
Last December, around the time Nike+ was released, I was in the market for new running shoes. I’ve been running since I was 15, so I take a good shoe pretty seriously and Nike has never been on my list of brands to consider. Nike was to running like Ryan Leif was to football, OVERRATED.
A funny thing happened though, by combining forces with Apple and allowing me to track and store my runs through iTunes, Nike made me reconsider their brand as a viable option for running shoes. Granted I was drawn to the Nike+ ready running shoes for the coolness factor alone, I couldn’t digitally track my runs without the Nike shoe, but over the past 15 months I’ve developed a new appreciation for Nike’s ability to construct a functional running shoe, and given that I’m in the market again, where do you think I’ll go for my next shoe?
The future can only get brighter for Nike if the equipment deals go through. The gym crowd is just as serious about their workouts as the running crew, and although they do overlap, this is still a blue ocean.
Why This Works for Apple
I’m certainly biased here; I’m already an Apple advocate and customer. I’ve got my iPod Nano, an iBook I’ll soon be upgrading to a Mac Book, and an iPhone. I was raised in a Macintosh family and have been using Apple and Mac products since I was two.
Realistically, the Nike+ venture doesn’t seem to serve Apple, after all we all have iPods already, right?
If I’m like a large enough percentage of the population, however, I could continue to buy additional products that I don’t need just to satisfy my vanity and workout needs. With the equipment plug-ins, Apple has found a way to raise the cool factor when it comes to the gym milieu and keep me buying the Nano (which I no longer need). I’ll need a new Nano because my current one is starting to malfunction (and it doesn’t have video). Plus, I’ll want to be one of the cool folks docking my Nano to the StairMaster.
Today the gym is already populated by people of all ages who workout with their mp3 player in tow. Tomorrow Nike+ ready workout machines will mean iPod Nanos docked to your left and right. It’s a trend in the making.
Why This Works for Me
In addition to being a part of the Nike+ community and getting to manage and track my runs, I’ll now be able to get the full picture from all my workouts, a priceless addition to my fitness regime that will help me stay motivated and healthy.
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