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Dvorak doesn't get it, that's why he's a tech writer and not actually doing anything in the industry. And he's a crummy tech writer at that.

Not to mention angry at the world.

Repeat after me John:
iPod as platform
iPod as platform
iPod as platform

there.

MW life, as in John needs one.

Dvorak doesn't like it? That means it going to be a success.

Dvorak has turned dumb and annoying in to an art form

I think Dvorak is fruity.

neat idea, but it's still just a gimmick

His opinion is valid on this one.

However, what is stupid is how he doesn't acknowledge the fact that this is not nutty to others. I don't feel like looking it up, but I am pretty sure he is one of the tech pundits that thought the entire concept of the iPod and its pricing was nutty when it first came out. As it turned out, there were a lot of people who bought one anyway.

As usual, Dvorak is dead on. Ranks right up there with networked refrigerator telling me that I'm low on eggs. Talk about your solutions in search of a problem.

This bozo has the temerity to talk about my place in the world? He wouldn't know good taste to save his life.

So, what have we done since the iPod? How about multiple more iPods? How about the new iMac? The new MacBook? OS X Panther and Tiger and soon Leopard?

How about Finalcut Pro HD, Logic, Aperture, and updates to our other PRO and consumer apps? Keynote? iTunes? iTunes Music Store? The most sucessful retial store in decades?

Need I continue?

Bozo.

S

I plan to cut a whole in my New Balance

Isn't Kool-Aid sugar water? Wonder what flavor this guy drank?

Nice site, but if you are going to be part of the Apple ecosystem, a little design would go a long way.

Too many ads and the ads in the body of the text are simply unacceptable.

Otherwise, good job.

The man is entitled to his opinion.

I work out and bike all of the time. People that exercise a little bit won't care for this but is a great option for people that are serious about fitness. There are devices that do this already but they are missing the music piece which apple brings to the table. Also I see in the future the ability download information to Excel on your Mac which is missing from today's devices whose software only works in Windows.

This is very doable.

Dvorak is a big fat idiot

The whole concept of exercise is "nutty" to Dvorak.
For him, exercise means "getting up from the couch to get more butter to put on his bacon."
For people who actually DO run, the idea is a great one. It'll be much better when they can integrate a heart-rate monitor into the process, and, heck, while we're at it, a GPS.
Carrying one device while running is much nicer than three or four.

I contend that Apple can only slice and dice so many niche markets before efficincies in manufacturing are lost. This may not be it - but someday they will reach a tipping point.

email sent to Dvorak:

----------

John,

As you said in the article yourself, you are missing the point compleltly.

This new wireless device is for runners.. Apple didn't develop the shoe, Nike did.. And the products main feature is not changing songs for an uphill run..

Bottom line.. Runners use iPod nano's while running... This new wireless device embedded into the sole of the shoe measures the distance a runner has traveled and tells the runner how much further he has to go on a pre-programmed run... At the same time, it transmits this information to the iPod that the runner is listening to and speaks audible results to the runner through the headphones.

At the end of the run, when you charge and sync your iPod, your running progress and mileage are tracked in the coresponding software..

I have been running 5 days a week since I was in high-school and I can assure that this product that monitors and tracks my progress will be very useful and not a gimmick.. This is sure to be a hit with runners world-wide as the majority of runners in training use iPods.

Your assesment of the product is clearly way-off base and it appears you have not even taken the time to understand what the product does. If you did, you certainly did not explain it in your article.

I would suggest actually reading about the product here:

http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/

Best

Mike Kraemer

All play and no work makes Dvorak a dull boy.

At $30, I'd buy one in a heartbeat, if it worked with my preferred brand for running: Brooks. I'd even pay $80 for this feature as a standalone product. Nikes are for people with narrow feet and perfect strides or "fashion running".

MDN hits nail on head:

The iPod+Nike Sport Kit's target market does not include bloated windbags.

'Nuff said.

I'm a jogger and the idea is absolutely stupid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEy4nIWqTG4

"I'm Dave Chappelle and I like Internet Porn"

spoken like a true fat man.

Dvorak obviously doesn't exercise with his Nano, much less ever trained by running... this product should be reviewed by athletes, not a negative, constantly-complaining tech writer.

The product is more than just the music... that was already there for those who used their Nano while running. This product is an innovative tool and extension of the runner's iPod and exercise regimen.

sugar water he´s referring to the Apple ceo that came from Pepsi...remember him?

this is a gadget to sell shoes not ipods. forgotten quickly...like most shoe gadgets.
next we will have a suppository connected ipod gadget to measure body temp and gas buildup.

I never knew that Pepsi could keep track of my workout progress. Must have missed that button.

I'm a walker, and would love one.

If they had a device that could fit into any shoe, I'd likely buy it. But since it only fits in specific shoes, not so much. What happens when the shoe wears out?

http://www.g-zus.net/

"I'm a jogger and the idea is absolutely stupid."

Maybe that's because you're a "jogger" and not a "runner."

MDN: "Non-runners will not understand the product and runners will get it."

See reader feedback above to ID the runners from the non-runners.

I run 3-5 miles per day, 4-5 days per week. I pre-ordered the iPod+Nike Sport Kit yesterday, 10 minutes after I read about it on MDN.

If by nutty, her means Apple has got big balls, he's right.

G-ZUS,

The sensor is portable. The battery lasts approx. 1,000 hours. When your shoes wear out, you take the sensor out and put it in your new pair. When the sensor's battery finally dies, you buy another one for $29 (probably will be $19 by the time to buy the next one).

MDN Take The iPod+Nike Sport Kit's target market does not include bloated windbags.

So, Dorkvac and MonkeyBoy aren't invited to the party? Cry thyem an iRiver

So when the runner is tiring, does the song switch to 'Running on Empty' by Jackson Browne? Inquiring minds gots to know. lol

Dvorak is MacDude!!!

Runners will "get it", non-runners won't.

If you are into running this is great way to log your progress and use the info for motivation and training.

Great idea. Niche market, yeah. Apple does pretty good as a "Niche" manufacturer.

Bravo!

"Dvorak is Macdude!!!"

now that's the best explanation I've ever heard

"So when the runner is tiring, does the song switch to 'Running on Empty' by Jackson Browne"

Yes, and when you are negotiating a steep hill it plays 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor. BWWHAHAHA!

Dvorak is a fat hog and has probably missed plenty of flights because he can't run.

Obviously, his self appointed mission is to bond with Windows sissys and diss Apple and Steve Jobs and thus stir up the emotions of Mac fanatics hoping we'll click through to his pinhead writing and help justify his puny existance.

Don't read Dvorak! He wants to piss you off! You're not going to change his mind, he's doing it on purpose.

As much as you'd like to scorch and flame him, don't help justify his work by even touching any site he's writing for. Ultimately, he's probably blowing someone at the magazines to keep his job, but don't help him out by clicking on his articles.

If you don't like the drivel he writes, ignore him COMPLETELY.

"The sensor is portable. The battery lasts approx. 1,000 hours. When your shoes wear out, you take the sensor out and put it in your new pair."

Note that people complaining about the non-replaceable battery probably miss the point that getting 1000 hours using regular batteries will no doubt cost more than $29 at retail. Not to mention how many millions of user-replaceable batteries will end up in landfills because we just know consumers properly dispose of batteries after they die.

Now, the smart thing for Nike and Apple to do is for every Sport set to come with a prepaid mailer so people can mail back the old sensor for proper recycling when the battery finally dies.

I am a runner and this is a great idea. As a runner being able to tell how far you have to go, or how far you went is necessary in keeping a good pace to finish in the time you set your goal for. So if this would happen to work with my running shoe Asics then hell yes I would buy this. I would buy Nike if they fit my foot like an Asics shoe. I have narrow feet and Nike doesn't seem to work to well with that. So for most of you that do not run then you would have no clue what I am talking about. Its just like trying to explain a Windoz user the benifits of using Mac OSX.

There's a community of online runners that are pretty pumped about this, even if it is coming from Nike.

I threw it up on my website yesterday (http://runmystic.jankowskis.net/?p=474) and the response has been really positive.

I use to run and from that point of view, before the knee injury, it would be nice to hear music and understand a slower pace has occured.

Now, it may sound nutty to some but this has potential. I believe the amount of information gathered ,if it can be stored after each run, has great benefit to the runner. Over the course of time this will give you very good indiction of progress in distance and improvement of stamina. If in fact the music changes with the pace, then this is a positive so an increase and decrease in pace can occur without any annoyance! Hey, slower music= going too fast and "Eye of the Tiger"= call 911 before you blackout!!!!


Good for innovate ideas! Many thought the iPod was a nutty idea. Some of us believe in a revolution in a product. This could spin into more developed ideas and information feedback to runners or other sectors of human activity.

i hate Nike shoes.

Adidas & Sony team up to release their own O.S. called
Sony O.S. Adidas

yeah, the iPod is sugar water..

music is a fad, it'll pass

I'm tempted to get myself a Nano now just so I can get the kit and the shoes (though I typically hate Nike). Wonder how well it would work for a walking program. And maybe some pioneering exercise equipment maker can work out a jack where you can plug in your Nano and it'll record your progress on the assorted machines (treadmill, bike, etc.). And I love the idea of heart rate monitor as an eventual inclusion -- it could alert you if you're exceeding your target heart rate.

I can actually imagine some colleges (those that have shoe deals with NIke at least) integrating this technology into their workout programs, if they could figure out how to associate a particular Nano with a particular student.

NewType: how about if the Apple Store (or shoe stores that carry the system) work out a deal -- bring in your dead sensor and get a $5 credit towards a new sensor? Sort of like Apple's new recycling program (hmm...should look into that; got an old clamshell iBook I need to reformat; wonder how much they would take off the price of a new MacBook Pro?)...

(Oh, and the spouse and I do properly dispose of batteries; we keep a bag of dead batteries in the closet then once every three months or so make a run over to the recycling center where they provide receptacles for battery disposal...but we're in California, we're used to recycling...)

MW=saw; Apple and Nike saw the possibilities almost immediately, unlike John Dvorak...

Whether Dvorak gets it or not -- he doesn't -- is irrelevant. It is whether Apple gets it or not -- I believe they do -- that counts. When will Apple announce a Systems Development Kit (SDK) for outside developers to allow them to make the iPod an extension of their own products? That, along with wireless and blue-tooth support, makes for the iPod as a platform.

The Nike/Apple deal was initiated by Nike. Hint hint Apple. Wouldn't you like to see more of this, but not even have to do the other guy's design work? You just have to design the SDK for release to the public as you have done with the tools for OS X on the Mac platform. Lock in the market, kill the iPod's competitors and grow the iPod market far beyond its current reach. It doesn't get any better than that.

D(v)OR(a)K ! I´m so fed up with this jerk... He spoils TwIT for me too. Go away you silly man !

On Dvorak's Secret Shuffle:
System Of A Down - "Sugar"
Trick Daddy - "Sugar (Gimme Some)"
Sheena Easton - "Sugar Walls"
Rolling Stones - "Brown Sugar"
Archies - "Sugar, Sugar"

Sweet.

Ampar,

What about Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard?