“Apple has teamed up with Nike to produce an odd tennis shoe that will allow, among other features, the music to change on the user’s iPod to better match their specific jogging requirements. In other words if you are headed up a tough hill the music selection will change to some motivational music to get you over the top,” John C. Dvorak writes for MarketWatch. “Does this sound a little nutty to anyone else but me?”
“I’m certain that in the category of ‘who needs it?’ this product will sell like hotcakes because right now Apple has the Midas touch,” Dvorak writes. “The irony here is that Jobs has become that sugar water salesman but hasn’t noticed it yet. Let’s face it, the iPod is sugar water of a different sort.”
Dvorak goes on and on and on with his boring, contrived premise in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Of course, to anyone whose sole concept of running centers around how they get from the parking lot to the all-you-can-eat buffet line, the iPod+Nike Sport Kit would seem nutty. To runners, it doesn’t – not in the least. The iPod+Nike Sport Kit’s target market does not include bloated windbags. To repeat: non-runners will not understand the product and runners will get it. In fact, if we can’t get the sensor to work with our preferred Adidas running shoes, gulp, we’re going to switch to Nike’s just for this product.
How the iPod+Nike Sport Kit works video:
Direct link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVDEXzxZWQw
Advertisements:
• Introducing the super-fast, blogging, podcasting, do-everything-out-of-the-box MacBook. Starting at just $1099
• Get the new iMac with Intel Core Duo for as low as $31 A MONTH with Free shipping!
• Get the MacBook Pro with Intel Core Duo for as low as $47 A MONTH with Free Shipping!
• Apple’s new Mac mini. Intel Core, up to 4 times faster. Starting at just $599. Free shipping.
• iPod. 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video. The new iPod. 30GB and 60GB models start at just $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.
• iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
Related articles:
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
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.
“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?
“What about Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard?”
Dvorak sings that one in the shower. He’s afraid he’ll fry his Shuffle. He also likes The Honeydrippers but for entirely different reasons.
Dvorak = “stupid comments” get hits
Ampar,
What exactly do you mean by “fry his Shuffle”? That kinda sounds dirty to me….
Billy Bob: That’s the secret behind the “honey.” Shhhhhh. Dvorak also cleverly calls his bathroom, “The John.” Then, he cups his man boobs and giggles like a little girl. Coming soon to America’s Funniest Videos.
Ampar,
Okay, that just made me pee a little….No further comments.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”cheese” style=”border:0;” />
Except for this one.
“Then, he cups his man boobs and giggles like a little girl.”
That reminded me of Fight Club for some reason. “Bob…Bob had bitch tits..” Something like that.
It’s just the start for fitness and training. Next it will monitor heart rate, bike cadence, etc. If I was the Polar Company I would be very worried.
AAAUUGGHHH! ! ! Rules 1 and 2! I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about you know what! That movie had completely different “Eight Simple Rules.”
I know… I know… Rule #1: We’re not suppose to talk about Dvorak’s bitch tits. Rule #2: We’re not suppose to talk about Dvorak’s bitch tits.
Macs King, I hear ya, he does spoil TWIT as welll. This could be the start of something big(ger).
this product is jaded and dumb.
My girlfriend is a marathon runner and she thinks it’s great. Unfortunately, she doesn’t wear Nikes, and to most serious runners, their preference in shoes is going to trump the importance of having this. If she happens to like these particular Nike shoes, then she may try it anyway, but I hope it’s possible to stick this in a different shoe. It would be tricky, because ripping a hole like that is going to throw off the whole construction integrity of the shoe (especially to a runner). I wonder if other shoe companies will make shoes compatible with this (or be allowed to? what would stop them? Anything?) Anyway, very cool for a runner. Not so cool for runners who happen to not like Nikes.
Heck, I want one of these, and I haven’t been able to break into anything faster than a brisk stride for over a decade!
I dont run or jog, but I rollerblade and if someone can make something like this for rollerblading I would definately get one.
“Not so cool for runners who happen to not like Nikes.”
And in the beginning, only BMW offered an iPod interface. Right?
And then the rest followed. I see a pattern.
I’m 65 and disabled (bad legs from Vietnam) and wouldn’t have any use for an iPod Nike, however I’ll bet there are enough people around who can use an iPod Nike to make it a marketable item. Apple and Nike are not known for bad market research. John is such a narrow minded dumb ass that he can’t figure that out , or he’s fallen to the scum bag troll level. I suspect that both conditions are true, given his propensity for journalistic babble and meaningless rambling.
I’m not a runner. I cycle. I use a cycle computer, and they are great. You can really track your progress. This idea is great for runners, since most all the runners I know run and listen to music. Plus, the ability to hook it up to the computer is great, you can keep track of your fitness.
For those of you out there who think exercise is lifting the remote, or perhaps getting out of the chair to go to the bathroom, this is NOT for you. But for people who run, I can see this as being a huge item.
Too bad it’s not legal or safe to listen to music while cycling on the road………oh well.
Cycling:
A simple clip near the rear whell (like a playing card barely touching the spokes) could provide the same types of data to a remote receiver plugged into an iPod. Any takers?
Or an infrared light on one side and a sensor on the other to eliminate the problem of friction. Just guessing.
Yeah, infared is how they work I believe (looking at it).
Since his exercise activity consists of turning in his swivel chair from facing his computer, to facing a Whopper, he won’t ever understand the interest in this product.
Now if they had an accessory for the ipod that indicated the nearest buffet establishment or food court, he’d be all over it like frosting on a cupcake.
Of course, humming to yourself is the safest form of music entertainment while cycling.
But I keep getting either the Gilligan’s Island theme song, The Facts of Life theme song, or the Love Boat theme song stuck in my head.
That’s why I keep a pint of kerosene, three yards of rope, a galvanized paperclip, and two cups of vegetable oil with me at all times. Be prepared.
OMG that is so funny. I carry the same things with me………
Today I was humming the Family Guy theme……
Put this on your iPod:
Lois Griffin: Peter. You’re bribing your daughter with a car?
Peter Griffin: Ah, c’mon, Lois, isn’t “bribe” just another word for “love”?
Lois Griffin: You should spend some time with our kids, Peter. And with me.
Peter Griffin: Uh, what could me and you do together?
[Lois giggles]
Peter Griffin: Lois. You’ve got a sick mind.
Lois Griffin: Peter, I’m talking about making love.
Peter Griffin: Oh. I thought you wanted us to murder the children and harvest their organs for beer money.
BEST response by MacDailyNews EVER!!!!
Um, not to be be the sexist pig in the forum, but did anyone else do a double take when looking at the picture of the jogger on the http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/ page?
I did.
MW: “eye” as in She definitely caught my eye.
…but did anyone else do a double take when looking at the picture of the jogger…
Nice breastests, yes. But then it’s part of that sex attract thing to run in tights to attract a mate.
Male – “Can I run with you?, I have a iPod”
Female – “I got a boyfriend, bugger off nerd”
Male – “It’s Wham! You like Wham!?”
Female – “Do you do manicures?”
Male – “Oh yes, pedicures too and I soo got that new fabulous foot lotion”
Female – “What about bikini lines?”
Male – “Armpit and nose hair too”
Female – “I like to castrate you in a lesbian initialization ceremony.”
Male – “I’m game to that, I was due for a transsexual operation anyway”
(IF A IPOD COULD TALK)
“did anyone else do a double take when looking at the picture of the jogger”
That’s a MAN, baby!
—————–
Dvorak’s cynacism is getting old. I can hardly listen to TWIT anymore. Like most ascerbics, he is occasionally amusing, but listening find the negative aspect of almost everything is like swimming in a cesspool.
Spark, couldn’t agree more about Dvorak.
I find myself skipping past his cynical ramblings on TWIT, and if he seems to be butting in to other people’s legitimate (and infinetely more interesting) comments – which he does A LOT, just to speak some apparent ‘words of wisdom’, and then adding that he’s already written an in depth article on his blog which he then gives the address for AGAIN, I just switch TWIT off completely.
It’s a shame really because TWIT is a great show. TWIT at the moment is one big huge advert for Dvorak’s site, which he’s obviously trying to earn some money off.
I’m a runner and I like the idea (be even better if the little fob also measured your progress while cycling too), but I can see where Dvorak is coming from here. If Steve Jobs’ exposition on how difficult this concept was to bring to fruition, the project seems like a lot of effort for a VERY niche market.
Meanwhile, where is the other stuff? You know – the stuff that mere rumors of have drove the AAPL price up and down like a crazy coaster for the last year? Where’s the home media center device, the iPhone, or just a laptop that you can actually put on your lap without fear of 3rd degree burns? Jobs’ list of accomplishments above is impressive numerically, but most of these things – aside from the retail stores – are part & parcel of Apple just maintaining itself. None are in a position to ‘launch a thousand ships’. And neither will Apple Sneakers(TM).
Niche is fine when you’ve got nothing else to strive for, but there’s a whole big world of consumers out there, clamoring for more substantial things from Apple – right now! – especially after all we were promised with the Macintel transition.
Apple should be focusing more on them.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”cool smile” style=”border:0;” />
“If Steve Jobs’ exposition on how difficult this concept was to bring to fruition, …” should be:
“If Steve Jobs’ exposition on how difficult this concept was to bring to fruition is true, …”
running isnt fun says the blob that sits in a chair for a living.
Why do old people have jobs in the press industry??
Dvorak? Dvorak who?
I don’t understand why Leo Leporte has him on TWIT.
everything Dvorak says NEVER comes true. I loved when he said that Apple was dead. I think that was in the late 90’s I forget but he still sucks.
Dvorak we are still around and stronger then ever, just in case you didn’t know. Annoyed??
Maybe LaPorte has Dvorak on so that he (LaPorte) sounds even more intelligent by comparison…