Nike Teases About Future Collab With Apple

Muchaneta Kapfunde | @FashNerdEditor

When it comes to brands developing wearables, collaborations are all the rage. So it should have come as no surprise when Nike recently confirmed that they are in development talks with Apple. The thing is, if you cast your mind back, Nike exited the wearable tech market in a way that saw Apple picking at their leftovers. It was an experience that needs no encore, so we hope that their whispers are not about revisiting that old tech wound.

Nike Running on AppleWatch
Nike Running on AppleWatch

The Wearable tech moment we are referring to is Nike’s discontinued their Fuel Band wearable. The device was scrapped and instead Nike put all their efforts into their app Nike+! which has proved to be a huge success. Which brings us to question why are they hinting and teasing us with news that they are working with Apple on something exciting?  Surely news of a new app is not going to demand column inches? Because we all know that consumers already have many great apps at their disposal. So, are they working on a brand new wearable with Apple? Or is this just a PR ploy to get our attention? If it is, they have got it. But we do expect more than the current nudge and the wink.

Nike+Running app
Nike+Running app

Looking back, Nike and Apple have proved that they work well together. Their first collab was the Nike+ shoe sensor. It started of as a small chip that you could place inside your running shoes so you could log in the data of your run. Now fast forward ahead, and the same product has evolved into the popular Nike+Running app which boasts over 60 million users.

Nike CEO Mark Parker and Apple CEO Steve Jobs
Nike CEO Mark Parker and Apple CEO Steve Jobs

In a recent interview with CNBC Nike CEO Mark Parker confirmed that their partnership with Apple is still going strong and that Nike is at the moment developing something new with Apple. On the same topic Stefan Olander, Nike VP of Nike+ added, “We’re pleased to be one of the first apps on Apple Watch allowing runners to connect, challenge, cheer and motivate their friends on this exciting new platform.”

Right now, we feel like the donkey chasing the carrot, so therefore we can only conclude that with Tim Cook sitting comfortably on Nike’s Board of Directors, their relationship is going to be one that will most likely continue through richer or poorer. So watch this space.

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SOURCEPhoto Credit: Apple inc/ Nike