Despite discontinuing its FuelBand range of wearables, it seems that Nike is still interested in creating fitness trackers and this time it’s getting help from a powerful ally.
Speaking on Bloomberg TV, Nike CEO Mark Parker stated that his firm is teaming up with Apple on a new wearable that is less obvious and more “stealth”.
Little else was revealed about the mysterious product, although Parker did add that it will have greater integration with contemporary gadgets.
“I think it’s going to be a big part of the future, absolutely. You can go from the¦geeky kind of wearables today¦to¦things that are more stealth, more integrated, more stylish and more functional,” said Parker.
Nike’s relationship with Apple dates back to 2006, when the two firms first unveiled the Nike+ running sensor range for the iPod. Apple CEO Tim Cook can also be found on the Nike board.
Although, Apple already has its own wearable in the form of the Apple Watch, it could do with more direct partners for its HealthKit platform. The Cupertino-based firm’s recent fallout with Fitbit – which is still refusing to integrate its fitness trackers with the iOS Health app – could see it actively courting manufacturers to work with it. It’s close relationship with Nike, makes it a viable candidate. The only problem being that Nike doesn’t currently manufacture any wearables. It is likely, however, that its Nike+ app will work with the Apple Watch and the Health app.
“Our plan is to expand the whole digital frontier in terms of wearables, and go from what we say is tens of millions of users – right now there’s 25 million Nike+ users – to hundreds of millions,” stated Parker.
Overall, Parker’s comments indicate at something other than a Nike smartwatch – Apple’s collaboration would also suggest the same. The “integration” part could also refer to a connected smart device that fits into our current Internet of Things era. At this point, all we can do is speculate.