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...result is a product that could completely transform the way we run. "Nike Plus is not just another product aimed at improving the cushioning of the footwear," says Matt Powell, an analyst at SportScanInfo, an athletic-footwear research firm. "It gets at improving the experience for the runner, at building a community...
...Nike Plus iPod kit, which was launched in mid-2006, allows runners to put a tiny sensor at the bottom of a $100 Nike Plus running shoe. The kit also includes a small receiver that attaches to an iPod nano and measures the runner's speed, distance and calories burned. The data pop up on the nano's screen while it plays. (Or push a button, and a voice will tell you how you're doing.) There's an aftermarket for all that info at nikeplus.com where runners can upload their data, compare speeds and even challenge a worldwide community...
...Nike Plus to market in July 2006, marketing chief Trevor Edwards brought together managers from apparel, technology, research, footwear design and music, all working with Apple on the technology. "The best teams get a little borderless," says Michael Donaghu, Nike's director of footwear innovation. "We got really borderless, much more than we have on some other ideas...
This extreme collaboration has paid off. According to SportScanInfo, Nike captured 56.7% of the $3.6 billion U.S. running-shoe market through the seven months ending in August 2007, compared with 47.4% in 2006. "No question, Nike Plus is one of the primary drivers of the company's running growth this year," says Powell. Competitors New Balance, Asics and Adidas have lost market share in running shoes...
...Nike's success is all the more remarkable given its earlier technology stumbles. One attempt at a gadget that could measure a runner's speed and distance was a clunky pod that attached to a shoelace. Mark Parker, then Nike's co-president and now its ceo, called the pod "the tumor" and in 2004 clamored for something better. Donaghu's group presented a prototype with a tracking device tucked under the sole. "The thought was to get rid of the tumor by making it disappear," says Michael Tchao, the general manager for Nike Plus...