Apple has updated its Apple Watch Nike+ site with the launch date of the wearable – October 28th. The Nike-branded Apple Watch – showcased in September – is a unique combination Nike watch faces / complications and the Apple Watch Series 2 with a breathable watch band, notes The Verge.
What’s different in Apple Watch Nike+?
Overall, the wearable is largely the unchanged version of Apple’s new watch, with some differences – including the perforated band and a tweaked software. Nike has put its famous swoosh at the back of the watch, and has also developed a Nike+ Run Club social space that supports Nike+ Apple Watch. Users will get to choose from four color options for the band – black, gray, silver, or yellow.
Apple’s partnership with Nike aims to assist runners to improve their performance while wearing the Apple’s wearbale . Nike has designed a special software for the wearable with an aim to encourage runners to stay active, notes MacRumors. Nike+ Apple Watch comes with exclusive Nike-designed watch faces and complications, which the users can avail only by purchasing this special edition wearable.
All the watch models are of standard aluminum case. This watch will carry the same pricing as the regular Series 2 Watch – $399 for a 42mm version and $369 for a 38mm. The watch was announced along with the other Series 2 models in September. However, at that time, the Cupertino-based company did not provide the release date, other than saying sometime in “late October.”
According to MacRumors, there are chances that AirPods could also be launched around the same time as during the iPhone event, the company did mentioned that its Bluetooth headphones will see a late October launch. Also, it won’t be wrong to expect new MacBooks as CEO Tim Cook – last month – assured fans that they are “very committed” to the Mac line and to “stay tuned.”
Apple-Nike partnership. Should rivals be worried?
In the consumer space, Apple and Nike are two of the most powerful brands. So, this partnership should ring bells for the rivals in the industry.
Fitbit – the industry leader – holds several advantages over Apple’s wearable, like the Fitbit devices offers a battery life of five to ten days while Apple’s wearable needs charging every night. Fitbit also is better in terms of pricing as its products range from $60 to $250 (the starting price of Apple Watch Series 1 is $269 while for the Series 2 is $369), notes a report from The Motley Fool. Not to forget, you need an iPhone to operate Apple’s wearable while Fitbit devices is compatible with all types of smartphones.
“This means that Fitbit will probably remain the best choice for consumers who are looking for basic fitness-tracking wristbands at affordable prices,” says the Motley Fool report.
Talking of Apple, it also enjoys an upper hand several areas like design, brand power, and developing a full ecosystem of apps and services around the watch. Based on this, and the usability factor of Apple’s Series 2, the Motley report concludes that if “industry demand is transitioning, and consumers are demanding increasingly more functionalities from smartwatches, then Fitbit will be fighting an uphill battle against Apple.”
