Nike bullish on iPod sneakers' debut

Many people love to exercise while listening to music from their iPod digital music players. Now, iPod users can do more than that.

Nike Inc and Apple Inc are launching the new "Nike + iPod" -- special sports shoes whose insole has a built-in pocket featuring a sensor that can wirelessly transmit information about a runner's distance and pace to an iPod nano -- in Taiwan today.

"With the new `Nike + iPod,' running will no longer be boring," Roxanne Chiu (邱靖雅), general manager of BRS Nike Taiwan Inc, said at a product launch yesterday.

Nike hopes to enhance a runner's experience by adding not only music but also technology to its shoes, she said.

After hooking up the iPod nano to a PC, users can upload their workout data to nikeplus.com.tw for performance analysis and record tracing.

The site also serves as a community for runners all over the world to get connected and even stage virtual competitions.

These special "Nike + iPod" shoes carry a price tag of NT$3,150 (US$96), while the Sport Kit, which has a transmitter and a receiver, retails for NT$1,000.

An iPod nano is priced between NT$5,400 and NT$8,800, depending on the storage capacity.

The two giants launched the "Nike + iPod" in the US last July. Studies have shown as many as 70 percent of joggers in the US run by tuning in to their favorite MP3 music, said Monica Chen (陳威穎), a public relations supervisor at BRS Nike Taiwan.

Even though there are no equivalent official tallies in Taiwan, the company believes that the demand will be strong among the local running community, she said.

Nike reported quarterly sales growth of 8 percent to US$1.4 billion in the US last December, thanks to the success of "Nike + iPod."

At the time, chief executive Mark Parker said that sales of the shoes and accessories were "turning out to be huge."

And Nike isn't the only company jumping on the iPod bandwagon.

ViewSonic International Corp is set to unveil a projector that supports the iPod in Taiwan. This follows on the success of its liquid-crystal-display monitors that sport an iPod docking station launched last November.

The new PJ258D ViewDock features a built-in adapter slot for iPod video. Just pop in the music player and users can play movies or clips right out the projector onto a large screen or wall.

Weighing a mere 1.8kg with a display of 2,000 lumens, the projector sells for NT$41,900.

An Apple Taiwan official, who asked not to be named, said that there was a growing trend among Taiwanese companies to design products catering to iPod users.

This includes BenQ Corp (明基), which worked with carmaker Ford Lio Ho Motor Co (福特六和) last year to introduce a vehicle infotainment system that supports the popular music player.