Mike Wuerthele
Giant advertisements for the Apple Watch have appeared in New York City, with additional, similar ads slated to pop up in the Washington D.C. metro area and other large cities in the U.S. in coming days.
Reader Ryan Tracey clued AppleInsider on the billboards and signage at the New York City Port Authority.
Apple Watch @Nike billboard Port Authority NYC pic.twitter.com/ZePDxecEk5
— Ryan Tracy (@Traced_Inc) November 4, 2016
"While AppleInsider fans are undoubtedly familiar with the Apple Watch Nike+, not everybody is as aware as they are," we were told by our sources within Apple. "We're just making sure everybody knows that the best exercise tracking and monitoring tool is available now with new billboards and newspaper ads."
We were also told that "conventional" media buys were going to happen soon in Washington D.C. and its surroundings, plus "fitness-oriented" locations in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and others.
The Nike+ combines all of the features of Apple Watch Series 2 with custom bands, and a preloaded Nike+ Run Club app to motivate runners, provide guidance from coaches and athletes, and tailor plans to a user's schedule and progress. The band combinations include Black/Volt, Black/Cool Gray, Flat Silver/White and Flat Silver/Volt.
On Oct. 28, the Nike+ shipped in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S.
On Oct. 29 the device was made available in Bahrain, Greece, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. Israeli retailers will see the device on Oct. 30.
The watch is available in a 38mm size for $369 (U.S.) and in 42mm for $399 from Apple, Nike, some Apple-authorized resellers, and select specialty stores and department stores.
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
Marko Zivkovic
3 Comments
"We're just making sure everybody knows that the best exercise tracking and monitoring tool is available "
But it's not the best. Yes, Apple Watch -- original, Series 1 or 2, all have the guts to be the base for the best exercise tracker. But Nike Run is not the best app out there. It's not even a very good one... Right now, it's the best one for Apple Watch -- but that's only because it and the native app are the only ones able to access the watch's metrics such as heart rate. But, with the introduction of OS3, exercise apps will no longer be blocked from those metrics. So now we are waiting for them to update their programs to incorporate important things like heart rate.
In the meantime, I am afraid that many serious exercisers will try the Apple Watch Nike and be disappointed thinking that that is all that the Apple Watch is capable of. I am sure that Nike is capable of better. But, reviews say that it has been dummied down to address the needs of the casual user to the point that it won't even display heart rate without going into advanced settings.
The Apple Watch -- particularly the Series 2 -- has the capability of being the finest exercise tracker out there. But, it needs good apps to do that. Nike Run Club isn't one of them. (Check its reviews as a stand alone app on the App Store -- not good).
Nike needs to fix its Nike Run Club app, which I believe this AW ties into
It consistently garners aweful reviews in the App Store. Par for the course for this overrated brand
Just got my Nike watch last week. Love the responsiveness of the Series 2 watch over the Series 1. This watch finally feels like a finished product, one that is ready for mass market appeal. I've seen my friends, co-workers wear a fit bit for a while then give up. But with the watch, not only is it a great fitness tracker, but it's so much more. But I digress...
The Nike app is pretty sub par. They really need to improve the tracking, statistics, rating system, etc. You're marketing this watch and it's included software to the fitness crowd. People that care about their workouts. Results keep us motivated. Sure I could go run 13 miles this morning and I get the same benefits and results while wearing the watch or not wearing the watch. But I want to see those workout statistics, my calorie burn, how hard my heart worked, and keep that information for years to come so I can track overall improvement. Do I need to start training harder because my pace is beginning to fall? I ran this race last year, how did it compare to last year's results? I want this information to keep me motivated. This app does not provide the gory details that I desire.
Right now I'm using MapMyRun. The only complain I have with that app is the GPS tracking is way off. After a 10 mile run, it consistently has me 1/2 mile ahead of what I really ran. I've tested that over and over and get the same results. This is not what I need as a runner who is trying to improve on my pace. However, the tracking, feedback, information on MapMyRun is FAR superior to the Nike app. I do find that the Nike app with the watch is much better at tracking actual distances (at least through 4 runs I've done with it since I got it).
So right now I'm torn between the great statistics of MapMyRun (although they're not as accurate as they should be) vs. the accurate tracking of the Nike app, but I shouldn't be. I just want an all in one solution that serves me as a runner, and I don't have that right now. Hopefully there are some updates to the Nike app in the near future. Get this right Apple and you'll definitely reap the rewards. The watch is a beautiful and functional piece of hardware in every other aspect, make this the best fitness tracker out there too!