Briefly: Nike+, iTunes video downloads, iSight

Nike this week announced that it has managed to sell six times as many Nike+iPod compatible shoes as it has the actual sport kits. Meanwhile, Apple holds a commanding lead on the legal video download market. And, yes, the iSight has mysteriously disappeared once again.

Three million and counting for Nike

Nike, which reported financial results for the fiscal quarter ended November 30, said revenue grew 10 percent to $3.8 billion, compared to $3.5 billion for the same period last year.

During an ensuing conference call with analysts and members of the media, chief executive Mark Parker said the shoemaker's recent line of sneakers and accessories that work with Apple's iPod nano have turned out "to be huge."

Parker said runners have now logged over 3 million miles and over 3 million Nike+iPod compatible shoes have been sold since the first pair was introduction alongside the Nike+iPod Sport Kit in July. Several new Nike+ sneaker models are set to debut soon, he said.

Sales of the Nike+ shoes appear to be well ahead of the actual Nike+iPod Sport Kits, which as of September totaled 450,000.

Early next year, Nike is expected to introduce yet $80 Nike Amp+ bracelet that will allow runners to interact with their iPods without constantly fiddling with the players' sweat-slicked click wheel.

Apple dominates paid video download sector

According to NPD data recently cited by Forbes, approximately 1.2 million U.S. households purchased at least one video download from an online store during the third quarter of 2006.

Unfortunately, the bad news for networks and picture studios is that about five times that many households downloaded a video from a free file-sharing network — and most of that was porn.

"Among the free video downloads from file-sharing networks recorded in the third quarter, nearly 60 percent was adult-film content, 20 percent was TV show content and 5 percent was mainstream movie content," the report states.

Of the paid downloads, 62 percent was reported to be TV content, 24 percent music video content and 6 percent mainstream movie content.

Not surprising, about 90 percent of the legal purchases came from Apple's iTunes Store. Another 5 percent came from movie-subscription site Vongo, 3 percent from movie download service Movielink and less than 1 percent from movie download service CinemaNow."

iSight gone again

Several readers have written in to AppleInsider this week noting that the Apple iSight webcam has once again disappeared from the company's online store.

One shopper claims to have been told by an Apple Store representative that the product is now officially discontinued.

However, a subsequent check produced a slightly more comical explanation. A store rep said he "wasn't given any information" on the disappearance from his superiors aside from being told that "it's just not there anymore."