Nike teases Tuesday reveal of new iPhone-controlled self-lacing sneakers

One of the features of Nike's self-lacing sneakers for the mass market — set to be announced Tuesday — will be smartphone control, including the iPhone, according to a teaser video.

Posted on Twitter, the video shows various athletes reacting to the shoes as they lace up. One person can be seen using an iPhone 7 Plus or 8 Plus, and another hints that an app can adjust each shoe individually. An accompanying photo shows a person with an iPhone X or XS.

Nike is due to make its announcement at 8 a.m. Eastern time.

The game will never be the same.

Tune in tomorrow at 8AM EST. @nikebasketball pic.twitter.com/4LrJGpPDY6
— Nike (@Nike) January 14, 2019

Nike has said little else about the shoes except that they're based on 2016's HyperAdapt 1.0, priced at $720. Reports have suggested that the follow-up will cost about $350, which is still expensive for sneakers but may attract more people wanting to be on the cutting edge of sports gear or fashion.

The HyperAdapt was in turn based on the Nike Mags, which took their inspiration from 1989's "Back to the Future Part II." That movie predicted self-lacing Nikes alongside technologies like hoverboards and flying cars.

Nike is a long-time Apple partner, reaching back to the days of "Nike + iPod" accessories. That association has fallen by the wayside in favor of Nike-branded models of the Apple Watch.

20 Comments

DAalseth 3033 comments · 6 Years

About 5 years ago

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

baconstang 1153 comments · 10 Years

If you can't tie your own shoes, how will anyone be sure you got past kindergarten?

Also, I'll be looking forward to hackers untying other people's shoes.

mike eggleston 707 comments · 23 Years

DAalseth said:

Oh for crying out loud. How f****** hard is it to tie your bloody shoes.

For a child who has disabilities, either mental or physical (or in the case of my youngest daughter, both); this could be a game changer for her. Right now, she has to have daddy or mommy tie her shoes, when all of her peers can do it themselves. For her, she would feel more independent just because she can tie her own laces.

SpamSandwich 32917 comments · 19 Years

I don’t know about “self-lacing” shoes, but I would like a system (similar to ski boots) where the lace tension could be adjusted after the shoe has been laced up. I think this could be done mechanically and involve no batteries or motors. In sports like running, one’s foot expands and contracts (swells) depending on blood flow so it’s important to be able to vary the tension.

ravnorodom 720 comments · 8 Years

Wow. Cool. It's the sneaker from "Back to the Future".