Tag: Nike wearable technology

The brand is creating a full lineup of wearables as well as digital apps as a part of their broader sports apparel strategy.

Under Armour is currently working on the creation of a full lineup of wearable technology products and complementary mobile apps that are to become a central component of their overall strategy to pass Nike Inc and to take the top global sports apparel spot.

This strategy was made more than clear last week at the Consumer Electronics Showcase (CES 2016).

At that event, Under Armour’s CEO and founder, Kevin Plank unveiled a number of new products that are headed into the brand’s series called “Connected Fitness.” Currently, Nike is holding the lead position in the global sportswear industry and that spot is considered to be quite a solid one. Last year, that brand reported over $30 billion in revenues, with $7.69 billion in sales having been generated exclusively within the most recent fiscal quarter.

However, when it comes to wearable technology, specifically, rivals such as Under Armour are stepping in.

With a growing range of wearables in the form of high quality apparel and footwear, Under Armour is taking aim and is hoping to become a force to reckon with. It could be that this strategy may one day shake Nike’s stance on the top platform in the market.

It doesn’t come a surprise that Under Armour feels that one of its top drivers in reaching its $7.5 billion sales target by 2018 is in the use of “Connected Fitness” and wearables. At the same time, many have found Under Armour’s speed of investment into this type of technology to be rather surprising. The reason is that it does leave the impression that the company has jumped from an idea in a business plan right into an actual series of products.

At the core of the brand’s wearable technology plan is the “UA HealthBox”, which includes a sports band upon which pretty much everything else is based. It tracks daily physical activity, heart rate and sleep. The HealthBox also includes a scale that is WiFi equipped and that reads both body weight and fat percentage.

Nike could play a role in Apple’s plans for wearable devices in the relatively near future

Nike CEO Mark Parker recently made comments suggesting that the acclaimed sports accessories company may soon be partnering with Apple. This partnership may result in the development of a new smart watch that will be equipped with several features associated with athletics. Rumors concerning Apple’s foray into the field of wearable technology have been circulating for some time, but the famed technology company has been very modest in releasing information concerning such efforts.

Company intends to move away from hardware in order to focus more on software

Nike has also shown that it is disinclined to reveal information concerning its future interests in wearable devices and its potential partnerships with other companies. The company has recently announced that it will be exiting the manufacture of wearable devices after the lackluster performance of its FuelBand device. Instead, Nike is keen to focus on the software that such devices use. This software could find a home in a wide range of wearable devices that could be released in the future, particularly those developed by Apple.

Large tech companies are becoming more aggressive with the idea of wearable devices

Wearable technology has become a subject of interest in the tech field. More companies are beginning to develop devices that they believe will revolutionize the way people interact with each other and their surroundings. Google Glass is one such device that is meant to quite literally change the way people see the world around them. Samsung has also been involving itself in the development of smart watches that have strong social media potential.

Large companies may see a great deal of benefit through partnerships with their smaller counterparts

While large technology companies are becoming more aggressive when it comes to wearable devices, they are discovering that they must partner with others in order to ensure that these devices are successful. Nike may not be well known for its wearable devices, but the company is certainly in a position to drive up the appeal of devices that it is developing software for.