Bluetooth iPod functionality days away

Damien pointed out the new Nike/Apple joint venture that was announced today, and mentioned that it seems to lend credence to the notion of an Apple-branded bluetooth* device for the iPod. After poking around the site a bit, I'd say that it's a lock see the update below.

Click "Overview" and watch the video. The actor plugs a "receiver" into the bottom of his iPod which, according to the site, "talks" to a transponder in the sneakers. As you run, software on the iPod relays information on your journey gathered by the transponder to your headphones, like total distance traveled, average pace, etc. You'll notice there's no cable traveling from the sneaks to the 'Pod (you can see a larger version of this snapshot plus another after the jump). In fact, this page contains the following quote:

"The receiver fits securely into the Dock connector on the bottom of your iPod nano. Wirelessly connected to the sensor in your Nike+ shoe, it receives up-to-the-second information as you run."

Now, it looks like it's the receiver that adds wireless functionality to the iPod, and not something built into the player itself (which makes sense, because who would want to buy a brand new nano just for this?). So, this setup will most likely only perform this single task wirelessly (note that the actor still uses wired headphones with the iPod). But once that receiver is in place, manufacturers (including Apple, of course) should be able to easily create accessories for it. Still, it's pretty cool. According to Nike, the kit will available in 60 days, but you can pre-order now.

*Update: Could be a false alarm on the bluetooth, folks. Further inspection has revealed that the sneaker transponder uses a 2.4 Ghz, proprietary
signal to transfer information to the iPod. Drat. Plus, "proprietary" sounds like "3rd party manufacturers won't be making headphones any time soon." Oh, well.




Share