Nike + iPod

The Nike+iPod Sports Kit is a device which measures and records the distance and pace of a walk or run. The Nike+iPod consists of a small accelerometer attached to or embedded in a shoe, which communicates with either the Nike+ Sportband, a receiver plugged into an iPod Nano, or directly with a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Generation iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4. If using the iPod or the iPhone 3GS, iTunes software can be used to view the walk or run history.

On September 7, 2010, Nike released the Nike+ GPS App, powered by MotionX that does not require the separate shoe sensor. This application works using the accelerometer and GPS of the iPhone and the accelerometer of the iPod Touch (which does not currently contain a GPS chip). It is $1.99/£1.19 in the App Store.

The sensor and iPod kit were revealed on May 20, 2006. The kit is able to store information such as the elapsed time of the workout, the distance traveled, pace, or calories burned by the individual wearing the shoes, and display it on the screen or broadcast it through the headphones of an iPod.

The sensor and Sportband kit was announced in April 2008. The kit allows users to store run information without the iPod Nano. The Sportband consists of two parts: a rubber holding strap which is worn around the wrist, and the receiver which resembles a USB key-disk. The receiver displays information comparable to that of the iPod kit on the built-in display. After a run, the receiver can be plugged straight into a USB port and the software will upload the run information automatically to the Nike+ website.

As of August 2008 "Nike+iPod for the Gym" launched, allowing users to record their cardio workouts directly to their iPods. No Sport kit or shoe sensor is required; all that is needed is a compatible iPod (1st–5th generation iPod Nano or 2nd/3rd gen iPod Touch) and an enabled piece of cardio equipment. As of March 2009, the seven largest commercial equipment providers were shipping enabled equipment (Life Fitness, Technogym, Precor, Star Trac, Cybex, Matrix and FreeMotion).


 The models of compatible cardio equipment include treadmills, Stationary Bikes, stair climbers, ellipticals, and others such as Precor's Adaptive Motion Trainer (AMT).


 Once the user syncs an iPod with iTunes, the cardio workouts are automatically stored at Nikeplus.com, where each workout is visualized and tracked based on the number of calories burned. The calories are converted to "CardioMiles", at a ratio of 100:1, allowing cardio users to take full advantage of all the tools and features of Nikeplus.com, and allow them to engage in challenges with other runners, walkers and cardio users, using a common currency.

With the release of the second-generation iPod Touch in 2008, Apple Inc. included a built-in Nike+ receiver which allowed the iPod to connect directly to the wireless sensor thus eliminating the need for an external receiver to be connected. Apple also added the built-in receiver to the iPhone 3GS (released 2009), iPhone 4 (2010), and third-generation iPod Touch (2009).