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Apple examined Nike sports watches in the mid 2000's

By Alan Friedman

Published: Mar 04, 2013, 5:44 PM

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The Nike Presto Digital Bracelet

With it becoming clearer and clearer that Apple is going to be launching a smartwatch later this year, word has spread that the Cupertino based tech titan's Senior Vice President of Design, Jony Ive, ordered boxes of Nike sports watches in the 2000's as Apple looked to study the manufacturing process and the materials used.

Former Nike Creative Director Scott Wilson sent the watches to Ive and thought that they were being used by Apple as gifts for its employees. Wilson said that Nike just sent them off to Ive. The models involved were the Nike Presto Digital Bracelets and the aluminum Oregon Series Alti-Compass watches." The watches were from Nike's 2002-2004 line up. When an Apple employee called Wilson to ask about the materials being used, the former Nike executive said that he realized that Apple was conducting research.

"This meshes up with their research in watch manufacturing during that timeframe which has been documented in previous stories. They definitely drew upon watch industry techniques and manufacturing in their products since the first iPhone. Interesting that it may come full circle to an actual iWatch at some point."-Scott Wilson, former Nike Creative Director

source: AppleInsider

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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