A special edition of the Apple Watch is about to arrive, so if you own the Watch already, what will you miss out on?
Apple has long had a pretty solid relationship with Nike, from when the duo first came together in 2006 with the first tiny health wearable gadget made for the shoes, the Nike+. Made for the iPod — yes, the iPod, not the iPhone — this trapped distance and pace of runners in supported Nike shoes, a first for the industry before Apple started taking the smartphone world by storm.
That was just the beginning, and since then we’ve seen apps and a wrist-based wearable from Nike, but now Apple and Nike are teaming up again for something else.
Specifically it’s an Apple Watch, but one made for Nike, arriving in the form of the Apple Watch Nike+, a collaboration between the two companies in what appears to be a resurfacing of the original “Nike+” brand.
“Apple and Nike share a passion to make life easier and more fun and we’re excited to bring a great running experience to consumers around the world,” said Nike’s Trevor Edwards.
“Apple Watch Nike+ with Nike+ Run Club app combine to deliver a powerful device with a simple running solution for all athletes and is another example of Nike’s commitment to bringing innovative products to the market.”
Technically, Nike doesn’t appear to have made any major changes to the product made by Apple, with the Nike edition of the Apple Watch sitting in the same “Series 2” design announced a month ago, arriving with a new processor, water resistance, and a brighter display than last year, complete with the aluminium casing made for Series 2’s entry model.
And that’s what it technically is: the entry level Series 2 variant, but with some added sprucing up from Nike, meaning you get bits that the regular Apple Watch owners won’t get.
So what will Nike+ Apple Watch owners see different from their regular watch friends and family?
Faces and watch-bands, and that’s about it.
Yes, the main difference between the regular Apple Watch and the Nike edition is that the latter of these receives a few sporty watch faces not found on any other watch, while also arriving with special Nike watch bands which — much like the watch faces — won’t be made available to regular buyers.
Otherwise, it’s all the same device, except for the fact that you won’t have the Nike+ app pre-installed ready to go, but that one’s free, so it’s easy enough to do.
Pricing is spot on the same, that said, so if you’ve been looking at the Apple Watch but wanted to wait until the Nike model arrived, you’ll find it for $529 for the 38mm (small) model, while $579 will net you the 42mm (large) model.
And availability is from this Friday, with Apple Stores, its online presence, and Nike stores getting the watch from October 28.
