You may have seen this iWatch concept floating around the web. Its Nike FuelBand design is unmistakable and it did make us wonder: could Apple and Nike have a lot of overlap in their wearables?
It's a question we also posed to Nike's VP of Digital Sport, Stefan Olander. Does Nike think that Apple is finding inspiration from what Nike is doing with its wristwear, given the close relationship between the two companies?
"I hope they are," he told us. "We learned a lot from them with regards to designing simple experiences. I think we can bring a lot of value as it comes to designing for the body in motion."
Research in motion
"Hopefully there's something we can do with what we've done here that can inspire [an Apple watch] to be good for movement," he added.
We previously heard word that Apple had hired Ben Shaffer, former innovation leader at Nike, and Jay Blahnik, a health and fitness instructor who consulted on the FuelBand for Nike.
Olander didn't admit to knowing anything about Apple's iWatch plans but said he expects Nike and Apple to continue their healthy partnership into the future, learning from one another when it comes to wearable tech.
"In the wearable space we can just continue the way we've been partnering in the past in a really meaningful way," said Olander.
"I don't think Apple is the kind of company that copies anyone else. They're going to come out with their own solution."
- We took the Nike FuelBand SE out for a whirl. Here's our early verdict.
