Nike recently discontinued Nike Fuel bands and fired a bunch of related staff. However, President and CEO Mark Parker said the company still plans to be a part of wearables going forward through partnerships to create more reach for the existing Fuel system. Does this mean that Nike is out of the fitness tracking wristband business? Is Nike going to concentrate on software and apps and let others figure out the hardware? Or, does it mean that fitness tracking wristbands were a fad? Nike may stand for excellence in sports and fitness, but Nike Fuel did not stand for excellence in fitness tracking technology. Its unique combination of hardware and software was an experiment in fitness tracking, but Fuel points were an arbitrary metric that helped you accomplish nothing. It may be a sign that fitness tracking wristbands a fad, but the Quantified Self movement – of which fitness tracking wristbands are only one small part – is going to be here for long while. So get ready: this is just the beginning.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.