Apple and Nike may expand their partnership in the future with new products, if a recent interview is anything to go by.
The two companies have had a strong relationship for a good while now, collaborating to combine technology with design for compelling products. The Nike+ running initiative, for instance, was one of the first products to emerge from this partnership between Apple and Nike. As a reminder, the product started out with a tiny chip housed in a running shoe, allowing users to pair it with an iPod.
With the launch of the Apple Watch, that collaboration has reached new dimensions and has resulted in a neat Nike+ Running app (see image above) for Apple's wearable gadget. In a recent interview with CNBC, Nike CEO Mark Parker said the Apple Watch delivers a "great experience," and said his company is "excited about the potential that the Apple - Nike relationship has."
While it doesn't mention any specific plans, this comment does hint at more exciting products that would stem out of this partnership. At the same time, not too long ago Nike decided to exit the wearable device market and stop making any more hardware, instead choosing to focus on developing more apps and services for existing devices.
When the interview focused on this decision to ditch hardware for software, Parker said that Nike is already working on new fitness apps.
"We're continuing to develop apps and experiences, and we're working with Apple and others as well," Parker said, adding "there will be more from Apple and Nike."
While Parker suggested that those apps and services would work with Android as well, not just Apple's platform, some of his comments indicated that Apple may benefit from some special treatment.
It's also worth pointing out that Apple CEO Tim Cook is part of Nike's Board of Directors, which further indicates a strong relationship with Nike. Moreover, last year Apple also employed many engineers from Nike when the latter decided to kill off its FuelBand division, and they worked on the Apple Watch.
It remains unclear at this point whether this collaboration between Apple and Nike will birth new fitness apps or deeper integration between the two companies' products and services, but time will tell.
