Nike is killing it with its $350 self-lacing sneakers
In 2019, Nike got closer than ever to its dream of popularizing self-lacing sneakers by releasing BB Adaptation. Using Bluetooth, the sneakers pair with the Adapt app, allowing users to perform actions like tightening or loosening the laces and controlling the shoe’s LED lights. However, Nike has announced that the app will be “retired” on August 6, at which point users will no longer be able to download the app from Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store; the app will also not be updated.
In a recent announcement spotted by The VergeNike’s short explanation for the app’s discontinuation is that Nike “is no longer making new versions of Adapt shoes.” The company began notifying owners about the app’s discontinuation about four months ago.
People who have already purchased the shoes will still be able to use the app after August 6, but it is expected that an iOS or Android update will eventually render the app unusable. Additionally, people who purchase new devices will not be able to download Adapt after August 6.
Without the app, wearers can’t change the color of the sneakers’ LED lights. The lights will stay at the last color selected via the app, or, according to Nike, “if you don’t have the app installed, the lights will be the default color.” While owners can still use the buttons on the shoe to turn the shoe on or off, check the battery, adjust the laces’ tightness, and save fit settings, the ability to change the lights and control the shoe via a mobile phone is the big selling point of the $350 shoe.
While the Adapt BB is Nike’s third iteration of a self-lacing sneaker and its most popular to date, the sneaker looks set to suffer from some of its most heavily marketed features being broken. Nike still maintains other mobile apps that tie directly into the shoe’s functionality, like a shopping app and the Run Club app for tracking runs.
Sneaker enthusiasts disappointed
Adapt BB owners shared their disappointment after hearing the news. One Reddit user claimed to own multiple pairs of the shoes. call “super bullshit” news, while another described it as “extremely disappointed”.
Some expect that Nike will open source the app so customers can maintain the original, full functionality of the shoe. But Nike has yet to share any plans to do so. Ars Technica asked the company about this but did not receive a response by press time.
A guy named Maverick-1776 on Reddit Written:
Taizan of Reddit speak Companies like Nike should “provide alternatives or disclose products to the public when they do these things,” it said, adding: “Sustainability also includes maintaining past products, whether digital or not.”
“I’m out. Leave them alone.”
It may not surprise some people that Nike is trying to commercialize shoes from Back to the Future Part II has hit a wall. For example, Nike also discontinued NikeConnect, its $200 app that was announced in 2017 that Turn wearers into marketing gold.
Casual sneakerheads will overlook the Adapt BB’s flashy features, but the shoe has inherent flaws that may frustrate sneakerheads. For example, it doesn’t take long to update the recommended software. ruin the shoesincluding making them unwearable for anyone who tried to tighten their laces. (At the time, Nike said the issue only affected a small number of owners.) Nike’s lack of experience with the technology played a role, as the company’s testing process reportedly failed to take into account all the different phone models in use and their varying Bluetooth capabilities.
