Adidas just made available its latest Health & Fitness product from the miCoach line – miCoach Smart Run Watch. This is Adidas’ first wearable watch, but it is not the first wearable health & Fitness product. Previous products include the X_Cell (clipped to a waist or chest), Speed_Cell (shoe insert), and the Heart Rate Monitor (strapped to the chest). All three products sync seamlessly with a mobile phone via the Adidas MiCoach Multi-Sport App or the miCoach Mobile App.
Both of the apps are valuable tools for capturing the user’s personal performances while working out or participating in a sporting event. The miCoach Multi-Sport App is designed to help users capture physical abilities based on what sport the user is participating in including vertical leaps, quickness, running speed, etc. The app requires a connection with the X_Cell or Speed_Cell and is only available to Apple users. The miCoach Mobile app is similar in functionality to the Multi-Sport app, but the major difference is the apps availability (available for iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows users) and it connects with the Speed_Cell and the Heart Rate Monitor.
The miCoach Smart Run is a complete all-in-one health & fitness tool – training guides, performance tracker, music player, etc. Unlike Adidas’ top competitor’s, Nike, product the Smart Run sports a colored touch screen for easy viewing pleasure and an intuitive swipe capability that allows users to quickly change displays or drag and drop song selections. Smart Run syncs via Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity headset for listening pleasures and operates on the Android Jelly Bean 4.1.1.
The device has a few set-backs and perhaps the most important is the need to be connected to a WLAN signal for setup and data transfer. Adidas’ price point for the Smart Run is the other – it is set at $400. Compared to alternative products like the new Nike+ FuelBand SE ($149) and FitBit’s Force ($130) the Adidas product is pricey to say the least, but the other products do not offer similar features to the Smart Run, especially the color touch screen.
It is unclear if Adidas will follow Nike’s lead and allow third party developers to utilize API’s like Nike is doing with Nike+ Fuel Lab and the Nike+ Accelerator Program. Opening up to outside developers would help promote the device and with such a high price point it would make sense to open the doors otherwise Adidas risks staying niche.
I am beginning to wonder - How many industries can be crossed with one product? Since wearable devices have become popular it seems like one product covers a large number of industries and it is increasing. Adidas is a great example of the aforementioned question. The X_Cell goes from being a product that can be clipped to a waist band and then it transforms into the Speed_Cell shoe insert. If user demands are for a fully functional device that works all the time than it isn’t exactly fashionable for users to wear specifically designed sports equipment on the hip or in special shoes. Logically watches make sense, so now it impacts the fashion industry in addition to the smartphone industry, and the health & fitness industry. All Adidas needs to do now is start its own music service, or partner with one, so it can directly impact the music industry. That might not be as crazy as it sounds – in the report A Vertical View of Health & Fitness Apps we found that most of the apps integrate with music, and having music integrated into a wearable device means the user doesn’t have to take a bulky smartphone with them on a run just to hear some motivating tunes. Don’t rule a move like this out!