According to an unnamed source that spoke to CNET, Nike is planning to stop making wearable hardware. The company also fired the majority of the 80-person team responsible for the FuelBand fitness tracker. Instead the company will be focusing on fitness software.
The competition in the fitness wearable category has increased thanks to products from Jawbone and Fitbit. Samsung has also just entered the market with the Galaxy Gear Fit, and Apple is expected to include various fitness related features in the upcoming iWatch. Nike and Apple have had a strong relationship over the years, with Tim Cook frequently wearing a FuelBand and he has sat on the Nike board for the past nine years. It’s possible that the two companies might be working together on an upcoming wearable device.
Apple has been hiring various members of Nike’s Digital Sport team, including former FuelBand consultant Jay Blahnik and design director Ben Shaffer. Apple might be picking up some new employees to work on the iWatch from the significant amount of recently unemployed FuelBand team.
