Nike is preparing to unveil a new pair of self-lacing basketball shoes that can be tightened using a smartphone app.
In a video teaser posted to Twitter ahead of an event on January 15, the sportswear giant appeared to show the new tech in action.
The 37-second ‘future of the game’ teaser featured stars from the NBA and WNBA – including Jason Tatum of the Boston Celtics – reacting to using the shoe/smartphone combination for the first time.
Nike’s event will take place at 8am EST (1pm UK time) tomorrow, so we don’t have to wait very long to see what the company has in store. It will be live streamed on the @NikeBasketball account.
The game will never be the same.
Tune in tomorrow at 8AM EST. @nikebasketball pic.twitter.com/4LrJGpPDY6
— Nike (@Nike) January 14, 2019
The event comes just a couple of weeks after Nike hinted that its HyperAdapt self-lacing sneakers would be making a return in 2019 and for much less than the $720-a-pair it asked for the 2016 first-generation product.
During the company’s most recent earnings call, CEO Mark Marker said the next-gen basketball shoe will be available for around $350.
He said: “I’m excited to announce that in the new year we’ll launch a new adaptive performance platform in basketball at the $350 price point. We have a smart shoe designed for the perfect fit, and it’s a major step in advancing and connecting our digital transformation to product.”
These will be the the first mainstream (if you can call $350-a-pair mainstream) shoes to boast the tech first floated by the Nike Air Mag shoes in Back to the Future Part II in 1985. Of course, Marty McFly didn’t need a smartphone to tighten his shoes.
Nike isn’t leaving a lot to the imagination in its teaser, but we can’t wait to see what the company has in store.
Will you be saving your pennies for a pair of 2nd-gen HyperAdapt trainers? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
