Yahoo Finance Nike's $350 self-lacing sneaker is having an Android problem
The sneaker world waited with bated breath in anticipation of Nike’s futuristic self-lacing Adapt BB — and the now sold-out shoe retails for $350. Yahoo Finance tested the sneaker recently, and it worked just fine. However, some wearers are reporting that the app that controls the laces is malfunctioning on Android devices —and took to the Google Play store to complain:
“App will only sync with left shoe and then fail every time. Also, app says left shoe is already connected to another device whenever I try to reinstall and start over. Hope to give update once fixed” — Steve Craig.
“The app has less functionality than the iOS app, and the first software update for the shoe threw an error while updating, bricking the right shoe. needs serious work. can't believe nike put out a product that just feels rushed or unfinished. support has been useless thus far.” — Asa Domolky.
Folks on Twitter also got in on the action:
2019 starting strong: "The shoe fits well and true to size. However, the app is terrible. Won't connect to the left shoe"https://t.co/yKRFcLSN68
— Jonathan Warner🥑🚇🤖 (@Jaxbot) February 18, 2019
"This is a new technology that we have packaged on your foot — the focus from an engineering standpoint was durability and reliability,” said Narissa Chang, a senior mechanical engineer at Nike.
Going back to the future
The shoe pays homage to the tech that was first seen on the big screen in 1989’s “Back to the Future Part II” in which protagonist Marty McFly stepped into a pair of Nike-branded self-lacing sneakers. The shoe was just a prop, but they would eventually see the light of day in 2016 and become Nike Air Mags, which can be found on the resale market for a cool $45,000, give or take.
Later that year, Nike released the self-lacing “HyperAdapt,” which retailed for $750. Nike knew that the spirit of their customers was willing, but their pockets were weak — understandable for a shoe that came with such as hefty price tag. So Nike decided to make a self-lacing shoe that was more accessible to the masses, and with that, the Nike Adapt BB came to fruition.
More bad news for Nike
This could not have come at a worse time for Nike. Last night the world watched as Duke basketball star Zion Williamson’s Nike PG 2.5’s exploded when he slipped during a game against Duke. Nike says that they are investigating the “issue.” and told Yahoo Finance:
“We are seeing isolated connectivity issues related to the setup of the Nike Adapt BB and are actively working to resolve it. If a consumer experiences this, we encourage them to contact Nike Consumer Services.”
Reggie Wade is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @ReggieWade
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