GPS for tracking own routes

Nike Flagship, Omotesando

In its nearly 40-year history, Nike had become the undisputed leader in sportswear industry. Though I rarely enter its flagship at Omotesando even though their windows displays are always fancy. I'm not that excited for sportswear mainly because it doesn't keep up with ready-to-wear fashion trends. My clothes aren't co-ordinated with their sport shoes easily.

When I first heard the phrase 'Nike+ GPS', I wasn't impressed. Fashion hardly links to high technology, even though we always speak of functional wear which maybe contains 2-ways or 3-ways features or outstanding fabrication by using innovative materials. The old device called Nike+ iPop has the function that user could measures and records the distance and pace of a walk or run. I wonder why we need GPS for shoes? Why we have to keep recording our own routes?

Speaking of Nike+ GPS App itself, it's surely better than Nike+iPop Sport Kit which includes a separate shoe sensor that you no longer need it for Nike+ GPS App. It seems many runners welcome the new design and feel fun to have the new app that includes some social network features connecting with twitter or facebook.

Anyway back to the point of GPS, it's hard to imagine having it with other fashion brands, such as Chanel, Doir or Prada. What I want to say is appeal industry typically is about fashion trends for colors, patterns or materials, but not engage high-tech features.

From what I see, more people use the App and Nikeplus.com, Nike can collect more data about the runners' habits for developing better products in the future. But as a runner, does he really need GPS to record the run routes besides tracking of distance, speed, altitude and time?