With Nike discontinuing the Adapt BB app in August 2022, the future functionality of these $350 power-lacing basketball sneakers faces challenges common with smart shoes.
Nike’s $350 Adapt BB self-lacing basketball shoes are losing their accompanying smartphone app control in August 2022. What does this mean for the future of smart shoes with electronics embedded in them?
Nike’s high-tech self-lacing basketball shoes, the Nike Adapt BB, are losing key functionality in August 2022 as Nike retires the smartphone app that allowed wearers to control the fit and custom lighting. But even without the app, the core self-lacing technology still works. So where does this leave the future of Adapt BB and Nike’s vision for smart shoes?
Nike Adapt BB App Discontinued After August Firmware Updates
When the Nike Adapt BB shoes launched in 2019 for $350, owners could use the accompanying app or buttons on the shoes to adjust light color, lace tension, power on/off, and more. But Nike has confirmed that on August 6th, 2022, the app will be removed from app stores and become non-functional in future iOS and Android OS updates.
For those who already installed the app, limited functionality will remain at first. But down the road, even existing users will lose features like:
- Customizing the LED color lights on the sneakers
- Saving and switching between shoe preset tightness levels
- Software updates to improve performance
This reflects the reality of building smart apparel and shoes: the components inside may keep working for years after a company stops actively maintaining compatibility.
While the lights and presets will go away without the Nike Adapt app, core functions like motorized self-lacing will continue working via manual buttons on the basketball sneakers even after app retirement:
- Turn power on/off
- Check battery level
- Tighten/loosen laces
- Store 1 tightness preset
So the base self-lacing technology isn’t disappearing — just some of the fancier features. Let’s look closer at what this decision signals about Nike’s future plans…
Part of Nike Scaling Back the Adapt Self-Lacing Line Broadly
In their press release about the app discontinuation, Nike noted they “will not be bringing new Adapt devices to market.”
The Adapt BB was actually the third iteration of shoes featuring Nike’s FitAdapt power-lacing system. The first Adapt model for general release were running shoes in 2017, building on limited runs of the HyperAdapt 1.0 and legendary auto-lacing Mags inspired by Back to the Future.
4 years after those running shoes, and 3 years after the Adapt BB specifically, it seems Nike is pivoting resources away from the niche market of smartphone-integrated self-lacing footwear:
- The niche appeal and high $350 price of past models likely kept sales below expectations
- Maintaining the app long-term costs Nike engineering resources
- Some customers had issues with reliability in early models
There are likely still patent-protected elements of the Adapt technology Nike continues investing in for future exploration. But mainstream plans for follow-up self-lacing shoes seem halted for now.
At over $200 more than performance basketball shoes without power laces, the market for the Adapt BB model specifically was inherently limited. However, Nike’s choice to discontinue the app does highlight disappointing realities in the emerging world of smart clothing overall…
Challenges Facing the Future of Smart Shoes and Apparel
Products integrating electrical components and smart technology face inherent obstacles compared to simpler wearables:
- Longer useful lifespans – Quality shoes can be worn consistently for 5+ years
- Higher development costs – Creating functional e-materials and mobile apps requires significant R&D
- Component degradation over decades of real-world use
- Changing mobile operating systems – Will that iPhone app still work in iOS 19?
- Lack of upgradability for out-of-production items
When a company like Nike discontinues support, fashion-forward smart apparel becomes technology-backward. And unlike buying a classics pair of Jordans on resale, used self-lacing shoes with an outdated app lose core functionality most buyers expect.
Ultimately, while Nike isn’t completely abandoning novel implementations of technology like power laces, re-focusing on athletics-forward performance shoes without costly electronic maintenance does make good business sense. However, for those excited by lightweight materials, adaptive fits personalized to their feet, and other innovations pioneered in lines like the Adapt BB, similar technologies could still return in future products if supported by less maintenance-heavy implementations.
Because at only a few years old, most Adapt BB sneakers still have good years of battery and motor function left for lace adjusting enjoyment – just without fancy smartphone controls after later this year.
You Can Still Get Self-Lacing Adapt BBs While They Last
Nike isn’t currently selling more Adapt BB stock, but remaining inventory is still widely available for the original $350 MSRP at online retailers like FinishLine and StockX. So you still have a chance to experience Nike’s real-world power lacing performance:
- Snug fit secured by automated lacing motors
- Visually slick with programmable LEDs shining through the transparent mesh
- Onboard buttons so you can tighten laces or show off flashing lights on command without reaching for your phone
And again, while the mobile app unlocks bonus features, it’s not required for core functionality of power lacing and lighting these were advertised to have. So as long as units are still sealed in retail packaging rather than reliant on past owners charging properly, Adapt BBs purchased now can expect solid self-lacing user experiences for a long while.
Nike isn’t fully abandoning cool tech in footwear – power lacing pioneered by the HyperAdapt and Adapt lines clearly still captures consumer imagination. So I’d predict to see patents and material science innovations from the Adapt project resurface when they can be combined with more maintainable software for maximum profitability down the road.
Try Self-Lacing for Yourself Before App-Controlled Features Sunset
I’d personally recommend any athletic shoe geeks out there to order Nike Adapt BBs while box-fresh pairs are still available this year. Even if Nike itself moves away from power lacing for a while, other brands will keep experimenting with automated fit and related technologies in basketball, running, and lifestyle shoes for years to come.
But a brand new condition pair lets you independently evaluate the core on-foot experience of motor-powered snugness + quick loosenability that may one day redefine athletic footwear:
- Do the internals holding tension stand up to hard cuts on the blacktop court?
- How does the sound of motors and sensation of custom tightness around your feet impact the joy of lacing up shoes themselves?
If nothing else, getting to evaluate the early strengths and weaknesses of Nike’s now 3-years-and-counting self-lacing journey offers unique insight into the future trajectory of functional smart shoes as a category.
So don’t just brush the Adapt BB off as an overpriced gadget shoe defeated by planned obsolescence – their push the boundaries of clothing+technology fusion will provide key learning to spur the next wave of promising innovation in the world where bits meet atoms at the end of your legs.
What questions about Nike Adapt BB self-lacing shoes remain on your mind as broader app support sunsets? Share any thoughts or reactions in the comments below!
What do you think about the Nike Adapt BBs situation? Ask any other questions or share your thoughts in the comments!
