"When you go to Burger King you can have it your way, Starbucks makes the coffee the way you like it and with the iPod you can listen only to music you like. We think the consumer is ready for true customization in shoes as well.”
Bill McInnis (Director of Technology, Reebok)
Reebok introduces the Pump 2.0 … a shoe that automatically inflates and adapts to your feet for a truly individual fit. According to reports, the shoe maintains a maximum of five pounds per square inch and after feet swell from running/walking, the shoe will adjust to accordingly to keep the pressure steady.
Cool. Too bad I rarely wear sneakers.
It's about time. The shoe industry has been plagued with one inherit problem for DECADES now - a lack of standardization.
Nothing is more annoying that not knowing what your exact shoe size is. Am I a 10? 10.5? an 11? Well, in SOME Nike shoes I'm an 11, while in Reeboks I'm a 10.5, but in some Adidas shoes I'm a flat 10.
In an industry that offers so many choices (cross trainers? running shoes? tennis shoes? basketball shoes?), it's incredible that the sizes of the shoes have yet to be truely standardized. Sure, they all use the same system (dating back to King Edward II of England in 1274), but they never really follow each other.
Hopefully, this will change things.
Posted by: Ryan | November 12, 2004 at 10:13 AM
Why doesn't Nike manufacture sneakers in wide widths? I buy New Balance for this very reason. I prefer the "look" of Nike compared to other brands and would sooner buy a pair of Nikes vs. New Balance if they offered wide widths. Does anyone else face the same problem as me?
Posted by: lcalareso | November 29, 2004 at 09:58 AM
ok. i simply can't resist saying this...
wear the shoes you like!
kindly,
kirsten
Posted by: kirsten | December 01, 2004 at 03:23 PM