Reebok releasing the Pump 2.0..

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

By MARK JEWELL, AP Business Writer

 

BOSTON - Hoping to build on the success of a shoe that generated big sales but also was ridiculed when it was introduced 15 years ago, Reebok Inc. on Wednesday rolled out a next- generation high-tech sneaker with a name that takes a cue from computer software launches: the Pump 2.0.

 

The shoe features an air chamber that molds itself to the shape of the wearer's foot. But unlike its Pump predecessor, the new shoe inflates itself automatically after you put it on and take a few steps.

 

Industry analysts say the Pump 2.0, which retails for $100, and recent high-tech offerings from Nike Inc. and other rivals reflect a shift toward performance shoes and away from relatively inexpensive retro sneakers that are throwbacks to bold 1970s designs.

 

"The pendulum has started to swing away from retro shoes a bit," said Mitch Kummetz, an analyst for D.A. Davidson & Co. in Lake Oswego, Ore. "A couple of years ago, that was really all the consumer was interested in.

 

"The retro market is not going away entirely, but I think it will not grow as quickly as the performance area."

 

Beaverton, Ore.-based Nike has recently enjoyed success with its high-end Shox line shoes, which feature cushioning technology that the industry giant spent years developing.

 

Designers at Reebok, with about $3.5 billion in sales last year compared with Nike's $12 billion, spent three years coming up with the next generation of the Pump.

 

The original version introduced in November 1989 was inflated with the press of a pump button on the shoe's tongue. The new Chinese-produced 2.0 silently inflates itself after you slip into it and take about five steps.

 

A pump actuator in the heel is compressed with each step until an air bladder molds itself around the foot. A valve on the upper heel prevents inflation greater than five pounds per square inch — the optimal pressure point for a custom fit, according to the shoe's designers. The valve can be pressed to release air and loosen the shoe.

 

Reebok hopes to recapture some of the success of the original version, which, despite its initial $179 price, was the most successful product launch in the Canton-based company's history. Reebok sold 20 million pairs of Pumps in the first four years.

 

While many consumers puzzled over how an everyday item such as a shoe could be turned into something so complex, the novelty of inflatable shoes helped the Pump gain widespread media attention and a hefty dose of ridicule.

 

Of course they'll get an NBA player to promote them, but it would be funny if they got John Cena to do commercials for them as well.

[Ted the Poster 0]

If Cena can't manually pump his shoes anymore... I fear that he might lose his smile.

[Eclipse 0]

That was then, this is now. Really, unless the shoe happens to benefit your feet somehow, this new generation won't buy it. I remember back then, when I was in first grade, in 1991-1992, mostly the little kids had the shoe. They were a fad basically...

[Nevermortal 0]

Does anyone remember the shoe with the CO2 cartridge you would squirt into there to pump it up? Now that was cool.

[The Tino Standard 0]

So lemme get this straight... They think the retro thing is starting to die off, but they're making a new shoe that is playing off nostalgia from its predecessor 15 years ago?

[Special K 0]

You know, I played football and had cleated pump high-tops, and they did protect the ankle pretty damn well. I'd imagine the same of the Basketball high-tops. Can't imagine what the low tops did for that tying the laces tight couldn't though.

 

EDIT: and they were $40! Thanks Big 5.

[Guest Shutterspeed]

$100 isn't bad at all - that's less than AU$200. I've bought many pairs of shoes that were more expensive than that.