Nike’s new sneaker requires recharging

Nike has found a new way to capture more information about its customers - through their sneakers.

At an event Tuesday called the 'Future of Footwear,” Nike unveiled a new shoe concept, called Nike Adapt, that tracks performance in real time, allowing the company to give weekend warriors athletic tips and also sell them more products.

'It's the start of a new day,” said Michael Donaghu, Nike's director of global footwear innovation. 'It's like we're moving from footwear to firmwear.”

The shoes, with their data-tracking capability, present customers with a choice about privacy - if they opt not to share their data, they'll miss out on a lot of the product's capabilities. The company is starting with basketball shoes, which will sell for $350.

The shoe self-tightens to an athlete's preference - there are no laces - and is adjustable via an app.

The products carry sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes that can give Nike a full, personalized snapshot of its owner's performance.

They'll need recharging every two weeks.

'It's like having two smartphones strapped to your two feet,” said Michael Martin, Nike's global head of digital products.

CEO Mark Parker discussed the new shoes in vague terms in December, calling it a 'major step” in taking Nike's new digital emphasis and embedding it into actual product.

Though Nike has seen rapid growth in apparel sales, shoes still accounted for 61 percent of the company's $36.4 billion in revenue last fiscal year.