Samsung's Gear S is the first third-party smartwatch to get Nike+
Samsung's Gear S smartwatch will come with a Nike+ Running app pre-installed that will take advantage of the device's large screen and cellular connection. — The Samsung Gear S was only announced earlier this week and it's already compiling a nice library of apps.
Context & Ripple Effects
Samsung's wearable line has been chasing a reason to exist since Businessweek's September 2013 verdict that the original Gear was 'a smartwatch in search of a purpose'. Two days after announcing the Gear S with 3G connectivity, a 2-inch screen, and Tizen, Samsung has landed the answer it wants most: Nike+ Running pre-installed, making the Gear S the first third-party smartwatch to carry the app.
The pickup was broad — Samsung Mobile Press, TechRadar, Computerworld, SlashGear, Trusted Reviews, Droid Life, Connectedly, and Telecompaper all ran the story on or about August 29 — which suggests both companies see the pairing as a launch-defining feature rather than a routine app port. Unconfirmed reports from earlier in the week also pointed to a circular Gear model and a SIM-enabled variant arriving alongside the Galaxy Note 4.
First-order effects
- Nike+ Running gains a standalone distribution point: on the Gear S's cellular connection, runs can be tracked and synced without a phone present, extending the service beyond devices Nike controls itself.
- Samsung's Tizen app library gets a marquee fitness brand at launch, directly addressing the 'no compelling apps' critique that has followed every Gear release since 2013.
Second-order effects
- Rival Android Wear watchmakers face pressure to match branded fitness pre-installs of their own, turning exclusive software partnerships into a competitive front alongside hardware specs.
- Carriers gain a new attach opportunity: a 3G smartwatch sold as a fitness-first device gives them a second connected-device line item alongside phones and tablets.
Third-order effects
- If fitness brands keep lending their software to third-party wearables, smartwatch competition shifts from hardware differentiation toward whose services ecosystem the wrist runs — with Samsung's rumored circular and SIM-enabled models suggesting it intends to keep buying exclusives.
- Pre-install deals like this make the watch a subscription-and-services surface, pushing value measurement toward revenue per active device rather than unit sales.
The trend: Smartwatch differentiation is moving from hardware specs to exclusive software partnerships, as Samsung uses Nike+ to give its Tizen-based Gear line the app credibility it has lacked since 2013.