Nike (NKE) hasn't been in the wearables game for two years now, while Apple (AAPL), Fitbit (FIT) and Under Armour (UA) are diving deeper into the space. The athletic apparel titan seems content to focus on its Nike+ app, but a May 3 patent for an "athletic watch" might indicate otherwise.
The patent's images look a lot like its TomTom-powered Nike+ SportWatch GPS, but that product has already been discontinued. Is the company tinkering with something else?
"It definitely seems that Nike is keeping its options open on this front," said Macquarie analyst Laurent Vasilescu.
Including expired patents, Nike holds more company-filed patents than Lockheed Martin, Pfizer and Ford Motor. And those documents can sometimes reveal a lot about a company's product strategy.
"While Apple's not the largest patent filer ... it's relatively easy to gauge what their next product cycle might look like by looking at Apple's patent applications. And I think that also holds true for Nike and Under Armour," Envision IP Managing Attorney Maulin Shah told IBD.
For a more in-depth look at Nike and Under Armour's patent filings and the secrets they reveal, check out this week's print edition of Investor's Business Daily or read it here.
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