AdiPOWER Predator; adidas sells out. RIP power & accuracy

Passion for the Product- above me/footy guru
 T-shirt I made for an interview I had at adidas.

GOOD OLD DAYS...

Besides the hoopla that adidas has set the tone in 2011 by creating the lightest boot on the market, blah blah Lighter is not always better, market gimmicks make poor consumers believe that the lighter the boot the faster you are. You could put messinator and ronnie in a boot that weighs a ton and they are still going to be the fastest players on the pitch. Let me make this clear, players make the boot, the boot does not make the player. You can not teach speed and if you have ever truly been tackled so hard wearing these speed boots you will think twice about how light and rather focus on how much protection is this boot going to offer me. I am more concerned with one of the most popular boots of all time. A boot that changed the game of soccer in terms of technology, style, and comfort. A boot that in the past couple releases has begun to die little by little. What boot is on my mind....

The predator which at one time was the best boot you could buy, now days however people are walking right by it and going for the super light weight boot that looks like something you would wear to a ballet reception. Sure the trend is light weight boots, but I think the predator line has struggled to innovate and put their one of a kind technology what got them to soccer supremacy in the boot world on the back burner and focussed more on how light they could make the boot. With the new adiPower getting ready to hit a store near you, it will be interesting to see if this boot flops like the predator x did on the Footy market. The predator has always been a power boot, a boot that possess the technology to allow you to make that game changing cross or shot that changes the game. Again, the player makes the boot but the predator used to be that go to boot that elite players flocked to in order to raise their game or to get more power/accuracy around their shot. With adidas giving in and making the boots super light you have to think the power, technology, comfort, and protection this boot once produced is now gone. Lighter is not always better and if you are an elite player you need a stable boot that provides comfort/protection in order to get you through your season. Back in college I would take knocks while wearing the vapors and playing a Friday, Sunday schedule it would be hard to recover if I had a bone bruise at the top of my foot...

In the end, only time will tell but in my opinion the past couple of predators have taken a back seat to innovation. I think the power swerve technology is a interesting technology and something that combined with a new upper/rubber knobs then the predator could be the power boot that elite players go to. Making the predator lighter is not the option that I would have taken the series and if adidas was smart they would make a power boot/hybrid that was the weight of 9 oz that packed power behind your shot. I can not imagine how much power of increase in surface area you can get with a boot that weighs 5.8 oz. Should be interesting how consumers perceive this boot and technology. I still believe this boot has all the tools it needs to be the power boot it used to be but ultimately I believe adidas sold out and followed the trend of making a boot as light as possible with a sticker on the boots that says defenders please step on my foot, I have no protection.

Issues i see on the adiPOWER Predator?

How much protection will these boot provide?
RIP power, accuracy? Will this boot be a game changer or has all the technology gone into making it as light as possible?
How durable is this boot going to be? With the sprint frame outsole will the cleats be snapping like they did on the F50?
Will this be the boot/predator that people take a chance on, or will it flop like the predator X?

From the fans of the predator, are you happy where adidas has taken the predator line?

Consumer feedback regarding this post:

"Just checked out your newest blog.....love the Predator t-shirt.

Also love the post. Predators are may favorite footy boots of all time; CTR is 2nd though I have never used them; but appreciate the concept and reviews that I have read about them.

My favorite Predators are the Pulse's. I have a pair of the lower level ones and love them.
I also love the PowerSwerve ones with the ClimaCool technology (love the black and white color).

I am really disappointed in the direction Adidas has taken Predators. I thought their new release was a chance to get back to their roots and make up for the mistakes they made with Predator X........I think adiPower just took an even larger dent out of the Predator legacy. Predators are not meant to be a speed boot. they are pure power and control plain and simple. They are trying too hard to be something they are not; which is very disappointing."

-Anonymous

Nike Vapor Superfly III

Keep in mind that these are just hand made samples, but from the looks of it Nike will stick with the same design  on the next release of the Superfly series. Besides a change in the color which is expected from Nike it looks like this boot will come in three different colors, include Nike sense studs, fly wire, carbon fiber out sole and teijin microfiber leather.


Changes/Profitability for Superfly III:

• Take away the Nike sense studs; great idea but poor execution. If the pros are not wearing it then there must be stud pressure, poor traction, etc.
• Make a leather/kanga lite version of the boot. Bring something different to the table.
• Put together a hybrid boot which consists of multiple vapors of the past. Have spoken with many elite players and some of the best vapors in the mercurial silo were the I, II, III version of the boot. 
• Make a hyrbid version of the vapor with the Tiempo lite series.
• Drop the price, the hype has faded and there is no longer a demand for a $400 boot. 

I'm off the planet series: Post #2 by Footy guru:

I'm off the planet series: Post #2 by Footy guru:

This week I again focussed on developing a boot for Nike and with this development idea I focussed my effort on the Tiempo series. This boot would be Tiempo inspired in that it would be a classic boot in terms of look, style, comfort and most importantly price. Over the past two years like a lot of Nike boots, I believe in terms of comfort, style, and performance the Tiempo series has taken a back seat like the total 90 and vapor Series. These styles have changed color but from a consumer stand point me and the rest of the world are hungry for new styles, ideas, concepts, and technology from Nike.

My idea is to create a boot that caters to the classic/old school footballers that want the touch and feel of a k leather boot with out the sparkle and flash that most todays football boots offer. Sometimes less is more and with this idea Nike could satisfy a lot of consumers needs and steal consumers from adidas because like the rest of the companies adidas is making boots more narrow and lighter. For example, I am testing the current adiPURE IV and it seems more narrow then the last one which is cause for concern.

I feel that the mold of the current Tiempo limits footballers with wider feet. Those footballers with wider feet then turn to PUMA, Kelme, and sometimes Diadora. My idea is to create a boot called the INTERNATIONAL that is full grain k leather that has off center lacing and a similar last to that of a CTR. The asymmetrical would provide a cleaner striking surface and offer the boot a unique look unlike Nike has produced yet. It would be a clean design with either molded or bladed studs and feature no tongue to help aid in looks/style. Furthermore, i Imagine a full grain k leather boot that is black and white, has a wider footbed and is at the price point of a staggering $130. This boot would be simple; a k leather upper, wider forefoot and Nike is able to compete with the adiPURE from adidas. Sometimes less is more, and I think a k leather boot that is wider, splashed with the swoosh at a staggering $130 would fly off the shelf.

In the end, I am just using my imagination and believe a this would be popular for consumers and give Footy folks with a wider foot a chance to wear Nike. All the Nike boots are so narrow or are splashed with technology. What happened to just a normal k leather boot that the weekend warrior or the old professional could wear? Next week I will be coming up with a boot for adidas that involves a twist that I believe could be a banger!

Specs:
Name: International
Category: Classic Performance
Positions: forward, midfield
Upper: K leather
Weight: 9 oz.
Inspiration: Eric Cantona, classic boot style,look, and feel.
Creator: Footy Guru

Specs of the Nike CTR 360 II