Imagine what a pair of shoes made by Apple would look like? Minimalist and at the same time packing some bleeding edge technology. They could have Apple's unmatched integration with other Apple devices such as your iPhone or your Apple Watch and show some vital information such as your step-count, calories burnt and your weight on their screens - read Apple Ecosystem.
Or maybe they could use your biomechanical energy and convert it into electricity that could be used to charge your iPhone, or maybe they will come with Siri integration and you could command the shoes to self-lace. Just kidding!
As far fetched as these "iSneaker" ideas may seem, there have been plenty of unconfirmed rumors about a supposed smart shoe that Apple could be working on. And while it seems pretty unlikely that Apple could do something like Xiaomi and launch a smart shoe, the Cupertino-based tech giant actually did try its luck with apparels and sportswear in the early '90s, including a pair of Apple-branded sneakers.
The $10,000 'used' Apple Sneakers from 1990s
Now, we all know that die-hard Apple fans and collectors don't just want the latest iPhones from Apple. They will go to any length and will happily spend obscene amounts of money to get their hands on a piece of Apple's history, be it the original iPhone 2G in an unopened condition, or any Apple memorabilia such as its vintage merchandise made for its employees. Just recently, a pair of rare Apple Computer sneakers that were designed for Apple employees got sold for almost $10,000 at an auction.
The vintage Apple sneakers were listed on Heritage Auctions, which is the same auction house that handled the recent bidding and eventual sale of an extremely rare Nintendo Play Station prototype that got sold for a whopping $360,000.
The auction house listed a used pair of size nine-and-a-half Apple sneakers featuring the classic Apple rainbow logo embroidered on the side, as part of a collection of "Urban Art" pieces. According to the listing, the shoes which were "made by Apple" in the early 1990s, were only given out to their employees, which makes them one of the rarest sneakers in existence.
Despite the pair of sneakers being pre-worn and showing some minor wear and tear, they were otherwise in excellent condition, and attracted as many as 29 bids, going eventually to the highest bid of $9,687.
No takers for unused Apple sneakers
If you thought that is a ridiculously high price for a used pair of sneakers, a brand new pair of the same Apple sneakers was listed on Heritage Auctions back in June 2017 with a starting bid of $15,000. But unfortunately it didn't have any buyers - or should we say bidders.
The pair of sneakers in immaculate condition were one of two "never-worn prototypes" created by Adidas for Apple, according to the Heritage Auctions listing. Although they hit the auction block with a starting price of $15,000, they were expected to start a bidding war of sorts between Apple fanatics and "sneakerheads" and were expected to go for as much as at least $36,000. However, there were no bidders for the pair and they are still listed on Heritage Auctions website as "Not Sold."
Later that year, a different model of Apple sneakers got sold in "used condition" for over $10,000 at an auction. This suggests that people are more interested in shoes that were used by Apple employees.
Other popular Apple merchandise
Expensive sneakers are not the only sought-after Apple merchandise. There have been several other exclusive items from Apple's long history that have attracted insane bids at auctions and perhaps the most popular Apple merchandise with collectors are its apparels which include Apple t-shirts which Apple used to sell to its employees in the 1980's at an exclusive company store that was closed for public.
Other popular Apple collectibles include Macintosh hoodies and Apple merch from its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which will be taking place online this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
