Columnist John Dvorak on Wednesday weighed in on Apple and Nike's joint announcement on Tuesday. He led off by stating that the companies teamed up "to produce an odd tennis shoe," neglecting to note that the announcement was actually about a device that will fit into the soles of shoes Nike has in development. The device transmits workout data to a receiver connected to an iPod nano, allowing users to hear it spoken to them through their headphones.

The product also enables joggers to press the center button on their iPods to hear their "Power Song," which is a pre-designated tune that will give them extra incentive to complete their run. "Does this sound a little nutty to anyone else but me?" Mr. Dvorak asked rhetorically, apparently unaware that iPods are used heavily by people who work out, many of whom may feel that a specific song can offer an adrenaline surge.

Despite his misgivings, however, Mr. Dvorak does believe that the Nike+iPod Sport Kit "will sell like hotcakes because right now Apple has the Midas touch." He thinks, though, that "this Midas touch may be leading in the opposite direction of the Macintosh computer the way I'm seeing things. I've already lamented about the over-emphasis on the iPod gizmo over the substantial Macintosh computer, but I could be missing the point altogether."

He then goes on state to that he thinks Apple CEO Steve Jobs "has by now surely admitted to himself that he is more of a cultural tastemaker than any sort of high-tech computer executive. He's not about management. He's about taste." As a result, he thinks Mr. Jobs is halfway to turning Apple "into an out-and-out fashion and accessories company."

He then goes on to offer the view that Apple could "go all out and design fabric, sheets, towels, home paint colors, custom cars, bikinis, bottles, eyeglass frames, lamps, toasters, pots and pans, and, well, the list is a long one ... Put these guys to work designing kitchen appliances. I'd buy whatever they dreamed up (maybe)."

Mr. Dvorak closed by bringing up the story of how Mr. Jobs supposedly wooed Pepsi CEO John Sculley to Apple by asking him if he wanted to "spend the rest of his life selling sugar water ... The irony here is that Jobs has become that sugar water salesman but hasn't noticed it yet. Let's face it, the iPod is sugar water of a different sort."

And Mr. Dvorak's readers should face the fact that he seems to be more interested in making provocative statements that will generate traffic to his columns than in assembling cogent arguments.