Brands
Nike drops India-exclusive Air Force 1 ‘Unmistakable’
MUMBAI: Nike is betting on Indian swagger. The sportswear giant has unveiled the Air Force 1 ‘Unmistakable’, an India-exclusive spin on one of its most enduring icons, aimed at a generation that blends sport, style and self-belief.
Born on basketball courts and adopted by street culture worldwide, the Air Force 1 returns in its classic ‘80s construction but with a distinctly Indian palette. Blue, orange, green and white lead the design, reflecting what Nike calls the confidence and ambition of India’s new wave of athletes.
The blue Swoosh, heel tab and outsole inject fresh energy into the silhouette, while a green “Just Do It” keychain nods to a win-at-all-costs mentality. The shoe keeps its signature leather upper, perforated toe box and Nike Air cushioning for durability, breathability and comfort. Nike says the sneaker is proudly made in India and positioned as a go-to style statement.
The marketing push leans heavily on star power. The AF1 ‘Unmistakable’ campaign features cricketers Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma and Shreyas Iyer, along with table-tennis player Manika Batra. Shot in grassroots sports academies in Mumbai and Jaipur, the campaign celebrates youth culture at the intersection of cricket and street style, drawing on each athlete’s story of resilience and success.
The shoe will first go on sale across India from 31 January 2026 on Nike.com, at Nike stores and through partner retailers.
Gill frames the drop as a symbol of persistence. “When the competition is this intense, the only thing you can control is how hard you keep going,” says Shubman Gill. “That’s the story of so many athletes in India, who are pushing past limits, creating their own opportunities. To me, the AF1 represents that belief that no matter the odds, you keep rising.”
He also calls it a salute to local talent. “The AF-1 Unmistakable is a great tribute from Nike to Indian athletes. I love that there’s a tag saying ‘Just Do It’ in green. When we were playing the Under-16s, we had a saying, “When in doubt with choosing a shoe, go with Air Force 1 because they always match, no matter what outfit you wear!”
Varma links the shoe to competitive fire. “As I look ahead to my year of cricket and competition, it is the confidence, passion and fighting spirit of Indian athletes and fans that I will be taking in with me as extra fuel,” says Tilak Varma. “To me, this AF1 comes at the perfect time, a nod to the uniqueness of Indians, born to ignore the odds and win anyway. I’m glad to have a style expression for this now.”
Iyer zeroes in on the design. “The blue sole and swoosh of the Nike Air Force 1 Unmistakable is so unique,” says Shreyas Iyer. “It also has a green and orange accent which is a tribute to all Indian athletes. It has the silhouette of the Nike Air Force 1, which has been the same since 1972. The green ‘Just Do It’ keychain goes so well with the shoe.”
Batra ties it to mindset. “Growing up, you had to work relentlessly for every step forward and often ignore the forces that might be working against your dream. That’s the mindset that shaped me, and it’s the mindset I see in so many young athletes across India,” says Manika Batra. “For me, AF1 reflects that attitude: staying resilient, trusting the grind, and turning every challenge into something bigger. You have to check them out, they’re so cool.”
Nike’s broader message is blunt: “If you have a body, you are an athlete.”
Based near Beaverton, Oregon, Nike remains the world’s largest designer and marketer of athletic footwear and apparel, with Converse as a wholly owned subsidiary.
For now, the spotlight is firmly on India. A global icon has been localised, laced in national colours and handed to a restless, rising market. In a country where sport is aspiration and style is currency, Nike is not just selling a shoe. It is selling belief, one step at a time.
Brands
Apple bites back: the $599 MacBook Neo is the cheapest Mac ever made
The tech giant unveils a budget laptop that packs a punch — and a lot of cheek
CALIFORNIA: Apple has never been shy about charging a premium. So when Cupertino rolls out a MacBook at $599 (approx. Rs 55,000) , it’s worth sitting up straight.
The MacBook Neo, unveiled Tuesday, is Apple’s most affordable laptop to date — undercutting its own MacBook Air and taking a sharp swipe at the budget PC market in one fell swoop. It starts at $499 for students, which, for a machine with Apple silicon inside, is frankly a steal.
At the heart of the Neo is the A18 Pro chip — the same muscle that powers the latest iPhones. Apple claims it is up to 50 per cent faster for everyday tasks than a rival PC running Intel’s Core Ultra 5, and three times quicker on on-device AI workloads. Fanless and featherweight at 2.7 pounds, it runs silently and promises up to 16 hours of battery life. Try doing that on a Chromebook.
The 13-inch liquid retina display clocks in at 2408-by-1506 resolution with 500 nits of brightness and support for billion colours — sharper and brighter, Apple says, than most rivals in this price band. It comes dressed in four colours: blush, indigo, silver, and a zesty new citrus, with matching keyboard shades to boot.
Connectivity is modest — two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 6 — but this is a budget machine, not a pro workstation. The 1080p FaceTime camera, dual mics with directional beamforming, and Spatial Audio speakers round out a package that punches well above its weight class.
Apple senior vice-president of hardware engineering John Ternus alled it “a laptop only Apple could create.” That’s the kind of line that makes rivals wince — because, annoyingly, he might be right.
The Neo runs macOS Tahoe, with Apple Intelligence baked in for AI writing tools, live translation, and the sort of on-device smarts that keep user data away from the cloud. It also boasts 60 per cent recycled content — the highest of any Apple product — for those who like their bargains with a side of conscience.
For $599, Apple isn’t just selling a laptop. It’s selling an argument — that good design and real performance needn’t cost the earth. The PC industry had better have a decent comeback ready.
