Apple’s iPod shuffle and iPod nano has certainly changed the way we worked out at the gym, simply because carrying music while we sweat it out had never looked cooler, never mind that old school Sony Walkmans heralded such an age. Apple intends to up the ante by filing a new patent which they call, “Interfacing Portable Media Devices And Sports Equipment”, and this new kind of technology will allow you to share performance data with your mates – in real time, yo! If it manages to hit the market, this would make going home after the workout and uploading all that data obsolete. Imagine achieving an immediate data synchronization between friends who are exercising on a similar equipment right there an then. With no mention of Nike+ in the patent filing, this might very well be Apple forging out on its own. I suspect we might soon see plenty of treadmills with the “Made for iPod/iPhone” certification should this social fitness technology take off in a big way.