People haven't really grasped yet that the future of fitness isn't equipment it is ecosystems.
You look at something like Peloton and your natural instinct is to compare it to other equipment manufacturers, but that's wrong. Consumers aren't spending 50% more of Peloton because a Peloton bike/tred is 50% better than their nearest competitor. People are spending that money to be in the Peloton ecosystem. To work out with friends in Peloton.
So I say to people that Apple is Peloton's biggest competitor, and they look at me like I'm a moron. Because they see equipment and I see ecosystems. I believe fitness will be the next "social media" land rush, and most traditional equipment makers are unprepared (they're naively copying Peloton on features without really grasping what Peloton is building).
PS - Phase 1: Social Media Fitness, Phase 2: Gamification of Fitness (apps/games inc. achievements tied directly into equipment, like the "iPhone" of fitness equipment).
>People haven't really grasped yet that the future of fitness isn't equipment it is ecosystems.
You're right but I hate that future, to be honest. I don't really want to buy a Garmin phone to talk to my Garmin watch so I can buy into their ecosystem. Apple watches may be fantastic but there are still better dedicated fitness watches out there and frankly the idea of a watch dictating my cellphone choice (as the Apple Watch does) makes me completely reject the idea of buying that watch.
Oh, you're right. I see that now. Having said that Apple isn't really big on cross-platform features either. I don't see a Facetime Android client, for example, and have no expectation they'd make Apple Fitness+ work on anything but their own devices; after all the byline is "Apple Fitness+ ... powered by Apple Watch." And since the watch requires their phone that's a big investment if you just want to exercise with friends.
These sorts of things are probably going to appeal to people who just want a bit of a sweat.
Everyone else is going to the gym because they don’t want to look at another screen, or they want to hang out with other people, or they realise you can’t learn to snatch from YouTube. Etc.
Traditional gyms and activity aren’t going anywhere.
My understanding of the story is Steve Jobs just decided to say that when he announced it without checking with the lawyers, and it probably ran into patent problems.
Ah okay. I know he announced it without checking first. It would have been nice for Apple to clarify why it could not happen. Hard to give the corporation that just gutted advertising for other companies while now pumping their own ad network up, any benefit of the doubt that isn’t a cynical view.
> You look at something like Peloton and your natural instinct is to compare it to other equipment manufacturers, but that's wrong. Consumers aren't spending 50% more of Peloton because a Peloton bike/tred is 50% better than their nearest competitor. People are spending that money to be in the Peloton ecosystem. To work out with friends in Peloton.
Did you just say 'Crossfit' without saying 'Crossfit'?
'Gyms' without saying 'Gyms'?
I agree, these products realize that the physical movement via machine is only one part of the greater whole... if these companies can replicate the rest of the Gym/CF/WE experience, there is a great win hiding in plain sight.
Mine was. It had a pool table in the entrance too. I used to go to the gym on a Saturday morning to sweat out the hangover and chat shit with the others doing the same.
My friends was. It was a grotty thing in the basement. It was primarily about the equipment. It was a lifting gym. The folk that went there would hang out, help each other, and talk plenty. They all had a common interest: lifting. They also thought people like me in my gym above were posers. That’s fine too.
Not everyone uses a gym the same way. Not all gyms are the same.
Ah, there are plenty of other ways to communicate than just talking...
Perhaps this won’t be replicated in the digital sphere, but the identity behind “leader boards” and physical aspirationals, which I believe these digital offerings still provide, is an effective means to create community and followings.
Heck a couple great friendships began in silence for months, with strict social distancing before it was cool
it's not just ecosystem => network effects => winner take all. apple is trying to skim the cream off the top with fitness+ like they did with music and itunes, but the market characteristics are different here.
first, the market opportunity is much smaller. everyone listens to music (and has a phone nowadays). that's a huge reachable market. only the well-off will pay for fitness+, so you're looking at <20% of everyone to start.
second, music was already in the transition from physical (cd's) to digital (mp3's) to streaming (just waiting for high-speed internet penetration). the fitness market is not in that same transition. it's still constrained by the physical world, no matter how 'social' it gets.
third, peloton's hardware is what makes the ecosystem, not the other way around (which is apple's strategy). it creates a halo of influence around the purchaser through price and product that apple simply can't replicate with just an apple tv, a watch, and a subscription. (i don't like peloton personally, but the market dynamics here are recognizable)
i'd be surprised if fitness+ really takes off. it has narrow appeal, a relatively high price, and little cachet or differentiation. zooming out, apple's "plus" strategy overall strays away from their strength in hardware-based consumer products, and i'm skeptical they can differentiate enough to retain that business long term, whereas homekit, carkit, and the like couch very neatly into that strength, and likely represents durable future expansion.
> i'd be surprised if fitness+ really takes off. it has narrow appeal, a relatively high price, and little cachet or differentiation.
Fitness+ comes with one of the tiers of Apple One. That makes it "free" to the user. Let's say you only wanted Music, TV+, and the storage (especially useful if you have multiple iDevices in your family and you want cloud backup):
Music - $9.99 individual, or $14.99 family
TV+ - $4.99 (already at $20 for a family here)
2TB Storage - $9.99 (now we're at $30)
So Fitness+, News+, and Arcade are "free" additions if you get Apple One Premier. Of course, you need an Apple Watch to use Fitness+ but you can use it with any garage sale treadmill, bike, rowing machine, yoga mat, dumbbell set, etc.
And if you have the Apple Watch you've already been able to drop things like Runkeeper and Strava for tracking running and cycling.
yah, but $30/mo literally puts it out of reach for 60+% of households, and that's on top of buying an apple tv and an apple watch for each user. that's just part of the narrowness of its appeal.
apple has historically targeted the mass premium customer segment, able to command a higher price and still entice the broader public to buy. fitness+ (and apple one) has the higher price but not the broader appeal. it's just not differentiated enough.
a personal anecdote: i've had apple tv+ for free for the past year and have watched it maybe a half dozen times. the shows are so overproduced to be tone-deaf. they're now trying to buy their way into the market via awards, so we'll see if that turns into any compelling content and moreover, more subscriptions.
What are the tone deaf shows you’re talking about? The Morning Show for sure is one. The other 3 shows I’ve watched have been good to great. Tone deaf is a very common attribute of media any way.
i honestly can't remember offhand, it was that unmemorable. maybe i should have said staid or sterile rather than tone-deaf.
apple tv+ is just not robust or differentiated enough from netflix, hbo, disney+, or anything else to be a thing. disney+ goes all-in on family, while hbo goes all-in on adult. netflix has the all-you-can-eat buffet model where you'll be comforted to find something, anything, to watch in a pinch. apple tv+ has nothing like that. there's no brand or identity to form a memorable market segment around.
Ah okay. I find Disney+, marvel, abc, cbs to be tone deaf. Sure that’s part of their identity. It’s still not good. I’d take Apple TV+ over CBS, ABC, Disney+ any day. Even if it never gets any more content.
Apple One lacks a compelling tentpole offering that most people would want. TV+ is what, the 4th place streaming subscription service? Apple music has 1/2 the market share of Spotify. Storage, maybe, but 2TB is quite a lot and I doubt most customers are buying that much.
The storage goes from 200GB to 2 TB. 200 GB isn’t hard to use up in a family. Even 2 TB could be not enough for a family that uses iCloud to host most of their photos and videos. Apple’s storage pricing is super lame for a company that is so profitable. Really scraping at the edges with the silly pricing.
While they're investing in marketing / engineering and they'll see user base grows, especially if products is free or almost free. But at some point of time question will come to revenue per user. And that will be completely different problem.
In this specific case, Fitness+ is relatively cheap to produce (all the content is theirs except for the music, but they already have a good relationship with music producers) and cheap to distribute. They make 1-3 new videos per instructor a week. I doubt it's costing them much per user to distribute the content. However, the Apple Watch is a nice profitable device for them and Fitness+ requires Apple Watch. So for anyone who already has the highest tier subscription (probably a decent chunk of multi-iDevice families out there) they will find themselves having Fitness+ but being unable to use it, which creates one extra motivator to buy an Apple Watch.
That's where they end up making money anyways, 75% or so of their revenue is from device sales (computers, phones, tablets, watches, etc.). The services help to keep people within that hardware ecosystem which gets people onto the upgrade cycle or to consider a second or third Apple device instead of just having one.
How do you mean? Just curious because my wife, who always hated running, is killing it with a NordicTrack treadmill and iFit. She bought a shirt to support her favorite instructor, she is part of some Facebook groups, and talks quite a bit about the "experience" of each run.
I don't quite get it myself, so I am not advocating for one or the other. But it seems to be working for her.
I'm with sibling commenter, how so? We got a year of iFit with the rowing machine, and considering that my wife uses it several times a week on both rower and treadmill, I'll probably renew it when the time comes in a few months. In the case of the rower, it's nice in that it will adjust the resistance automatically.
I mostly use Apple Fitness+ when on the rower, but iFit is nice in that it is not restricted to studio workouts. There is a far deeper library on iFit, and more variety. Outdoor workouts, indoor if that's your thing, a "Time to Walk" equivalent before Apple thought of it. I don't know if we'll renew the sub or not, but I think iFit gets it just fine.
I am surprised they look at you like a moron. Myself and all my friends have fitbits. The reason we all have and use fitbits is because that is what we're all connected on. If one friend got a functionally better but cheaper watch off Amazon they wouldn't be able to join us in our group challenges and comparisons. This has actually happened a few times but after a while that person got what the group had.
That being said there are apps that bring this up a level and let you connect multiple products and devices. If one of these apps becomes popular then it's less dependent on what device you own.
> Spotify is thriving on Apple platforms even though Apple has had its own music products for longer than Spotify has been around.
Some portion of Spotify's success, I'd argue, is that they were the first successful entrant in the streaming space. The product isn't particularly remarkable compared to other options and in fact has some notable downsides (such as its ever-changing-for-unclear-reasons UI) but it's what people know and thus what people use.
It having a free ad-supported plan is also a massive factor, but I suppose that would fall under "lowering the bar".
Phase 3: Connection of all Apple health fitness tracking/health tracking data. As wearables and body data monitoring continue to evolve and increase the number of bio markers/biometrics measured, apple is poised to integrate these in a way that Peloton and other fitness focused brands may or may not be.
Phase 4: Those aggregate data from Millions of users provides additional insight that is only available from Apple. Health Insurance with these Data ( and your consent to use it ) will get better offers and Apple gets commissions. ( Services Revenue )
Agreed. That is certainly the dark side of that path. From a user/patient perspective, the interesting side of that equation might be a world where those biometrics are tracked and integrated (with your consent) with an EHR so that your doctor can see continuous metrics in a way that is actionable for clinical decision making.
I agree with you and find it interesting that (so far) Apple is leaving actual equipment (beyond the watch) outside of its usual close integration of hardware and software. Users need 3rd party equipment (treadmill or rower or bike) for 3 of the exercises (which are likely the most popular exercises on Fitness+). Currently outside of very expensive commercial equipment with GymKit, there are no good options and it honestly leads to a horrible experience using 3rd party apps or missing key information (cadence, strokes per minute, etc) from your workout in Apple Health.
I am hopeful Apple pushes hard on GymKit in retail equipment otherwise I think Peloton’s ecosystem will prevail. It just works.
Tell me more about how 'working out with friends' works on Peloton.
I've only tried online exercise classes once or twice, but there hasn't been much social interaction - everyone's on mute, and a few feet away from the screen and keyboard to have space for their activities.
Or is it more the Strava-style 'log your exercise and get likes and gamified motivation' asynchronous model?
The biggest 'social' part is that my friends and I end up doing the same rides, and even though it's at different times we end up competing and chasing each other. I had some goals I thought were going to take months, but I've already blown threw them b/c I could chase my friends ghost on his ride. If I do a ride first, I text it out to everyone basically throwing the down gauntlet.
There's also a talent component. I've done everything from spin, to weight classes, to powerlifting for many years when I was younger, and the Peloton trainers are very good. They are good motivators, and they have taught me quite a few warmup techniques I'm carrying to other areas as life gets back to normal. YMMV.
I haven't used it, but my 10 year old daughter seems to enjoy riding at the same time as her friend. Evidently, they share a real time a mutual video chat. You both join the same class and one of you finds the other in the list of participants and request to chat.
I don't really see Apple Fitness+ and Peloton as competitors. First, the Peloton bike/equipment is both targeted at and only really make sense for the 1%. Apple's hardware is a few hundred bucks and has insane usability beyond Fitness+.
If you're speaking about just the apps and not hardware, again, I don't think they're direct competitors. Peloton's app sans Peloton hardware is basically just YouTube videos... There are dozens of content producers that cater to everyone's style or form of working out. Why pay Peloton $13/mo. just to get into the ecosystem? An ecosystem that was designed from the ground-up for people who make +$100K/yr., so the average American probably doesn't have friends who are using Peloton's app. Apple Fitness+ on the other-hand is designed to work in tandem with your cheapish Apple Watch. The fusion between hardware and software is where the magic happens. Peloton doesn't have that unless you have a spare bedroom + $3,000 to spend on fitness upfront.
Tonal and Zwift are also trying to build the same sort of fitness ecosystems as Peleton. Tonal has a wall mounted display for weight training with instructors. Zwift is designing their own smart bike (and maybe a treadmill too). Too early to say if they'll succeed.
It is definitely one to keep a close eye on. This whole land rush is just getting started, but as it heats up if Zwift can keep up growth they could benefit greatly (be it directly or via a tech company buying them).
My general impression is that zwift caters to the "serious cyclist" crowd and peloton caters to the more typical (upper middle class) consumer. It's a bit silly to spend $3K (and space!) on a standing exercise bike when you already have at least one bike in the $3K range and often a second in the $10K+ range, both of which you'd probably prefer riding on trainer over Peloton anyways.
Here's what I know: Nobody that's legit fit has a peloton. They train on their own in the gym or they do crossfit. This is apart from the people I know who play sports competitively. What does Peloton give you that crossfit doesnt?
I went from hating the treadmill to loving it because of Apple Fitness+. Scott Carvin is the instructor I use the most and he's amazing. I also use Anya for rower workouts and she's amazing too.
I'm wondering if a startup will come along to turn this concept into a creator-instructor marketplace that ties into Apple Watch, etc.
Maybe you can help explain this transition from hating, to loving, because of software. This concept is completely foreign to me and I honestly struggle to understand why anyone signs up for Fitness+ which - as far as I can tell - is basically a glorified list of workout tapes just like we used to get on VHS in the 80s.
I'm not trying to degrade anyone here, I am genuinely curious. Is Apple+ more than that? Is there some magic sauce I'm missing?
>Maybe you can help explain this transition from hating, to loving, because of software. This concept is completely foreign to me and I honestly struggle to understand why anyone signs up for Fitness+ which - as far as I can tell - is basically a glorified list of workout tapes just like we used to get on VHS in the 80s.
Kinda, but what's wrong with that? We didn't leave fitness tapes behind because they were bad, we left them behind because we moved to streaming. Also, in general, it can be hard to hold yourself truly accountable in the middle of hard workout... I know, anecdotally, that I absolutely end up pushing myself harder following an instructor (IRL, livestream, or taped) than I would if I was totally on my own. Not only the verbal motivation, but the reminders of posture and so on. I also had a personal trainer in a gym for a while, same deal... he helped me with my form, my diet, and I could always dig a little deeper when he was pushing me during a workout.
>Is Apple+ more than that? Is there some magic sauce I'm missing?
It's how you use it. Without an Apple Watch, your vitals are tracked and you can get an idea for how much impact your workouts are having on your health. The Watch also gamefies the whole thing with rings and awards... low extrinsic value, sure, but people love it.
If we agree that a streaming service for workout tapes is in fact what we want. How is Fitness+ better than simply Youtube which already has thousands of similar videos, many which are of really high quality.
It was instructor-led workouts for me where I could also measure my progress.
I've loathed working out. I'm not a gym sort of person. I tried watching Netflix and YouTube, and listening to Spotify, etc on the treadmill and always had poor results.
I use an iPad to watch the Fitness+ instruction and tying that to my Watch is just what I need.
I bought an Echelon bike, but switched to the Apple Fitness bundle when it came out
I use the same bike, it doesn’t matter which one I use because the watch tracks my heart rate/calories. It doesn’t track distance and I’m not racing anyone else , but I didn’t have any friends on Echelon either.
The watch is with me when I go walking, running, hiking. It prompts me to move when I sit around a lot - gamifying my workouts to keep the streak going, etc
First, it's the difference between streaming Netflix and renting a VHS tape.
The experience is transformative. A simple touch interface to find the exact workout you want, plus a recommendation engine.
There is some window dressing on the workouts, showing your metrics in real time on the screen, plus logging the data for historical tracking purposes.
The actual workouts are the same stuff you can find for free on Youtube.
There's some gamification where you can see your effort relative to other users during a workout (the "burn bar"). The HIIT workouts (maybe others) come with modifications and they also make a point of giving sign language instructions. The on-screen display basically mirrors the watch workout screen, but it's nice to have it there vs having to look at your watch. Lastly, it's just nice to have a bunch of workouts of consistent quality/intensity + clear instructions and no ads.
Honestly all of these features just solve some minor annoyances with home workouts. But it's hard to get motivated to exercise, and every little friction counts. You don't have to flip through YT to find the right video, the burn bar is more motivating than a simple calorie count, and you can follow the modifications if you get tired/are unable to perform a movement, instead of just giving up.
Lastly, the cost itself can be motivational. I used to pay $200 a month to go to a fancy gym, to lift weights available at any gym. IMO it was worth it because the cost and nice environment helped motivate me to go.
Idk if it's necessarily more than that, though it has the potential to be.
One thing I do like about it is the monitoring of the Apple Watch with the fitness app. If you have an Apple TV for example they have the ability to see in real time your heart rate and cardio burn. Maybe down the line there are AI instructors? Idk.
What does Fitness+ have that Nike Training Club, which is free, doesn’t?
Both of them let you workout with a trainer via video and track the workout in the Activity app. It’s just that for NTC you need a separate app to start workouts, but the data is still aggregated in the same Health app.
I just downloaded the nike app and couldn't find any sessions for rowing, cycling etc. I don't think you can even compare them, their target demographic is too different.
When I feel sad or bored I know for sure that some hyper energetic and happy dance trainer will improve my mood. Some moves are too fast, but trying to catch up and move in sync is worth the effort when you get it.
They can adjust the voice to background music volume ratio to make it even better, but it's acceptable. The experience is completely different on a >55" TV vs anything else, imagine that the trainer seems real life size. Streaming on Airplay compatible tv is supported with 14.5 and beta.
I really like it. I'm super excited for a new Apple TV because I want to play audio through the homepods but it's ok.
Some improvements I would like to see across the system:
- ability to rewind
- history of workouts within the Fitness+ app, not normal app
- group workouts, now both of us has to start the same workout at the same time, the phone is just muted in on the table while dance in front of the TV
- some focus on making sure moves are done correctly, I would love some intro videos where it takes 30 minutes to show, repeat and help me (overall) understand some basic moves, some very basic intro series
- overall more basic workouts or at a slower pace
- live classes
- muscle categories listed in a user friendly way, I would like to combine 2 strengths workouts that focus on different categories
Not allowing Airplay on Fitness+ at launch was such a faux pas on their part. Who wants to do a workout looking at their phone when there's a big tv in front of you? Glad they offered a fix, but wonder how many customers they lost initially.
I'm guessing that it had to be a technical issue of some sort that wasn't worth delaying the ship date. I mean, c'mon, $80/year + a (minimum) $300 watch + (minimum) $400 device, and you still can't play it on the big screen for lack of a $200, four-year-old device? Even if you think Apple to be greedy, surely one doesn't think they're that greedy.
Improving movement would be cool and something people miss a lot. I see people doing pull ups in the gym and kipping and flailing and it doesn't actually do anything except look silly.
Maybe apple can actually build the forever rumored tv & include some of their location tracking stuff, kind of like kinect to be able to track your limbs, posture etc. Add in some AI assisted improvement or hell even deepfake a person or just speech to say legs up higher run faster {{first_name}}!
Apple Fitness+ (specifically the 20 and 30 minute HIIT workouts) have completely changed my life. I started in January and I've lost 15 pounds so far. I sleep so much better at night (also tracked by Apple Watch). I fall asleep within 10 minutes of getting in bed and I (usually) sleep all the way through the night now. The effects on my anxiety levels and sleep patterns have caused it to become a personal obsession. I'm honestly a little scared of missing a HIIT workout. I've tried to get friends and family to do it, but there's still a lot of resistance for some reason. But I think that Apple is tapping into something huge. The iPhone is a toxic obsession. Fitness+ is a healthy obsession. This is the version of Apple I want to support and believe in.
I think there’s some shame associated with gamification; like if it works for you, somehow it makes you unintelligent... but as long as you’re aware of it don’t lose sight of how you’re being manipulated then it can be a valuable tool just like anything else.
Still not usable in Germany. I don't get it, when will companies realize there's a huge market for content in Germany (and presumable other EU countries) even if it's not translated.
Yep. Especially Apple sucks at this. Is English fitness instruction worse than <local language> instruction? Yes. Is it better than nothing at all? Of course...
Usually user manuals have to be translated, but not the content. Translating the UI would be quite cheaper for Apple than making new films for example.
This is what I'm wondering about - I'm not sure what the threshold is for "this is too much of a pain in the ass, not going to bother", but I don't know this space.
In general people who haven't done it seem to really underestimate the work in releasing a product in different countries. Especially with software, it seems like you don't have to do "anything" but there can be a lot of fiddly things even to figure out what the requirements really are.
Apple makes it really hard to buy some of its products outside the US legally. M1 Macbook Pro with 16GB RAM was not available in Costa Rica, so I tried to order it from the US. All official shops cancelled my purchase, as Apple forbids them to export. They didn’t allow drop shipping either. At the end I had to use EBay, which was much harder (and more expensive) to do.
I usually feel like Apple targets their products and advertisements at a pretty young demographic. The TV ads feel like they're all about 25 year olds with lots of money, friends and free time.
This feels like it is solidly aimed at 'older' people, and by older I mean not the same group that those TV ads are after.
"Workouts for Older Adults, trainers, and Time to Walk guest"... and that guest is Jane Fonda.
I agree. And at least as near as I can tell, with only a couple weeks of using it, none of the workouts are particularly rigorous. It definitely seems oriented toward the "never done this before" or otherwise frail crowd.
I've used Fitness+ since release, and if you're not getting the rigorous workout you desire, you're simply not working hard enough. Because there's nothing holding me back from drilling myself straight into the ground during rowing intervals. OTOH, I can sit there and just cruise if I like, with no one the wiser. Strength workouts: grab bigger dumbbells. Etc, etc. The only workouts I can think of where this strategy might not work are yoga and "mindful cool down". And maybe the weightless core workouts, dunno.
I run most every week day. I am proud to have worked myself up to a regular 5K and my running app always asks me if Inwant to share this, tell my friends etc.
I cannot find a single reason I would want to share my run times, or that I have run. Any sharing just seems like a very unhumble brag or worse some attempt to shame or cajole others.
The problem with social fitness is (I at least) cannot see it being very sociable - its competitive.
Edit: actually - I am wrong. Find me people at my level, and help us connect for tips and support, then I get it.
I'll give you a counter-anecdote specifically about the competitive part: I'm currently about a year into the most consistent running habit I've maintained since I was running high school track years ago, and it all started and is occasionally sustained with Nike+ Run Club friend challenges.
I'm not running with any of the friends I compete against, we all live in different parts of the country. But on the days when it would be really easy to just skip the workout for some reason, not falling behind in that month's challenge is incentive to go do it anyways.
Could I have that kind of self control on my own? Sure. But I'm realistic enough to know that sometimes, a little social pressure goes a long way. Wanting to be the first person to hit N miles for the month (or just not be embarrassingly far behind the pack) is a very real motivating factor.
(But FWIW I only feel this way about running because it isn't my favorite athletic activity. When I spend a day throwing down 80+ miles on my bike, I don't use Strava or anything like that, the ride is the reward. But I can't do an 80+ mile ride on a weeknight after work for some quick cardio)
A little positive peer pressure can be a good thing, a gentle reminder from my girlfriend that I wanted to eat better before I eat some junk food can really help with willpower.
I'm from Lithuania, none of Apple services are localised to Lithuanian (they are all in English), but I'm sure we'll have to wait until service is localised to 10+ languages before we can access it, unlocalised, in Lithuania.
I don't get this strategy - surely if they continue to avoid releasing products in English, people will have fewer chances to interact with the language and learn.
On the other hand if they were permitted to just drop an English version they would probably have never released the Lithuanian one.
I got a free trial for updating my Apple Watch, and I like it. I recently went through all my subscriptions, rented VPSs for experiments, streaming entertainment, etc. I paired down what I pay for every month, but I updated my family to Apple’s new all you can eat digital services. There is redundancy since we subscribe to Google YouTube Music, but Apple’s deal includes arcade games (surprised that I am spending 1/2 hour a week on them, but some are really fun), Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple TV+, and tons of iCloud storage. I think the whole thing together is an OK deal.
A neighbor gave me a boxed set of Qigong DVDs (which I digitized for easy use) that I spend a lot of time on, but I have allocated some for that time to Apple Fitness+ core strength lessons, and their walking with interesting people material is pretty cool.
I feel like this is one case where Apple will steal share from Peloton. Apple already has the hardware to integrate, and for people who either aren’t using Peloton or are just using the $14 a month service, switching costs are small. Right now Peloton has branding behind it as the gold standard in this space, but Apple is already viewed as a premium brand. I think Peloton invented a category and others, maybe Apple will do it better.
Somewhat unrelated but it's crazy to me that in this time period where antitrust is supposedly something the big companies are afraid of, Apple is using such flagrantly anticompetitive tactics to push their software offerings.
Abusing the Settings app to push free trials of subscription services like Fitness+ alongside iOS updates is really frustrating.
Apple should consider other verticals for video, rather than the tv shows on Apple TV Plus. For example, home improvement projects. Gardening. Rather than trying to reinvent netflix they should expand on what's been so great about Fitness+
That said, admittedly those things don't sell more watches.
Is there a way to disable “Time to Walk” on Apple Watch? I don’t use or care for that feature and it takes up the entire face of the watch when I’m trying to start a new workout. Shoving a feature down your customers throat seems like a UX fail.
There's an option at the bottom of the Workout settings on the watch to disable automatically adding the time-to-walk workouts to the watch. I think if you delete the current one (by swiping) and disable that setting, they won't be added again unless you manually trigger it from the "add workout" button in the Workouts app?
I tried Apple Fitness+ and I'm not a fan. I don't understand why I need an Apple Watch. I have MacBooks, Apple TVs, iPhones and iPads. I don't want a watch.
Also, Fitness+ doesn't offer programs (yet?). Programs work great for busy lives because there's no thinking about what you're going to do each day. I just follow the schedule, do the workout and move on with my day.
I have a series 6. It is my favorite Apple product ever.
1) UV index, temp at a glance.
2) ECG monitor - Has done more for me than 4 holter monitor tests.
3) Can ditch my phone and still pay, call, access calendar, maps.
4) Seamless and fast charging.
5) Track various interesting health parametrs (O2 during sleep, heart rate during the day, activity levels etc). Syncs all of those in a clean interface (Apple health).
6) Tracks my chosen workout with literally just a touch and swipe. Also tracks if or me incase I forget to touch and swipe.
I watch a Watch holdout for the first couple years. Now I've had one since Series 3 and am extremely pleased with the device. Integration with iPhone is seamless and makes the interactions subtly easier.
I get it though when someone says "I don't understand". I would tell you that it's similar to trying to tell someone they should go to double monitors when they've only ever used a single monitor and don't see any reasons to try a second.
You really don't get the concept of a watch? You sure?
I used to lose my phone more whenever I went out drinking until I got the watch. That's because I used my phone to tell the time. So it was in-and-out of the pocket. Now, I keep my phone in my bag and I haven't lost one in two years.
I get it. I see why people including my wife likes the Apple Watch. I just don't want one. I guess I've reached device capacity for now.
That's especially true when it comes to working out. I have a small slice in the day to workout and I don't want to fiddle with stuff.
It could be that I'm feeling residual frustration from attempting to try Fitness+ on an iPad which I never figured out. I just don't understand why I need a watch to view workout videos. I guess that means I'm not the target market. Thankfully there are good alternatives.
So it appears that the only way to get Fitness+ with Apple One is to go with the most expensive (Premier) option? That means you're also getting Music, TV, Arcade, News+, and iCloud. It's awfully presumptuous to think one would necessarily want all of those things. They really need an a la carte, bundle option that gives you a discount with multiple services.
Is apple fitness+ still doing its bs of only letting you see the workout on your phone? (or ipad or apple tv if you happen to have those). They actually got me into a peloton membership, after apple's marketing made me think it's a cool product, but since i dont want to try to see it on my tiny phone I almost immediately turned to alternatives.
Yes and it's annoying. We got a TV that supports AirPlay for the basement (which is also the gym) in anticipation of a long term guest (MIL, didn't happen because of COVID travel restrictions for her country) and without buying an Apple TV I can't cast the classes to it outside the audio. If you're on a rowing machine or treadmill or bike the iPad works well, but for things like yoga or strength classes I'm not dropping $200 on something that would be only used (for now) for exercise classes when Peloton (via my sister's subscription presently) works fine over AirPlay to the TV. I've already spent $$$ furnishing the basement and basement bedroom for a visit that never happened.
I would love to use such app but I don't trust where my data will land and I also disagree with Apple anti-competitive behaviour and practices of exploiting customers.
That being said, I wonder if someone is working on an open-source alternative to Apple Watch and its fitness features?
I would totally buy such product if I could self-host the data.
It's not a fitness tracker but if you are looking for an open source fitness app for VR then check out VRWorkout (disclaimer I am the developer)
It's a full body fitness game with hand tracking (built with GodotEngine).
You can use the VRHealth Institute app to provide biofeedback to the app and control the difficulty dynamically if you have a heart rate sensor.
Data sharing is completely opt-in but you can also write your own backend to store any data
You look at something like Peloton and your natural instinct is to compare it to other equipment manufacturers, but that's wrong. Consumers aren't spending 50% more of Peloton because a Peloton bike/tred is 50% better than their nearest competitor. People are spending that money to be in the Peloton ecosystem. To work out with friends in Peloton.
So I say to people that Apple is Peloton's biggest competitor, and they look at me like I'm a moron. Because they see equipment and I see ecosystems. I believe fitness will be the next "social media" land rush, and most traditional equipment makers are unprepared (they're naively copying Peloton on features without really grasping what Peloton is building).
PS - Phase 1: Social Media Fitness, Phase 2: Gamification of Fitness (apps/games inc. achievements tied directly into equipment, like the "iPhone" of fitness equipment).