TORONTO – TECH – As the COVID-19 pandemic started, many people took to their kitchens, and baked treats and comfort foods for their family members. Across Canada, many people have sought to focus on losing some of those “Covid-calories”.
Perhaps in response, Apple has a solution.
Apple recently unveiled Fitness+, the first fitness experience built for Apple Watch, arriving later this year. Apple Fitness+ intelligently incorporates metrics from Apple Watch for users to visualize right on their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, offering a first-of-its-kind personalized workout experience. Everyone from beginners to committed exercisers can access studio-style workouts delivered by inspiring world-class trainers and underscored by motivating music from renowned artists, making it easier and more rewarding for customers to exercise, whenever and wherever they like.
“We’re so excited to energize our customers with new ways to get active and stay active with Apple Watch,” said Jay Blahnik, Apple’s senior director of fitness for Health Technologies. “With diverse studio workouts that are suitable for all ability levels, led by a phenomenal group of unique trainers, and an approachable program designed for beginners all the way through to the fitness enthusiast — as well as the flexibility to work out anywhere — there’s something for everyone. We know Fitness+ will take working out with Apple Watch to the next level with unparalleled engagement, convenience, and inspiration.”
Apple Fitness+ gives customers the freedom to exercise, whenever and wherever they like, on the devices they know and love.
Intelligence and Engagement
Apple Fitness+ delivers personalized recommendations to help customers quickly get to their next workout, and uses Apple Watch to provide an engaging, immersive experience to help them stay motivated throughout.
Using a custom recommendation engine, Fitness+ considers previously completed workouts and intelligently suggests new options that match the workouts users select most often, or something fresh to balance their current routine. Customers can also use an intuitive filtering tool to choose what is most important to them when looking for a workout, whether it’s the workout type, the trainer, the duration, or the music. For Apple Music subscribers, favorite music from Fitness+ workouts can also be easily saved and listened to later, whether in a workout or otherwise.
The browse experience in Apple Fitness+ helps customers quickly get to their next workout.
When a workout is selected and started on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, the correct workout type will automatically start on Apple Watch. During the session, the metrics from Apple Watch are shown on the screen and come to life for moments of inspiration. For example, when the trainer says to check heart rate or begins a countdown timer, those numbers will animate on the screen. And for customers who like to push themselves with a little healthy competition, the optional Burn Bar shows how their current effort stacks up against anyone who has done the same workout previously.
The familiar Activity rings from Apple Watch also appear onscreen, highlighting the wearer’s progress and launching an animated celebration as they close. With Activity Sharing, users can enable friends and family to see Fitness+ workouts completed, and workouts can also be shared to their favourite social media channels.
At launch, customers can conveniently find Fitness+ in the tab located in the new Fitness app on iPhone, which will also arrive on iPad and Apple TV.
Metrics come to life on the screen for motivation during Apple Fitness+ workouts.
Studio Workouts
Apple Fitness+ will launch with the most popular workout types including Cycling, Treadmill, Rowing, HIIT, Strength, Yoga, Dance, Core, and Mindful Cooldown, and each is accompanied by music thoughtfully curated by the trainers. Each week, the team of Fitness+ trainers will deliver fresh workouts from the studio across a range of lengths, disciplines, and music genres so there are always new workouts to explore.
Welcoming customers who are brand new to fitness or starting up again, an Absolute Beginner program built into Fitness+ will help coach the basics of movement and exercise, and give customers an option to prepare for Studio Workouts.
Customers can use any brand of equipment with Fitness+, and many workouts can be done with no equipment at all or just a set of dumbbells. For those who start a Treadmill session with Fitness+ on Apple GymKit-enabled machines, the workout will prompt customers to tap to connect their Apple Watch so metrics are in sync.
The Apple Fitness+ trainers are specialists in their fields who work together to help people of all ability levels achieve their fitness goals.
Introducing the Fitness+ Trainers
At launch, Fitness+ features a team of celebrated, charismatic, and passionate trainers who are specialists in their fields, working as a collective team to design and create outstanding fitness content, and appearing in each other’s videos welcoming everyone into the experience.
Each trainer has their own unique, inspirational story that transcends the screen. Spanning professional athletes, yogis, personal trainers, martial artists, health coaches, gymnasts, Ironman champions, marathoners, fitness club founders, and many others, Fitness+ trainers will offer an inviting, multidimensional experience for all.
Privacy
Privacy is a fundamental human right and one of Apple’s core values. As with all features, particularly those related to health, Apple Fitness+ is designed with privacy in mind. All Apple Fitness+ workout recommendations are powered using on-device intelligence. When using Fitness+, all workout data is saved to the Health app on iPhone, and neither calories nor the workouts and trainers users choose will be stored along with their Apple ID.
Pricing and Availability
- At launch, Apple Fitness+ will be available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
- Fitness+ will be available to Apple Watch customers as a subscription service before the end of 2020 for $12.99 (CAD) per month or $99.99 (CAD) per year. Everyone can try Fitness+ free for one month.1
- Customers will be able to share their Fitness+ subscription with up to five other people in their family with Family Sharing (Apple Watch Series 3 or later required).
- Three months of Apple Fitness+ are included for customers who purchase Apple Watch Series 3 or later, starting September 15, 2020. This extended trial is available for a limited time.1
- Apple Fitness+ is included in the Apple One Premier plan, which, where available, also gives customers access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and 2TB of iCloud storage for $33.95 (CAD) per month, and can be shared among up to six family members.
- Fitness+ requires Apple Watch Series 3 or later paired with iPhone 6s or later or iPhone SE.
- For usage with iPad, Fitness+ requires iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad mini 4 or later, iPad Air 2, or iPad Air (3rd generation). Fitness+ is supported on Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.
- Apple Music subscription is not required.
- Specific software requirements for Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV will be shared ahead of availability and will be compatible with devices listed.
