On the plus side, it is a fitness platform
Apple’s new subscription-based fitness platform is an ambitious launch, says David Court. He talks to an Apple director about it.
For anyone learning about Fitness+ for the first time, it’s Apple’s new subscription-based fitness platform – designed to integrate the health-tracking features of Apple Watch with on-demand workout videos, to deliver personalised workouts that measure your training intensity.
The service is ambitious – even by Apple’s standards – and promises to deliver more than 20 new workout videos every week.
Users can select workouts – Cycling, Treadmill, Rowing, HIIT, Strength, Yoga, Dance, Core, and Mindful Cooldown – on their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV and their participation will automatically start, and be tracked, via their Apple Watch.
Apple has employed a deliberately diverse mix of 21 smiley trainers, with ages that stretch from 20 to 60 and sports backgrounds that range from yoga, to a surfer from Melbourne and a former rowing world champion, plus 18 more in between.
‘‘We really wanted to find trainers that also shared Apple’s values and creativity, that were certainly great at delivering fitness to the fit. But they had a real heart for the beginner as well. That was very important to us.’’ Blahnik explained.
It’s a neat idea. And one I am completely sold on as a concept, though I’ve not had chance to try the service yet.
However, with Covid-19 forcing people to lockdown at home, especially in the United States and Europe, and gyms being forced to shut their doors to members – the timing of Apple’s DIY fitness service raises questions about motives.
A cynic might suggest Apple Fitness+ is an attempt at disrupting a US$100 billion (NZ$142.5b) industry, and businesses such as Les Mills gyms and/or a local self-employed yoga teacher should be worried.
But Blahnik is adamant this is not the case. Pointing out that if it was a service that was designed to capitalise on the opportunity Covid presented, and to take people away from gyms then Fitness+ ‘‘wouldn’t have had rowers, bikes and treadmills’’ as core components of the workouts.
Instead, he explained that his, and Apple’s, real goal was more motivated by helping people. ‘‘What we realised in the beginning of building the [Apple] Watch was that from the very start, one of its core tenets was to help people live a better day by being more active.
‘‘We found different things motivate different people. But the one thing we constantly hear is no matter if you’re advanced or you’re a beginner, working out is tough. We’ve thought for a while that if we could create a service that was connected directly to the Apple Watch, we could help a lot of people make working out easier.
‘‘And we see it as just a part of a very, very big roadmap of continuing to build delightful fitness experiences. Whether it’s a simple message to stand up because you’ve been sitting too long all the way to your first 30-minute class with the world champion rower at home.’’
Blahnik also suggested Apple Fitness+ was a great entry point for a lot of people. ‘‘They can actually graduate and feel like they understand what yoga is and feel like they understand what walking or running might be like and not be so nervous about going into a health club.’’
When you ignore the financial reasons for Apple to enter the market, it’s impossible to argue with that logic. Not everyone will feel comfortable joining a spin, or F45 class, with dozens of other people. Exercising from the safety of your garage, living room, or garden will be appealing to a lot of people who aren’t being served by the fitness industry right now.
From a personal perspective, I’m looking forward to trying out yoga for the first time with Fitness+. It’s an activity I’ve wanted to try for a while, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable committing to a 60-minute yoga class for fear of ruining the experience for others, or more realistically, making a fool of myself with my inflexibility and short attention span.
So far, so good. But the one major barrier I see Fitness+ facing is its device requirements. It’s kind of unique in this regard. Other successful subscription services – Spotify, Netflix, even Les Mills On Demand – allow customers to access the product for multiple different devices and OSs. Fitness+ requires its users to have an Apple Watch, not just an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV.
I put this to Blahnik, and he accepts ‘‘if someone has had no interest in the watch, but they have interest in working out, it probably does come across as a little bit funny.
‘‘But, I think for us, the area of expertise we have in the fitness space is connected to the watch. That’s the area we know the most.
‘‘Our expertise in fitness is really around what we put in the watch. And we felt like the first place to lead would be with people who either have a watch or want a watch because we know how to make it come to life. We’re committed to making this a great experience for watch users and we’ll learn whether or not it makes sense to have this experience without the watch.’’
One part of the fitness industry that technology hasn’t been able to really nail (yet) is nutrition. Monitoring a wearer’s heart rate while they take part in an exercise class is a clever innovation, for the simple fact it allows the user to check their body is in the right training zone to achieve their goals. But in reality, training is only half the battle. If that. As the saying goes: you can’t out-train a bad diet.
‘‘We look at them as both important, but very separate’’ Blahnik agrees. ‘‘There’s a lot of research that shows that being active, regardless of your weight, is still an incredible health benefit.
‘‘There are studies that show people who are obese but still remain active can live five years longer than people who don’t.
‘‘So our feeling about it is being active at whatever level you can be – whether it’s one of our 10-minute workouts or one of our 45-minute workouts – is contributing to your health and fitness.’’
What came next was unexpected. I’ve been working with Apple and speaking with its representatives for several years, and during that time, I’ve never been given a signal as clear as Blahnik gave regarding what Apple could do next regarding nutrition.
‘‘Obviously, if someone’s worried about being a certain size, looking a certain way, you really can’t exercise your way to the body of your dreams. That is very much about diet, maybe more so than anyone understands. And we have not ventured into this basic nutrition yet.
‘‘People have asked us that before. We don’t have any announcements to make. . . But I would just say in general, we certainly think the whole space of health is interesting to us. So I wouldn’t count any of it out.’’
‘‘We’re committed to making this a great experience for watch users and we’ll learn whether or not it makes sense to have this experience without the watch.’’
Apple Fitness+ is available from Tuesday for $16.99 a month, or $139.99 a year, and it can be shared with up to six family members via Family Sharing.