Apple Fitness Plus is coming, designed exclusively for Apple Watch users.
Apple has lifted the lid on its long-rumored health and workout service; Apple Fitness Plus is a collection of workouts that you can tune into on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, and it’s available now. Could this service take the ‘premium workout service’ crown from Pelteon? Maybe. The key thing is that it works only with Apple Watch, so subscribers can see their key workout metrics on whichever screen they’re using. The main thrust of Fitness Plus is being able to choose the workout you want – each pre-recorded video has a specific workout type, music, time and trainer, so you’re able to select whichever you’re in the mood for, aping gym class schedules and giving you the choice of workouts on the go. The pricing for the new Fitness Plus service is pretty simple on its own: it’s $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$14.99 per month, or $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$119.99 if you want to take it out for the year. However, if you sign up for the premium tier on Apple One, Apple’s new services subscription service, then you’ll get Fitness Plus, News Plus, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade and Apple Music – along with massive amounts of iCloud storage – for $29.95 / £29.95 / AU$39.95 per month. Also, if you’re thinking of buying an Apple Watch (Series 3 or later) then you’ll get three months of Fitness Plus free, and if you already own said wristwear, then you’ll still get a full free month of dribbling sweat all over your iPhone. The easiest way to describe Apple Fitness Plus is to compare it to something like Peloton, where you’re exercising with interactive videos on an iPhone or iPad. However, unlike Peloton, Apple Fitness Plus doesn’t have a live element to it, which means all the videos are on demand. What’s on the videos? Well, a variety of different disciplines, from a treadmill run to core work, to a mindful cooldown, and you’ll play them back from your Apple tablet, phone or connected Apple TV. If you’re thinking that this is just something you can watch for free on YouTube, then you’ve not got the full picture here. The Apple Watch you’re wearing will bring over information like the amount of calories you’ve burned, the time you’ve been working out and your heart rate (to give information on how hard you’re working). When the instructor on the screen wants you to focus on your heart rate, that metric will expand to make it more prominent for you – it’s a fusion of pre-recorded video, plus dynamic and interactive stats from your own effort.
