Following a year where many have been less physically active due to the pandemic, Apple unveiled a new fitness subscription service, Apple Fitness+, that can help users shed any extra pounds. With Apple Fitness+ advertised in tandem with the Apple Watch, does that mean someone needs to own one of the company's smartwatches to use the service?
Apple Fitness+ was announced alongside other products and services during the company's annual September event. The subscription-based service comes with a variety of exercise routines each week and recommends new workouts based on previously completed exercises. Apple Music users can also add the songs played during the routines to their Apple Music library. The service launched Monday and is available for $9.99 per month or $79.99 for the year.
Is an Apple Watch required? The short answer, unfortunately, is "yes." According to Apple, metrics recorded by the Apple Watch, such as heart rate and calories burned, are used to "personalize" the Apple Fitness+ experience. Whether the customer plans on using Apple Fitness+ on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, they will also need to own an Apple Watch Series 3 or later. Though, as an incentive to convince people to join the service, Apple is offering access for three months for free to anyone who purchased a new Apple Watch. Apple customers can redeem the savings on their iPhone after the purchase. Besides, the Apple Watch requirement, users will also want to make sure they have updated to the latest operating system on both devices.
Is Apple's Watch Deal Worth It?
Three months off Apple Fitness+ may sound like a good deal to some consumers, but buying an Apple Watch is a pretty steep fee to get involved. The cheapest Apple Watch currently available starts at $199 on Apple's U.S. site and the Apple Fitness+ discount amounts to just under $30 in savings, going by the monthly rate. The saving is, of course, even less if one calculates it by the yearly rate. For those that don't already own an Apple Watch or weren't planning on buying one, the deal alone might not be worth it.
Considering there are other fitness subscription services (and even just free apps) already out there, why get this service at all? Well, one of the major selling points of Apple Fitness+ is that it offers workouts from expert trainers. According to Apple, they are chosen both for their expertise and approach to the workouts, which they create themselves. They also comment on each other's workout videos and the service offers sessions of varying levels of difficulty. For example, there's even an "absolute beginner" program so people who have never really trained much in their lives can still benefit from the service. For Apple customers who own a Apple Watch, or are planning on buying one, Apple Fitness+ might be worthwhile, no matter how fit they are.
Source: Apple