Now that we know when Apple Fitness+ will launch, Apple’s executives are starting to make the interview rounds to promote the new service.
Today, for instance, Apple’s Senior Director of Fitness Technologies Jay Blahnik spoke with WSJ. Magazine to discuss not only Apple Fitness+, but also how it integrates with the Apple Watch and more. It’s worth noting right at the top, as Blahnik points out, that Apple Fitness+ requires an Apple Watch to work. So while Fitness+ is a separate service, it’s the biometrics that the Apple Watch tracks that makes the service worthwhile (and available to use).
Metrics is motivation. The metrics react to the things the trainer says and the things that you do. We believe that makes it much more immersive than simply following content that’s available anywhere else.
To that end, the Apple Watch is a tool, but it’s just one of them. Apple Music will play a critical role in the new service, too. It’s fully integrated into Apple Fitness+, and users will be able to choose which type of music genre they want to listen to while they work out and exercise, or cool down. But, Fitness+ isn’t just for the hyper active — it’s also for the beginners just starting out, too:
We love the fact that Fitness+ is integrated with Apple Watch. It’s really inclusive. We put music at the center to motivate a wide variety of people. We’ve made it really easy to find your next workout, whether you’re a beginner or not, and allowed you to use it across all your screens.” He sums things up with a running metaphor: “We treat all areas that we get engaged with as marathons, not sprints.
Blahnik goes on to explain that Fitness+ is trying to make it easy to get into a workout, get motivated by it, and hone keep things going for the days ahead. To help with that, “Try Something New” is a carousel of workouts and exercises that Fitness+ subscribers will be able to flip through to try and find something they might be interested in.
After a user starts using the service more, they will earn recommendations for new workouts and routines, and new trainers as well. But what the user does is always up to them, so if they want to stick to one core routine or one trainer, they can do that, too. New workouts will be updated on a weekly basis.
The full interview is worth a read, so head on over to The Wall Street Journal if you want to catch Blahnik’s take on the upcoming Fitness+ service.