Another Apple product I'll have to have...
Apple revealed their new Smartwatch today - there's not much information available yet, but I'm betting it will turn the fitness industry on its head. Disclaimer, I own Apple stock and my prediction is that the Smartwatch will become the de facto fitness device in the very near future.
And I'd be sh***ing my pants if I was Polar or Garmin.
Why? Because the iPhone is a really lousy fitness accessory. There I've said it. Despite being able to run all those wonderful fitness and cycling Apps, the iPhone sucks to use when you're exercising.
- They make very cool bike mounts so you can use your iPhone as a bicycle computer... except the battery won't last longer than a few hours with the display on and GPS enabled.
- Ever try to run with an iPhone strapped to your arm? Try to change songs? Don't bother, you can't without stopping.
- Indoors it isn't any better. How many people use their iPhone in class? I've only seen two in all my years of teaching.
But we love our iPhones, so we've put up with how cumbersome they are to have along with us.
Put it on your wrist and everything changes. It will be as convenient to use as a ... wristwatch... a wristwatch that runs cool fitness Apps!
Our participants will want to wear their new Smartwatch in class. And what will they do with it? THEY'LL MONITOR THEIR HEART RATE - and maybe THEIR POWER/WATTS. They might also want to record their data + upload and track their progress.
The Apple Smartwatch will make Indoor Cycling 2.0 cool 🙂
The Smartwatch is supposed to be out in early 2015. Unless Apple has figured out how to detect your heart rate from your wrist, the folks from Scosche and Wahoo better crank up their production of BLE HR monitor straps
I can't wait to see what happens 🙂
Next Day Update: I'm seeing my prediction about BLE monitor straps being unfounded. The video below explains that the Smartwatch includes optical sensors like the Scosche = the heart rate monitor is built in, so no additional strap is needed.
This promotional video is fascinating.
http://youtu.be/ktujsc4ZUTo?list=PLHFlHpPjgk73J6C3PHUrDntzy6TQxBh44
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
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John,
My thoughts precisely.
I see Scosche as the big downstream winner with the introduction of the SmartWatch. Itw will be a no brainer to slide that arm band over the SmartWatch. No chest strap, an easy to see wrist top monitor and the app of your choice. Win/Win. I wish it were here today.
Hang onto that Apple Stock. They will need it to complete their new iBuilding.
I was premature about this needing an external HR strap. Apple just released a promotional video (shown above) that explains how they’re using similar technology to Scosche and detecting HR via optical sensors.
I’ve been wearing a Basis wrist top HR monitor for a while. Optical sensing isn’t bad but is a big drain on battery power if in constant use as with the Basis. Basis deals with this by sampling at constant intervals that are to widely spaced to do zone training.
But if Apple gives one the ability to turn HR monitoring on/off then it would work.
Both the SmartWatch and the Scosche will need charging so either way a GIANT leap forward for exercise enthusiasts!
To be clear, battery power is NOT the only reason Basis samples HR their way. They also collect the data for uploading when charging/syncing to the app/web sit..
Sorry I did not want to misrepresent the capability of the Basis.