06 Jun 2023
Apple targets health and fitness – ramps up cycling functionality and reveals world's first spatial operating system
BY Liz Terry
Big news today from Apple’s WWDC2023 event in Cupertino, where the company revealed plans to focus on cycling, with new Apple Watch functionality that can deliver similar results to specialised cycling computers.
The Apple watch can now connect to Bluetooth-enabled accessories such as speed and cadence sensors, meaning cycling workouts can take over the entire watch face, making it more effective as a handlebar display.
The Watch and iPhone can both now also estimate Functional Threshold Power (FTP) – the highest average power output that can be sustained over a one hour time frame on a bike.
Other health and fitness functionality was also announced and users can now receive insights into their health data with the Trends and Highlights option, while health and fitness developers can use HealthKit on iPad, opening up new opportunities to create health and fitness experiences that incorporate data that users choose to share from the Health app, with privacy and data security protocols in place.
The new version of Apple Fitness+ comes with Custom Plans workout functionality on board. This is a new way for consumers to receive a custom workout or meditation schedule based on the day, the duration of exercise and the workout type.
There’s also a feature called Stacks, which enables users to select multiple workouts and meditations to do back to back and ‘Audio Focus’, which gives users the ability to prioritise the volume of the music or the trainers’ voice during on-demand workouts from the Custom Plans system.
In addition to ramping up its cycling and group exercise functionality, the company also announced new health features for its operating systems and Apple Watch.
A mental health feature on the Apple Watch enables users to log their emotions and moods through journaling, to gain insights, while also accessing assessments and resources.
New vision health features encourage healthy behaviours that can reduce the risk of eye strain and Apple has added its Health app to the iPad, giving users access to their health data.
“Our goal is to empower people to take charge of their own health journey,” said Sumbul Desai, MD, Apple’s VP of Health. “With these features, we’re expanding the range of health and wellness tools we offer users across iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
“Mental health and vision health are important, but often overlooked and we’re excited to introduce features that offer valuable new insights to provide users with an even better understanding of their health,” he continued. “These insights help support users in their daily decisions and offer more informed conversations with their doctors.”
Other Health features announced today enable consumers to view their available health records from multiple institutions and share data stored in the Health app with loved ones or medical professionals using Health Sharing.
The company also launched Apple Vision Pro, a spatial computer that blends digital content with the physical world, while “allowing users to stay present and connected to others”.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, so Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing.
“Built on decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before — with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”
Cook says Vision Pro creates an “infinite canvas for apps that scales beyond the boundaries of a traditional display and introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs possible — a user’s eyes, hands, and voice”.
Featuring visionOS, the first spatial operating system, Vision Pro lets users interact with digital content in a way that makes it feel physically present in their space.
Vision Pro has an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels across two displays. “VisionOS is the world’s first spatial operating system that blends digital content with the physical world,” said Cook.
Apple also revealed that developers generated US$1.1Tr of value in the Apple Store ecosystem in 2022.
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