In 2015, I proclaimed that Apple was going to make the best running watch in the world. I speculated that even if it was a mediocre smartwatch in 2015, it would get better and better and the apps would make it a real match for Garmin. “Should runners buy an Apple Watch this year? No way," I wrote, smugly thinking I was clever and prescient, only to have the next sentence make me sound like a jerk in 2021." For the same price, you can get something much more useful. From Garmin, Polar or even Adidas. But don't be surprised if you start to see Apple Watches in the arms of the competition in 2017... or even on their own. "Actually... maybe it wasn't that far off (aside from the 2017 prediction). Of course, most avid runners don't wear an Apple Watch and are far more likely to slap a Garmin, Polar or Suunto on their But not all: I get a lot of questions about the ability of an Apple Watch to withstand a marathon (or even an ultramarathon) and I can say yes with pleasure: it will last much longer than before, and the efficiency of the Apple Watch 6 chip means which is the most efficient on the market and more and more people are relying on Apple to help them in their burgeoning careers in running.In 2015, I speculated that Apple would add GPS, altitude tracking, cadence and more, than companies like Adidas, Nike and Strava would develop great running apps to make the watch something useful to have on your wrist when breaking the soles of your feet on the sidewalk. And other than cadence, all went well. Good GPS monitoring, average speed per mile treadmill, an impressive suite of fitness apps from Strava, MapMyRun, Nike and Adidas are available on the watch and are combined with one of the best everyday smartwatch experiences.
Music for my ears
Spotify is finally coming to the Apple Watch (Image credit: Spotify/Apple) So why haven't I strapped my Apple Watch to my wrist every time I head out for a speed interval workout, Thursday 10K run, or a nasty endless 20 mile jog? Well, there are several reasons, but one of the biggest ones was playing music while performing. I'm not an Apple Music subscriber, and it was the only platform that offered offline music (like saving music to your watch so you don't have to take your phone with you when you go for a run) unless you want to pay. extra just to have a mobile data connection for your Apple Watch. The most popular running watches had had an advantage in the music game. Garmin was already linked to Spotify, which meant I could have all the music I wanted on my wrist, while still getting dozens of fitness features I use all the time. Apple may have the edge as a general smartwatch, but it's too basic as a running watch and requires you to subscribe to its music service to get offline playback of tracks. But everything changed this week. Spotify's offline music support has just been added to the mix, so now I can download music to the Apple Watch 6, track my long runs with mileage alerts, monitor my VO2 max levels, and still get all the features smartwatch extras (like handwashing monitoring, great mindfulness apps) and more comprehensive notifications. Apple Pay is also a very useful feature on the wrist: the absence of biometric authentication means it's easy to pay for things in this pandemic-plagued world. Sadly, Garmin Pay is undersupported by comparison, and these little hiccups can add up. Make no mistake, the addition of Spotify offline support will be a big draw for many people who are starting to invest in an Apple Watch. It's been frustrating waiting for Apple to open its doors to third-party app support offline, but now that it's here (with the arrival of Deezer too), the watch has really added another dimension of entertainment during training season.
There's still a long way to go
New 'fitness' features like blood oxygen monitoring aren't mind-boggling (Image credit: Future) Let's not get too excited though: Apple is still a long way from being the best running watch around. world. First, you need to improve battery life, add more sensors, and improve daily stress, fitness, and sleep tracking to give you a more comprehensive picture of your energy status. And, for the love of all that is good and pure, you have to bring training plans to follow to help you get in shape. It would be very easy to do, but nevertheless Apple is falling behind many other fitness watches that allow you to create your own interval sessions, detect changes in pace, and typically last much longer than some of your purchases. . These things are essential if you run more than a few runs a week, and it's inexplicable that Apple hasn't added these more advanced features until now. Suunto, Garmin and others have been using this fitness-focused feature for years and are getting pretty nifty with their smartwatch notifications, too. Some are even adding solar glass for longer battery life, to cry aloud, and I can't see their stance being the choice for "proper" fitness enthusiasts switching up anytime soon. But Apple has broken a big wall by fully bringing the best music service on the planet to its Watch platform, and while it's taking years longer than you thought, the Apple Watch is definitely bridging the gap with built-in players in the fitness area. Do you have the position of best racing watch? Maybe, but maybe we're just waiting for something like a top-tier Apple Watch Pro before the competition with Garmin, Suunto and more gets really interesting.