At WWDC today, Apple almost verified that Apple Watch is really merely a health gadget. Tim Chef explained it offhandedly as a “gadget for a healthy life,’ as well as the majority of the watchOS 3 sector of the keynote was devoted to health and also fitness.

This emphasis on health makes good sense. As a task tracker, Apple Watch is probably the best on the marketplace, and also watchOS 3 will certainly make it also much better. Apple’s wearable is perfect if you are just aiming to live a healthier day. Yet, regardless of some small improvements, Apple Watch still sucks if you enjoy Running.

WatchOS misbehaves for Apple’s Health

Jay Blahnik, Apple’s physical fitness expert, was among the few really sleek presenters at in 2012’s Worldwide Developers Seminar. He appeared certain and loosened up, in marked contrast to watchOS advancement principal Kevin Lynch, who showed up uneasy onstage as he recognized the Apple Watch’s poor performance.

This offered the impression that Apple’s fitness and health initiatives are being hampered by imperfections in the hardware and also OS. Which is rarely unexpected – these limitations have actually been holding back third-party developers as well.

Third-party fitness applications will only see minor improvements

This circumstance will improve rather with watchOS 3. Fitness applications will certainly not deal with the feared double lag, which implies you currently need to stare at your wrist for ages while running, waiting for the app to fill back into memory and also upgrade. But some lag will certainly remain, since you will still have to wait for the display to trigger when you elevate your wrist.

Improved access to the Apple Watch’s gyroscope and also accelerometer will be a boon for third-party applications like FocusMotion and also Track My Health and fitness that attempt to identify training workouts at the gym, however it won’t help running apps.

Apple’s Activity application – the best just got better

I surrendered attempting to log runs with my Apple Enjoy numerous months earlier, but as a task tracker the gadget has constantly impressed me. When I asked Cult of Mac readers to discuss their encounters utilizing the Task application, I was amazed by the response I obtained. A lot of you told me that your Watch is helping you make huge renovations in your fitness.

As a multipurpose gadget, Apple Watch attract a vast viewers, a lot of whom would certainly never think about acquiring a specialized physical fitness tracker. And the principle of closing Task Rings every day is simple as well as attainable enough to engage also one of the most dedicated couch potatoes.

With watchOS 3, the Task app gets back at far better thanks to Activity Discussing, which offers an easy as well as enjoyable means to encourage or challenge family and friends. Knowing that your relatives are following your development will certainly provide also more reward to shut those rings.

Wheelchair support is one more crucial addition (and also it might even be an initial for a physical fitness tracker).

Apple’s Fitness app – lipstick on a pig

While the Task application got a severe upgrade, modifications to the Exercise app appeared less excellent. The most effective news was the addition of 2 brand-new exercises for wheelchair users. Yet, renovations were limited to minor changes to the display screen (you can currently see as much as five metrics at when during your workout), a Flying start button that lets you avoid the goal-setting screen, and also the capacity to call workouts. The only notable enhancement for runners was that we ultimately have auto-pause, an attribute most third-party apps have offered for years.

Take a breath, Apple

I was also unimpressed by the benefits of the new Breathe app. I’m done in support of deep-breathing exercises, but the objective of reflection as well as mindfulness is certainly partially to free us from attachments to physical things. You do not need an expensive device in order to breathe deeply, and developing a feeling of reliance by doing this appears disadvantageous. For many of us, breathing ought to be among the simplest points in the globe, and also this simply makes complex things. (For a much more inspiring method to reflection, I recommend Thich Nhat Hanh’s short and informing publication The Miracle of Mindfulness).

An os is only comparable to the hardware it runs on

Much appreciation has been heaped after watchOS 3 by the media today, before many of us have actually also had an opportunity to try it out. I think this is an actually just an indicator of alleviation that Apple has actually revealed a determination to acknowledge its blunders as well as make some considerable changes.

But renovations to watchOS could only take us so much. Faster application introducing is all effectively, however if the applications themselves still pull, after that it is pointless anyhow. Eventually, an operating system is just as good as the equipment it runs on. The watch still has a screen that is tough to see in sunshine and also is usually asleep, touch controls that don’t function in wet problems, as well as no cellular data nor GENERAL PRACTITIONERS. A software program upgrade cannot take care of any of these deficiencies.

Smartwatches will never replace running watches

The mobile phone has, in time, changed the demand for numerous committed tools, including cameras, cameras, satnavs, Personal organizers, electronic book viewers or even, somewhat, PCs. By the very same logic, one could presume that smartwatches will certainly change other wrist-based gadgets. But I don’t see this happening.

Apple Watch may have already removed the requirement for stand-alone physical fitness trackers, yet it can’t replace my running watch.

The trouble is that running watches are, by their very nature, complicated items, whereas Apple is attempting to keep points simple. Apple Watch’s multitouch shade OLED display is attractive, but it merely does not suffice for a running watch. Joggers require hardware buttons they could run when they’ve worked up a severe sweat or when it is putting rainfall. Real buttons additionally let you operate your watch without considering it, so you could maintain your eyes on the roadway in advance – which is extremely important from a safety perspective.

TomTom’s current attempt to integrate its GPS running watch with smartwatch attributes such as task monitoring and also songs playback highlights an additional trouble. The majority of smartwatch buyers locate running watches repulsive, whereas runners have the tendency to scorn smartwatches. Consequently, TomTom is marketing a similar item under 2 totally various product names: Runner 2 GENERAL PRACTITIONER (for joggers) as well as Trigger for everybody else. It’s tough to picture Apple ever resorting to such a clumsy advertising solution, but it does highlight the challenges of attempting to address both markets with a single product.

The next-generation Apple Watch 2 could improve things rather with the enhancement of GPS, yet with its touchscreen interface and lack of physical switches, it is not likely to replace the need for dedicated running watches at any time soon.