Apple Fitness+ Takes On Peloton And Mirror On December 14

Apple Fitness+ will launch on December 14, Apple has announced today, promising studio-style workouts you can do while still socially-distancing. Revealed earlier in the year, Apple Fitness+ is the latest in the company's subscription services, aiming to gnaw away at some of the home workout market currently dominated by Peloton, Mirror, and others.

While Peloton demands you buy their bike or treadmill, however, Apple Fitness+ only has two key requirements. First, you must be wearing an Apple Watch; second, you'll need an Apple-powered screen of some sort, either an Apple TV or an iPhone or iPad.

There are 10 workout types that will be supported at launch: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Strength, Yoga, Dance, Core, Cycling, Treadmill (for running and walking), Rowing, and Mindful Cooldown. Obviously, if you want to do any of the workouts which require equipment, you'll need to supply that yourself. However since the Apple Watch is doing the tracking, you don't need a $2k+ bike or treadmill and could in theory opt for something much cheaper (or indeed second-hand). Alternatively, options like yoga and dance don't require anything else.

The Apple Watch links with Apple Fitness+ and shows your metrics – along with the trainers – on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV connected TV. You'll see heart rate, timers, and an optional Burn Bar on-screen, with the relevant metric automatically highlighting when a trainer discusses it. Workouts range in time increments of 10, 20, 30, and 45 minutes.

Since picking the right workout can be a headache in itself, as well as filtering by trainer, time, workout type, and music, there's also a recommendation system. That takes into account previous workouts you've completed, third-party fitness apps integrated with Appel Health, and other metrics, to suggest something Apple Fitness+ believes you'll enjoy.

There are also getting-started videos for learning the basics, and Absolute Beginner workouts for those completely new to HIIT, Strength, Core, and Yoga. Activity Sharing allows Fitness+ workouts metrics sharing between friends and family, and you can post your results to social, too.

For the soundtrack, unsurprisingly it's Apple Music providing the beats. There are nine different styles available – Latest Hits, Chill Vibes, Upbeat Anthems, Pure Dance, Throwback Hits, Everything Rock, Latin Grooves, Hip Hop/R&B, and Top Country – and each workout has a playlist you can check before you start. Apple Music subscriptions aren't required, though if you do have one you can also sync tracks or playlists from Fitness+ to your personal music account.

Apple Fitness+ will be available to sign up to from December 14. You'll need to be running iOS 14.3, watchOS 7.2, iPadOS 14.3, and tvOS 14.3 on your relevant device. It'll be priced at $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, with a single subscription supporting up to six family members.

Buy an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer, and you'll get three months of Apple Fitness+; all existing Apple Watch owners will get a month's trial. If you're an Apple One Premier subscriber, meanwhile, Fitness+ is included in that package, for $29.95 per month.