Apple Now Makes the Best Running Watch
Every extant fitness tracker collects a massive amount of biometric data in an effort to help active people improve their athletic performance. These sensor-laden wearables track not only how many steps you take, but the rate at which your heart beats, the quality of your sleep, and even the amount you eat and drink. However, when it comes to planning workouts, I still haven’t found any smartwatch or app that gives advice as smart or as comprehensive as a live human coach.
After all, people and their bodies are unpredictable. Even the pricey, sports-centric platforms that mix hardware and software can only offer so much personalized guidance. Can a watch tell me if I’m courting a stress fracture because I’m stomping like a Clydesdale? What if I only have a half-hour free between meetings, but my program calls for a 60-minute run? What if I skipped my strength workout to go skateboarding—does that count?
When watchOS 9 becomes available to the public later this year, it will signal the arrival of a whole host of new, fitness-focused features for the Apple Watch. Many, like the ability to measure running power, are aimed at elite athletes. However, even casual runners should benefit hugely from the ability to study their vertical oscillation, create custom workouts with their own distance and time intervals, or pace themselves against their own routes. These new additions to its already robust fitness features might make the Apple Watch the best sports watch ever. If only the rumored battery life improvements had materialized.
