OPINION: With WWDC 2022 simply across the nook, Apple is on the cusp of unveiling all the important thing options going into watchOS 9 but when the corporate needs to remain one step forward of the Pixel Watch then a severe replace to Apple Health is a should.
For the file, I like Apple Health – it’s one of many the explanation why I take advantage of the Apple Watch SE as my each day timepiece. It’s easy to wrap your head round, notably for the stats summarised by the health rings, and I like the truth that it incorporates the time you spend on suitable apps like Calm.
That is all properly and good, but it surely hardly knocked the socks off competing health trackers, particularly from the likes of Fitbit which does a fantastic job in encouraging customers to consider their well being holistically, methods to preserve a sustainable health regiment and even work in the direction of recognising the significance of sleep and restoration.
Sleep monitoring is one space the place I really feel Apple Health sorely lags behind its rivals as swathes of information are merely thrown at customers with the belief that they know precisely what to make of all of it. There isn’t any tailor-made data to nudge customers in the direction of bettering their circadian rhythm and attaining higher sleep high quality.
Till now, the Apple Watch has been capable of disguise these points behind the truth that its different options are nonetheless largely best-in-class, however with the Fitbit-infused Pixel Watch on the horizon, Apple’s reign in wearable tech may very well be referred to as into query.
At this time limit we don’t know the complete extent of the Fitbit options trying to be included on the Pixel Watch, however even a handful of tips from Fitbit’s ecosystem can be sufficient to offer the Apple Watch a run for its cash.
Whereas I perceive that Apple gatekeeps quite a lot of its health content material behind the Apple Health Plus paywall, it could nice if extra free health and well being recommendation may very well be made obtainable to the broader person base. Even when it solely takes the type of written copy, it could no less than plant the sensation that Apple does have a vested curiosity in seeing folks obtain their health targets, versus squeezing them for each obtainable penny (that is coming from an individual with ongoing Apple Music, Apple TV Plus and Apple Information Plus subscriptions).
Once more, aside from a battery improve and possibly a couple of tweaks to Siri, there’s little or no exterior of health monitoring on watchOS that feels prefer it’s in want of a significant change. The remainder of the Apple Watch continues to be so intuitive that any competing wearable is unlikely to tug me in fully, however it could be nice to see Apple make use of this open aim and it’d definitely save me from any jealously in the direction of my Android-toting colleagues as soon as the Pixel Watch rolls round.
