Sunday Runday
On this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks talks concerning the world of wearables, apps, and health tech associated to working and well being, in his quest to get quicker and more healthy.
WWDC 2024 begins tomorrow, June 10, and iPhones are about to get inundated with Apple Intelligence (AI, get it?), based on a significant leak. Given Google and Samsung’s pivot to AI, it is an unsurprising shift for the model. Personally, I am much less within the trade’s AI shift and extra intrigued by what Apple Intelligence may imply for Apple Health.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who leaked the laundry listing of AI options coming to WWDC 2024, guarantees that Apple will announce “main” adjustments to the Health app, together with Well being adjustments like “improved blood stress knowledge administration” and “cycle monitoring.”
He does not specify what main AI adjustments Health will obtain, however I am Samsung’s current Galaxy AI health announcement for clues. The South Korean firm promised a every day Vitality Rating, AI Wellness Suggestions for reducing weight and different life targets, and personalised exercise routines to the Galaxy Watch 7.
Why carry this up? As a result of I immediately discover Samsung’s timing suspicious. Why reveal this in Could when the brand new Galaxy Watch will not ship till August? Possibly Samsung guessed that Apple would announce related AI health methods at WWDC 2024 and needed to be the “first” to disclose them.
My guess is that Apple Health will add its personal “every day readiness” rating, following within the footsteps of Fitbit, Garmin, Oura, and different manufacturers. It has all the info vital, from sleep levels and resting HR to emphasize and exercise monitoring. It merely wants a enough algorithm to interpret that knowledge correctly.
Apple Health Plus already presents a few of the greatest guided at-home exercises, but it surely’s potential Siri may begin pointing you to particular routines based mostly in your health stage, muscle map, and tiredness. Maybe it may let you know whether or not you have got the energy to finish a second routine, based mostly in your coronary heart price knowledge through the first routine.
My private hope is that Apple Intelligence will be capable to recommend every day working or biking exercises by time, size, and tempo, based mostly in your VO2 Max — simply as Garmin watches can. As an illustration, it may advocate a more durable tempo once you’re well-rested, then a light-weight jog the next day.
Or, Apple may take extra of a Fitbit-esque method, recommending you hit a certain quantity of Energetic Zone Minutes per day based mostly in your power stage. Apple may make its every day rings extra dynamic, adjusting your motion and stand targets as vital so that you’re bettering however not overtraining.
I’ve worn the Apple Watch Extremely 2 for months on and off, and have been fairly happy with its accuracy for GPS, steps, elevation, and different assessments I’ve carried out. Samsung promised that its Galaxy AI pivot would ship “enhanced well being algorithms” for “higher precision and accuracy,” so it is potential Apple may enhance even additional.
However correct knowledge throughout a exercise is not sufficient. Apple and Samsung want to point out they’ll perceive and course of that knowledge to construct a private profile and information you down the best path. Health watch manufacturers like Garmin, COROS, and Polar have constructed their manufacturers and constant followings off their capability to educate you based mostly in your talents as a substitute of assigning a generic 30-minute exercise ring to shut.
Apple most likely intends to make its AI a health coach, simply as Samsung does. And it is an thrilling improvement! I have been ready for extra mainstream smartwatches to strive their fingers at teaching. The query will probably be whether or not both model can pull it off and provides correct recommendation to each couch-to-5Kers and correct athletes.
The Pixel Watch 2 is the uncommon mainstream watch to have teaching, due to Google’s Fitbit acquisition, however the latest Fitbit updates have targeted on new well being sensors. We have not seen many updates to Fitbit’s teaching in years. The Galaxy Watch 7 and Apple Watch X coming into the fray would problem Google to innovate, and provides customers extra choices for at-home teaching.
Or maybe I am misreading what “main” Apple Health adjustments are coming, and we can’t get any Apple Intelligence updates. We’ll discover out at WWDC 2024 tomorrow if Apple is evolving or falling behind the pack.
