The Apple Watch now has a new mystery, thanks to watchOS 9

Date:
Wed, 08 Jun 2022 05:59:09 +0000

Description:
Apple's new running training features look useful - but they're leaving me thoroughly perplexed.

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Theres been something thats bugging me for years about the Apple Watch , specifically the way it's used as a training tool for running.

Its safe to say that Apples timepiece has been on an upward trajectory regarding its run-tracking prowess over the years - after all, the first incarnation didnt even have GPS on board, so it was relatively useless as a fitness pal for runners without the phone present.

Since then, with each Watch iteration Apple has been making slow and solid improvements, and with the launch of watchOS 9 at WWDC 2022 it really stepped things up, adding in a number of new elements such as structured interval training and customizable data screens to make it a real fitness companion.

However, while the Apple Watch has always had a heart rate monitor , its
never had something that I consider to be a bare minimum to be considered the best running watch : heart rate training.

What does heart rate training mean? Its where you try and keep your training in a specific zone throughout your workout - if youre trying to get fitter, then maintaining a certain heart rate can help you more than relying on keeping up a pace, as terrain or muscle issues might mean you cant be as fast as youd like.

Train with heart rate, however, and you can make sure youre working as hard (or not, if youre trying to keep things chilled on an easy run) as you want throughout. Going up a hill and slowing down? Your heart rate wont be, trust me. The Apple Watch heart rate monitor has gradually increased in accuracy over the years. (Image credit: Future)

So you might say that its great that Apple finally has this feature on the Watch with this new software but heres that mystery: why now?

Given Apple has a had a heart rate monitor on the wrist for a long time, it could have easily allowed users to set their zones (or done it automatically based on ones maximum heart rate, which its been able to measure for years) and then provided alerts to let them know when theyre falling out of a
desired range.

In short, Apple could have brought this feature with the first Apple Watch many years ago. So why didn't it?

Its highly likely that Apple didnt do this because of a phenomenon known as cardiac drift , where other physiological factors (from poor hydration or nutrition to a lack of high-level fitness) mean the same amount of effort
will yield an ever-increasing heart rate over the course of a workout.

That means youll end up working harder to stay in the same zone throughout a longer run - which kind of defeats the purpose and could easily demotivate newer runners, who the Apple Watch has traditionally been aimed at.

So, again, why are you doing this now, Apple? Sure, the brand has improved
the software algorithms with watchOS 9, which means it can more accurately pinpoint your heart rate from the wrist, and that would possibly mean it
could remove cardiac drift but that seems unlikely.

Perhaps its because wrist-based heart rate monitoring jhas never been as accurate as using a chest strap to measure your heart rate - something Apple openly admits to - and only with the recent upgrades to its software is Apple able to feel confident in its ability to deliver accurate heart rate data.

After all, heart-rate training is a feature that rivals Polar and Garmin have been offering for years, and is one of many key advantages their users have enjoyed over the Apple Watch, so its been odd Apple has eschewed it for so long.

If th decision to delay this feature is down to accuracy, that makes a little more sense - rivals like Garmin often promote the use of a chest-based heart rate monitor (and manufacture their own) where Apple rarely highlights that youre even able to connect one and probably doesn't want to denigrate its own hardware on the Watch by pushing the need to connect acccessories to get the best out of it. Power to the people New running metrics are welcome, but surprising in their sudden appearance. (Image credit: Future)

Theres one more mystery: Apples new running power metric. This is something
of a surprise, following in the footsteps of other high-end fitness brands to achieve running power without the need for an additional sensor on the shoe
or similar.

What the Watch is monitoring with power, using its ability to track your motion, is how much force youre expelling with each step, giving a result in watts - a common measure for power across many platforms.

Running power monitoring is, theoretically, a better measurement of output than heart rate. Remember, theres no universal way to monitor power - in the same way youll get different step counts with different fitness bands - but
as long as Apple can be consistent in its running power feedback, then this should be a better way to check how youre performing over heart rate zones.

Im looking forward to getting the finished version of watchOS 9 on a new
Apple Watch later this year and giving the new metrics a good try - if they work well, I can sort of forgive them not being around until now, but I still think Apple has been holding these features back purposely for some reason.

The Apple Watch has still got a long way to go to beat the best Garmin
watches out there - but it could have been moved a little closer with these upgrades.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/the-apple-watch-now-has-a-new-mystery-thanks-to -watchos-9/


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