Apple Fitness Plus — the company’s new workout program service — is set to launch on December 14th, the company announced today. The subscription service is set to cost $9.99 per month (or $79.99 per year).
Apple Fitness Plus was announced earlier this year as Apple’s latest attempt to continue to bolster its subscription offers, and it will feature Peloton-style guided workouts that can be viewed on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV while utilizing an Apple Watch for tracking workout metrics as you go. The service will launch with 10 workout types: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), strength, yoga, dance, core, cycling, treadmill (for both running and walking), rowing, and “mindful cooldown.”
According to the company, “many Fitness Plus workouts require no equipment at all or just a set of dumbbells,” while the more equipment-based cycling, treadmill, and rowing workouts should be doable with almost any bike, treadmill, or rowing machine that users have.
Like other popular workout services, Apple will offer a variety of trainers who will guide users through each workout (and, like Peloton, Apple is clearly hoping that the cult of personality that has sprung up around the trainers for the popular bike service will benefit its service, too. The company is already curating Instagram pages for each trainer.)
Notably, the Apple Watch metrics are so key to Apple Fitness Plus that you’ll be required to have one of Apple’s smartwatches (specifically, an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer) to use the service, along with an iPhone to configure and pair it. You’ll also be able to view the workouts on a larger screen using an iPad or Apple TV, should you own one, but they’re not mandatory like the Apple Watch and iPhone requirements.
Apple is looking to goose the start of Fitness Plus by offering customers who have bought an Apple Watch Series 3 (or newer) three free months of Fitness Plus, while existing Apple Watch users will be able to get a free one-month trial.
Apple Fitness Plus, in addition to the standalone subscription, is also available as part of Apple’s top $29.95-per-month Apple One Premier plan, which includes Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus, and 2TB of iCloud storage that can all be shared by up to six users. But even the regular Apple Fitness Plus plan (for $9.99 per month) includes Apple’s Family Sharing support, meaning that up to six family members can access the subscription for the same $9.99-per-month price.
Source: The Verge