Matthew Miller from ZDNET initially compared the Apple Watch Ultra with sports watches from Garmin, Coros, Polar, and Suunto when it first came out. However, it was clear that the first-generation Watch Ultra was not ready to replace dedicated GPS sports watches. A year later, with the release of the Watch Ultra 2 and WatchOS 10, it was evident that Apple was continuing to develop its smartwatch platform for athletes. At the WWDC, it was revealed that APIs were introduced for exercise developers to send custom workouts directly into the Apple Watch Workout app.
Developers have rolled out support for this feature, including TrainingPeaks, one of the most popular coaching platforms for athletes. Miller tested this integration, and shared his experiences running and cycling with the new functionality. On the track, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 provided audio directions for the planned distance and target heart rate, and gave visual indications of progress – helping him achieve nearly 100% compliance with the training plan.
When cycling, he used WatchOS 10 to make his connected iPhone a powerful bike computer and found that the TrainingPeaks experience appeared on the iPhone display as well. With Apple’s continued development of WatchOS and support for third-party developers, Miller believes that the need for a dedicated GPS sports watch is being seriously challenged. He plans to continue exploring Apple’s support for custom workouts as wearable technology continues to improve.
