Someone please help me because I feel like I'm not understanding the use of Fitness+ anyways. I don't know anyone personally with an Apple TV device, but obviously tons with an iPad or iPhone. The images make it appear that Fitness+ is kind of like a fitness class at home. On a TV via Apple TV devices, sure.... but is Apple expecting people to workout on a 6 inch screen (aka the iPhone)? I must be missing something...
My wife and I were debating shelling out for a Peloton when I first heard about this. We watched the detailed keynote video and both agreed this would be well worth trying out. So I bought us both Apple watches over Black Friday and waited for this release. I downloaded it to all my devices Monday (including to my iPad, despite a bunch of comments above saying that would not be possible) and have used the system a few days this week. Frankly, it's pretty impressive, and the way the devices work together is very "magical" in the traditional Apple sense.
To answer your question more directly, Apple TV is not a requirement but very useful if you have one on a TV in your workout space. I do, and it works really well. Start the app and choose your profile, and it "checks in with your phone", choose a workout, and there's your trainer on screen along with your watch details, remaining time, etc. You can easily pause the workout with your watch or use the ATV remote or even the ATV app on your phone.
The real advantage of using the system on any device is you can take it anywhere. To the hotel, the gym, your bedroom, whatever. The video is very clear and hi def, and I think more important than seeing it is hearing it, so I think it's enhanced when using Airpods.
I did a HIIT workout using the TV as my display. I did a Yoga session with my iPad (so it could rest on the floor near me) and I did a spinning class using my iPhone mounted on the handlebars of my spin bike. This was all in one afternoon, one after the other. Everything worked seamlessly, and I was using my Airpods at the time tied to each device that was playing.
Prior to COVID I had a membership at a local Anytime Fitness which, like many others in this country, I was only using once or twice a week and my workouts were pretty lame. I didn't feel much like shelling out extra cash for personal training, so basically I was getting nowhere. While it remains to be seen how much I stick with AF+, I feel it's the exact mix that I need. Tech that doesn't involve searching through crappy youtubes to find a decent trainer-based class. At home, so I don't have to drag myself to the gym, and trainers encouraging "you" to keep moving and push harder. for $9 or so a month, it's cheaper than a gym membership.
Some of the things I'd like to see on the app are more stretching courses, especially ones that are sport-specific (are you a runner? Here's a great 20 minute stretching session for runners...), as well as "beyond the exercise" classes that talk about diet, how to manage working heart rate, and so on. I also noticed that you can't rewind a class (which would have been handy when the instructor was showing a series of complex yoga moves, half of which I missed). But so far the system's been a slam dunk for me.
