Apple needs to take a page out of Garmin’s playbook

[xDKP]

Just recover the week after the half, don't just sit around, get out and keep the legs moving. I'd even do a hill repeats session during the week, and then make sure you tap out a long run on the weekend. And Taper, taper, taper...

Yeah that is the plan as well - hope the ghost feature is back on the beta soon! That was pretty great for chasing previous speedy runs

 

[ForkHandles]

I’ve been an Apple Watch user since Series 0 and have upgraded every other year to the new one. I wear it every day and have always loved it, so please don't take this as me being any type of hater. Recently, I was training at a gym and I noticed someone wearing a Garmin watch while we were talking. I asked her how she liked it and she said she had been an Apple Watch user for years, but decided to give the Garmin a try due to its advanced workout features. She was explaining to me all of the things it did and it got me curious.

I decided to go over to Best Buy to see what they had and I noticed the Epix 2 was in stock. I purchased it just to see if it might be something I liked.

I have to say, I'm pretty blown away by it. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't do a lot of things that the Apple Watch does. I can't answer a phone call on it (which I never did anyway), I can't reply to a message on it (which I rarely did). It doesn't have a lot of crazy apps you can download and the integration to iOS while not bad, isn't what the Apple watch is.

But, from a fitness standpoint it kills the Apple Watch, and I mean kills it. When working out it auto counts the number of reps you are doing when lifting weights (I don't know how it does it, but its spot on). It constantly shows my heart rate, body temperature, VO2 Max, along with any other metric you might want to know. It reads terrain so much better than the Apple watch and the step counter is so much more accurate as well as floors climbed. It also calculates recovery time and shows you rest time between sets when training. The GPS/Satellite tracking is so precise it seriously blows my mind.

The screen is also miles better outdoors than the Apple Watch and has a super bright OLED display. And battery life? Amazing. I'm on day 6 of heavy (and I mean heavy) use of the watch and it shows that I have 4 days of battery still remaining. With that being said I realize that the Apple watch is crammed with a lot of features that drain the battery quicker. Its just nice wearing a watch that I know is going to last for over a week and not have to be charged.

Also, from a durability standpoint this Garmin watch can definitely take a beating. Its just water, dust, and environment-proof out of the box and you don't need to turn anything on to make it so. You just wear it. The Apple watch is also durable but the titanium casing and sapphire screen on the Garmin watch are definitely going to stand up to the elements. I've extensively tested the durability and it comes out looking brand new without a single issue.

The Garmin watches are also not as pretty as the Apple Watch (probably an understatement). I actually like the look of the Garmin Watch, but not nearly as much as the Apple Watch. You can dress up the Apple Watch for business and dress it down for casual/workouts while the Garmin watch is pretty much going to look like a workout device no matter what kind of band you put on it.

With all of that being said, I do miss some of the features of the Apple watch. Would I give up the Apple watch and switch exclusively to this Garmin Watch? Probably not. Honestly, it depends on what the Series 8 brings and if they bring that Pro model we keep hearing about. I will for sure buy it, but this Garmin watch has opened my eyes to what's possible in a watch from a fitness standpoint and I hope Apple takes a page or two out of Garmin's playbook in future OS's.

Garmin is a training aid. There is simply nothing better for recording data at times when you are training for events such as 10K or half marathons.

AW is a lifestyle watch. I wear this all the time for running, cycling and swimming as it records and displays achievements in a positive encouraging way. However I'm just about to train for a Half Marathon with a 1:40:00 target time, I shall be wearing my GW for every guided run, then taking it off again when I get back home.

AW has the Nike Training App but it doesn't set pace records for you. The data displayed is also very limited, tough better than the native fitness app, which is dire.

 

[xDKP]

Garmin is a training aid. There is simply nothing better for recording data at times when you are training for events such as 10K or half marathons.

AW is a lifestyle watch. I wear this all the time for running, cycling and swimming as it records and displays achievements in a positive encouraging way. However I'm just about to train for a Half Marathon with a 1:40:00 target time, I shall be wearing my GW for every guided run, then taking it off again when I get back home.

AW has the Nike Training App but it doesn't set pace records for you. The data displayed is also very limited, tough better than the native fitness app, which is dire.

I’m preparing for my second marathon this year and also including a lot of half’s and have been running with the beta software since the first public beta. It’s pretty damn nice with the new features. All the pacing, ghost runs and intervals etc. that have been missing for years have finally arrived

 

[xDKP]

Just recover the week after the half, don't just sit around, get out and keep the legs moving. I'd even do a hill repeats session during the week, and then make sure you tap out a long run on the weekend. And Taper, taper, taper...

If you’re on Strava feel free to add. Always fun to share the experience with fellow runners

 

[douglasf13]

Take a moment to consider what the most expensive watches out there look like, you know; the Rolex's, the Tag Heurs, the Breilings etc. Yep they are all rugged, with bezels and roundness. And cost an awful lot more that the AW and Garmin.

None of the round smartwatches, outside of maybe the Heuer and Montblanc versions, look like anything more than a mall kiosk watch. A round screen on a digital device makes about as much sense as below. Plus, the JLC Reverso, Cartier Tank and Heuer Monaco are square and are some of the most legendary mechanical watch designs of all time.

 

[NeonNights]

I loved my Garmin Forerunner 230 from a few years back. A super accurate GPS for running and exercise, and a reflective display technology that allowed the battery to last a month between charges! I kept waiting for Garmin to release a cellular watch but got tired of waiting and picked up my first Apple Watch last year and loving it too.

Garmin makes a great fitness watch but I prefer the versatility of the cellular Apple Watch 7 as I do take calls on it, text/email, and also use the AW7 to make purchases, control home locks, operate my garage door, and even control my car...all without my iPhone.

 

[DMG35]

I loved my Garmin Forerunner 230 from a few years back. A super accurate GPS for running and exercise, and a reflective display technology that allowed the battery to last a month between charges! I kept waiting for Garmin to release a cellular watch but got tired of waiting and picked up my first Apple Watch last year and loving it too.

Garmin makes a great fitness watch but I prefer the versatility of the cellular Apple Watch 7 as I do take calls on it, text/email, and also use the AW7 to make purchases, control home locks, operate my garage door, and even control my car...all without my iPhone.

All fair points, and the reasons you use the Apple Watch are also the reason I love it. I guess maybe I've just gotten bored with the software over the past few years. Its been essentially the same for a long time now with no major changes to it.

 

[Madonepro]

None of the round smartwatches, outside of maybe the Heuer and Montblanc versions, look like anything more than a mall kiosk watch. A round screen on a digital device makes about as much sense as below. Plus, the JLC Reverso, Cartier Tank and Heuer Monaco are square and are some of the most legendary mechanical watch designs of all time.

Yet they are still highly sought after items, lauded at events like F1, think someone like them. Especially at $40k a pop.

 

[ForkHandles]

I’m preparing for my second marathon this year and also including a lot of half’s and have been running with the beta software since the first public beta. It’s pretty damn nice with the new features. All the pacing, ghost runs and intervals etc. that have been missing for years have finally arrived

To be clear, are you talking about the Garmin or the AW?

Oh and good luck for the 2nd marathon. I always promised my feet I would never be that cruel to them.

 

[xDKP]

To be clear, are you talking about the Garmin or the AW?

Oh and good luck for the 2nd marathon. I always promised my feet I would never be that cruel to them.

The upcoming AW software

 

[d3vp0ll]

Just wanted to chime in. I’ve had a Series 4 for the last 3.5 years now and it was the reason I switched to the iPhone (and now all Apple lifestyle). It motivated me to get into (better) shape and live an active lifestyle, and with Apple Fitness+ it amplified that feeling.

But the Apple Watch has become so much more to me than just a fitness tracker. I have the LTE variant and for the last 3+ years I’ve become so much less reliant on my phone. That freedom can’t be understated.

My Series 4 died last week as it’s frankly not nearly as durable as I wished it was, and I’ve been using my phone a whole lot more and I hate it.

Wednesday’s keynote can’t come fast enough. Me needs me a new watch

 

[zerozoneice]

they should take the page (out of Garmin, Huawei, Amazfit, Xiaomi, whatever) where everything watch related should be in one proper app
i'm tired of 3 different apps to manage the watch/health/fitness, for years now with no change in sight.

the native app ecosystem is a mess, battery life is worst of any smartwatch for years now and somehow this crap sells like hotcakes. Doubt Series 8 will change anything.

 

[MistaBungle]

OP got me curious to check out Garmin but once I got to the site and realized he was talking about a 1100 CAD watch I wasn't so interested anymore haha.

 

[TimmKook]

I gave away every Apple Watch I owned once I got the Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar edition. Seriously. No need to tether to a phone. You can turn off bluetooth and get EVERY feature (besides alerts but who cares, I'd rather have less EMF waves pulsing through my body) on the Garmin.

After I purchased my EMF detector a few years back, I saw how much radiation the iPhone emits when Bluetooth is turned on (U1 Chip mostly) and it's scary. AirPods are just as bad if not worse, plus they're on your head. Apple Watch is bad too. So bluetooth stays OFF except for 5 mins when I sync my watch up to my iPhone once every few days. It's AMAZING.

Seriously, if people can get over the fact that Garmin watches are expensive, I think they'll realize they're a better fitness tracker, and better overall watch than the Apple Watch. And it can track GPS/workouts without being tethered to a phone, oh and battery lasts 10+ days on a 2 year old watch. The step count, rep count, heart rate, sleep tracking, SP02 readings, everything is so much more accurate than the Apple Watch. Garmin > Apple Watch. End of story. And yes I've had every Apple Watch.

 

[douglasf13]

The step count, rep count, heart rate, sleep tracking, SP02 readings, everything is so much more accurate than the Apple Watch. Garmin > Apple Watch. End of story. And yes I've had every Apple Watch.

Based on what?? The Quantified Scientist on YouTube has shown the AW is far and away the most accurate heart rate monitor for the wrist, and the Garmin’s SP02 isn’t any better, either.

 

[Indianwin2001]

You had it only for a couple months? What a waste of money... How can the gps be trash? Garmin are experts in GPS lol. I use the GPS on every walk. I use it in real time when on a trail if I want to see exactly where I'm walking turn by turn lol.

I gave away every Apple Watch I owned once I got the Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Solar edition. Seriously. No need to tether to a phone. You can turn off bluetooth and get EVERY feature (besides alerts but who cares, I'd rather have less EMF waves pulsing through my body) on the Garmin.

After I purchased my EMF detector a few years back, I saw how much radiation the iPhone emits when Bluetooth is turned on (U1 Chip mostly) and it's scary. AirPods are just as bad if not worse, plus they're on your head. Apple Watch is bad too. So bluetooth stays OFF except for 5 mins when I sync my watch up to my iPhone once every few days. It's AMAZING.

Seriously, if people can get over the fact that Garmin watches are expensive, I think they'll realize they're a better fitness tracker, and better overall watch than the Apple Watch. And it can track GPS/workouts without being tethered to a phone, oh and battery lasts 10+ days on a 2 year old watch. The step count, rep count, heart rate, sleep tracking, SP02 readings, everything is so much more accurate than the Apple Watch. Garmin > Apple Watch. End of story. And yes I've had every Apple Watch.

Sorry I’ve owned many Garmins and I strongly disagree, ESPECIALLY with the Fenix 6. Do a google search or look at the Garmin forums for Fenix 6 and GPS. It was broken at launch and is still broken. The Epix and Fenix 7 aren’t as bad as the Fenix 6, but having used Garmins for a decade, I lost all faith in their software.

 

[Psdn]

Actually going for a HM in two weeks from Sunday, so a little tight while training for the full three weeks later (should run 25K this weekend but think I'll do a easy HM instead).

The September HM target is 1:35:00 and 3:30:00 for the full... You?

Sounds like we are running the same race in Copenhagen 🤷🏻‍♂️
I’m going for 1:30 🙈 Ran as well 1/2 marathon today, from Nørrebro to Bellevue and back💨

 

[zerozoneice]

OP got me curious to check out Garmin but once I got to the site and realized he was talking about a 1100 CAD watch I wasn't so interested anymore haha.

you can get same sensors and most of the features on the Venu 2, much cheaper.

 

[The_Interloper]

Based on what?? The Quantified Scientist on YouTube has shown the AW is far and away the most accurate heart rate monitor for the wrist, and the Garmin’s SP02 isn’t any better, either.

For wrist-based HR, does it matter? The HRM on any watch isn't that accurate anyway, it's more like just a guide. If you're serious about accuracy, you put on a chest strap. At least Garmin checks and displays it continuously if required. The AW implementation is garbage, having to go into an app, wait 10 secs for a reading and have it time out 10 secs after it's got one.

Sorry I’ve owned many Garmins and I strongly disagree, ESPECIALLY with the Fenix 6. Do a google search or look at the Garmin forums for Fenix 6 and GPS. It was broken at launch and is still broken. The Epix and Fenix 7 aren’t as bad as the Fenix 6, but having used Garmins for a decade, I lost all faith in their software.

Fair enough. I've owned the Garmin Instinct, Fenix 5 and 6X Pro (as well as Edge bike computers) and never had a problem with any of them, so it's all anecdotal. I also have an AW Series 7 (in addition to many previous models) and it's fine too. Neither of them seem dramatically more or less accurate than the other in any metric (although Garmin provides a lot more of them, with far more detail).

 

[douglasf13]

For wrist-based HR, does it matter? The HRM on any watch isn't that accurate anyway, it's more like just a guide. If you're serious about accuracy, you put on a chest strap. At least Garmin checks and displays it continuously if required. The AW implementation is garbage, having to go into an app, wait 10 secs for a reading and have it time out 10 secs after it's got one.

Fair enough. I've owned the Garmin Instinct, Fenix 5 and 6X Pro (as well as Edge bike computers) and never had a problem with any of them, so it's all anecdotal. I also have an AW Series 7 (in addition to many previous models) and it's fine too. Neither of them seem dramatically more or less accurate than the other in any metric (although Garmin provides a lot more of them, with far more detail).

Yeah, the test I mentioned was directly against a Polar H10 chest strap, and the AW had nearly a 1:1 relation to the H10’s results, making a chest strap largely superfluous.

 

[The_Interloper]

Yeah, the test I mentioned was directly against a Polar H10 chest strap, and the AW had nearly a 1:1 relation to the H10’s results, making a chest strap largely superfluous.

This was from a recent mountain bike ride. I can pretty much guarantee that no chest strap would give a gap in results like this:

Never seen this on any of my Garmin devices, either.

 

[douglasf13]

This was from a recent mountain bike ride. I can pretty much guarantee that no chest strap would give a gap in results like this:

View attachment 2050613

Never seen this on any of my Garmin devices, either.

That is a bad gap. Does that happen a lot with the AW? I assume you wear the AW very snug and above the wrist bone, yeah?

It just goes to show how application can vary so much. In a road bike situation, the AW is considerably more accurate than the Fenix 7 and about the same as an H10 strap, but I guess the extra jiggling from mountain biking changes things.

 

[Indianwin2001]

For wrist-based HR, does it matter? The HRM on any watch isn't that accurate anyway, it's more like just a guide. If you're serious about accuracy, you put on a chest strap. At least Garmin checks and displays it continuously if required. The AW implementation is garbage, having to go into an app, wait 10 secs for a reading and have it time out 10 secs after it's got one.

Fair enough. I've owned the Garmin Instinct, Fenix 5 and 6X Pro (as well as Edge bike computers) and never had a problem with any of them, so it's all anecdotal. I also have an AW Series 7 (in addition to many previous models) and it's fine too. Neither of them seem dramatically more or less accurate than the other in any metric (although Garmin provides a lot more of them, with far more detail).

Garmin does provide a lot more data, but Apple has tons of 3rd party apps you can pick and choose from. For $7 lifetime, I have training load and readiness. Also, I have a premium membership with TrainingPeaks that are, imo, better than Connect.

 

[xDKP]

Sounds like we are running the same race in Copenhagen 🤷🏻‍♂️
I’m going for 1:30 🙈 Ran as well 1/2 marathon today, from Nørrebro to Bellevue and back💨

Hell yeah CPH Half is first stop 🤘🏼 Ran a HM today as well in beautiful Dyrehaven 🦌🦌

 

[utzelu]

Take a moment to consider what the most expensive watches out there look like, you know; the Rolex's, the Tag Heurs, the Breilings etc. Yep they are all rugged, with bezels and roundness. And cost an awful lot more that the AW and Garmin.

Actually the most expensive watches out there look almost nothing like what you said (i.e. like a watch). Take a look at Richard Mille, Greubel Forsey, MB&F, Jacob & Co and some others. These are all hyper-watches in hundreds of thousands to millions of $ and they are some of the most futuristic and intricate objects out there.