Fitbit Surge to Apple Watch

[maflynn]

So I've been kicking around the idea of moving away from the Fitbit Surge to the Apple Watch. Anyone transition from a Surge?

Thoughts/opinions?

How's accessing the work out apps/selection compared the surge (press a button, swipe press another button). I largely dismissed the need of getting notifications on a watch when the Apple watch was coming out, but with the Surge I see a use for them.

 

[Newtons Apple]

So I've been kicking around the idea of moving away from the Fitbit Surge to the Apple Watch. Anyone transition from a Surge?

Thoughts/opinions?

How's accessing the work out apps/selection compared the surge (press a button, swipe press another button). I largely dismissed the need of getting notifications on a watch when the Apple watch was coming out, but with the Surge I see a use for them.

I use both. For fitness like walking or running the Surge is hard to beat. It tracks your HR no matter what and with the GPS you get actual mapped runs. The AW will need to be moved up your wrist a little and tightened to get good results with the HR sensor. You would then go to applications, workout and pick outdoor walk or outdoor run. Both require a few steps. The FitBit app spoils you as the Apple Health app is not nearly as mature. Hoping that Apple will fix this soon.

I wear my AW all the time but when I run I add my Surge for more detail. I just ordered the FitBit Charge HR which is much smaller but still does everything the fitbit Surge does less the GPS.

 

[maflynn]

Thanks for the info,
My fitbit is being replaced and to be honest, they sent me a brand new Surge, I was thinking of selling that to offset the cost of AW.

I'm a little surprised (and I supposed disappointed) that the exercise metrics are less robust. I can't see myself using/owning both a fitbit and an Apple Watch.

I'll have to mull this over a bit more.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Thanks for the info,
My fitbit is being replaced and to be honest, they sent me a brand new Surge, I was thinking of selling that to offset the cost of AW.

I'm a little surprised (and I supposed disappointed) that the exercise metrics are less robust. I can't see myself using/owning both a fitbit and an Apple Watch.

I'll have to mull this over a bit more.

Try the Apple watch and if you do not like, return it and go back to the FitBit. I had to wait forever for them the get the XL size in for my Surge. The AW apps is more than good for most, but after using a "dedicated fitness device" the Health apps seemed lacking. I like graphs and the mapping which the FitBit did well. You can also get apps for your iPhone to map your Walk/Run if you liked that from FitBit.

Best of luck, the choice is not that easy.

 

[OllyW]

I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away.

 

[maflynn]

I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away.

No, I'm being sucked in

My wife just shakes her head.

 

[OllyW]

No, I'm being sucked in

My wife just shakes her head.

I thought she would be used to it by now.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Thanks for the info,
My fitbit is being replaced and to be honest, they sent me a brand new Surge, I was thinking of selling that to offset the cost of AW.

I'm a little surprised (and I supposed disappointed) that the exercise metrics are less robust. I can't see myself using/owning both a fitbit and an Apple Watch.

Funny, that's exactly what happened to me, but with my fitbit charge. I'd had it for 6 months, and then it broke the day before my Apple watch arrived. Fitbit replaced it brand new and I sold it for $100. (I guess I didn't use that money for my Apple Watch though.... I used it for a night at a bar... haha)

Regarding exercise metrics, I wouldn't expect any huge catch-up anytime soon. I think Apple (probably rightly so) will leave that to 3rd party developers to compete and come up with best solutions for individual use cases. Sucks right now, but with 2.0 should be a perfectly acceptable solution

 

[maflynn]

Fitbit replaced it brand new and I sold it for $100.

Real issue or made up on in my head to further justify the AW, you touch upon something. The band on the Surge (as with other fitbits) is all one piece. If I have an issue with the band, the entire watch needs to get replaced. I'm fortunate enough to be within my warranty period but what 2016.

I'm not trying to do logical gymnastics to justify the AW, but I am looking the advantages and disadvantages of the Surge, and compare that with the advantages and disadvantages of the apple watch.

This is why I created a thread to get input and feedback from prior fitbit users.

One thing is for sure, the battery on the Surge is great, and that would be hard to give up. I charge my Surge about 2x a week. The battery rating is a week, but the gps sucks the battery dry so I only get 1/2 much. I run 5 to 6 days a week so the gps is always going.

 

[zhenya]

My Nike Sportwatch just came apart. It looks like they are going to replace it even though it's out of the warranty, so I may stick with it a while yet, but while it's out for repair I've been looking at alternatives. Honestly they all seem to have one pitfall or another. The Surge is up there on my list, but the reviews from other avid runners are pretty mixed - the heartrate doesn't seem that accurate, nor is the gps compared to the best. The high-end running watches just seem larger and more complex than I really want to deal with. In the meantime I've been running with my iPhone placed in my Flipbelt to use the Nike+ app, and the phone is really not that noticeable, which has me also considering the Apple Watch again, even though I really like the freedom of not having to carry my phone. I could learn to live with it.

Interested to see what you decide!

 

[BSG75]

I've had both. The Surge is a dedicated fitness tracker with a couple of smartwatch features. The AW is a smartwatch with a few fitness features. Personally, I would rather have the all-around utility of the AW over the Surge. I still use a FitBit One as a step tracker and because my wife and daughter have FitBits.

FitBit's app is more feature-rich that the AW activity app. Although, you can go in depth using the health app.

 

[maflynn]

The Surge is up there on my list, but the reviews from other avid runners are pretty mixed - the heartrate doesn't seem that accurate, nor is the gps compared to the best.

I've heard complaints about the heart rate, and I can attest at times it loses contact from time to time. I've heard about people complaining about its accuracy as well. It measures my heart rate in the 50s, when I'm at the doctor's office my heart rate is between the 30s and 40s. Which is more accurate? I don't know, but when I take my pulse its usually in same range as when the doctor does it.

The GPS is decent, I really like how quickly it locks on to the satellite - I had a MS band and it took forever to lock on. As for accuracy, I find running the same path will produce different results. The difference is usually within a couple of tenths which is not ideal but not horrendous.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I've had both. The Surge is a dedicated fitness tracker with a couple of smartwatch features. The AW is a smartwatch with a few fitness features. Personally, I would rather have the all-around utility of the AW over the Surge. I still use a FitBit One as a step tracker and because my wife and daughter have FitBits.

FitBit's app is more feature-rich that the AW activity app. Although, you can go in depth using the health app.

Agree 100%. The AW is trying to be and IS way more than just a fitness tracker. After using a dedicated fitness device you find this out.

I do have faith that Apple will update but the OS and App in the future. At least I can hope as I love my AW, too!

 

[maflynn]

Agree 100%. The AW is trying to be and IS way more than just a fitness tracker. After using a dedicated fitness device you find this out.

I saw one youtube comparison and he basically said the Surge is better then the AW for working out TODAY, not tomorrow and the future but TODAY. That is as soon as you start using it, you're at the pinnacle of its usefulness - it will not get any better over time, where as the  Watch is so extensible and thanks to apps, it will have more features and functions.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I saw one youtube comparison and he basically said the Surge is better then the AW for working out TODAY, not tomorrow and the future but TODAY. That is as soon as you start using it, you're at the pinnacle of its usefulness - it will not get any better over time, where as the  Watch is so extensible and thanks to apps, it will have more features and functions.

I could not agree more.

Apple will improve the watch OS and hopefully the app and it will do much better in the future. I do not hear a lot of improvements from the people who are testing OS2 so we are not sure when the OS improvements can come. A giant update to the health app would be welcome in the mean time!

At the same time FitBit will improve it's hardware with new devices and I am sure they will work on it's already great app. If FitBit could come out with a device that looks a little better than the Surge they would sell way more. But right now if you are into a fitness and want to keep the best data on your heart rate, the FitBit is today, the winner hands down.

I love my Surge but the AW is so attractive for it's additional uses that I choose it over the Surge. I have gone back and forth several times before the AW became stuck on my wrist. Still put the Surge on for the runs but not wearing it constantly skews the data in the FitBit app. It would be nice if they could all get along.

It is a hard choice for you and hope you try the AW as I think it is good to see it first hand.

Best of Luck!

 

[maflynn]

I'm leaning towards the  watch because of the extensibility of it. I'm not entirely sold yet because its a first gen watch, and apple will no doubt be looking to improve it, and yet the price is such that I cannot justify "upgrading" it very often. I have the same mentality with the iPad, its a great product but not one that I need to upgrade.

The Surge is a great product and I have a replacement watch sitting on my desk, thanks to some condensation on the inside of my current Surge. I may put that up in the marketplace since it NIB, and/or craigslist and see what nibbles I get. Obviously NIB is better to sell then a used product. Which is why I'm trying to figure this out now and not later, since I have to send back the old watch.

One thing my current Surge has, is some wearing of the band and the watch body under the band is showing through, I am disappointed in that, its occurring right at the corner where the watch ends and the band itself curves around. This has me a little spooked as to what will happen over time especially when the warranty expires

To do my due diligence though I will review the returned my apple watch thread to see the other side of opinions, those people who returned it.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I saw one youtube comparison and he basically said the Surge is better then the AW for working out TODAY, not tomorrow and the future but TODAY. That is as soon as you start using it, you're at the pinnacle of its usefulness - it will not get any better over time, where as the  Watch is so extensible and thanks to apps, it will have more features and functions.

Right, but will that be the current AW or the next? I agree w/ everyone here that the AW is not the workout trainer Apple sold it to be, or maybe we too anxiously assumed it would be. WatchOS 2 certainly will change things since devs will have access to all the sensors, but how complete will that really be.

For example the HR monitor is only periodic, not constant like a true training device or good activity monitor, like the Surge. Apple probably had to take battery life into account, but its a major shortfall. Whether devs can override this or not I don't know. If they can't then we are no better off than now, except we'll have access to running apps with nicer interfaces than Apple's own workout app.

I'd say if you want a smartwatch with minimal activity monitoring but also useful for other tasks then get the AW. If you want to focus hard on daily activity keep your Surge. If you want to improve your current activity and also want lots of performance data points get a dedicated sport watch for your activity (cycling, running, swimming, etc). AW and a dedicated sport watch work since you only wear one at a time. But AW and activity watch/band don't since you need to wear the activity watch all day to be of full benefit and do you want to wear two watches at the same time?

 

[maflynn]

For example the HR monitor is only periodic, not constant like a true training device or good activity monitor, like the Surge

Generally speaking, I hardly look at my heart rate now on the Surge. I'm not trying to justify the AW over the Surge in this aspect but rather state that for me, and my work out regiment my heart rate is less important. Should I care about it, I dunno. I run because I love too, and I do cardio and karate because its enjoyable.

I agree with version two of the OS, things should (hopefully) improve app wise.

 

[BarracksSi]

My take on Apple Health is it might just be a framework or depository for health and fitness data. I can already use different apps on the phone to view and write Health data in specific ways.

I'd expect something similar from AW developers. They could write apps specific to different workout activities. What's best for, say, yoga versus crossfit wouldn't be the same, and specialized apps for those probably wouldn't be best for distance running or interval training.

I wouldn't get too hung up on Apple's workout app, then. The nice thing is that it's far simpler to use than my Garmin 410.

 

[exxxviii]

My take on Apple Health is it might just be a framework or depository for health and fitness data. I can already use different apps on the phone to view and write Health data in specific ways.

What apps have you used to access Health data? I went into it a few days ago to see what the AW measured as a resting HR. Unfortunately, I had several workouts, so Health had a log of thousands of workout heart readings separating a few "normal" readings. I could not find an easy way to look back through my HR history to find likely resting HR readings. Health spammed me with a data dump, and I gave up.

 

[zhenya]

My take on the AW is that it is currently in the position that the original iPhone and iPads were when they were first released - relatively simplistic compared to what they will become. I think that's a good thing, however, as Apple seems to do best by developing an entirely new service or device slowly, from the ground up, as opposed to trying to push something full-featured out the door all at once (see Apple Music).

 

[Bob190]

What apps have you used to access Health data? I went into it a few days ago to see what the AW measured as a resting HR. Unfortunately, I had several workouts, so Health had a log of thousands of workout heart readings separating a few "normal" readings. I could not find an easy way to look back through my HR history to find likely resting HR readings. Health spammed me with a data dump, and I gave up.

Try Heart Graph or FitPort. Heart Graph allows you to graph HR data for any period of time you like. FitPort will allow you to see HR data graphically by hour. Both excellent apps.

 

[gsmornot]

For example the HR monitor is only periodic, not constant like a true training device or good activity monitor, like the Surge. Apple probably had to take battery life into account, but its a major shortfall. Whether devs can override this or not I don't know. If they can't then we are no better off than now, except we'll have access to running apps with nicer interfaces than Apple's own workout app.

Wanted to let you know that while running (or any other workout) the workout app on the watch records your heart rate every 5 seconds and in my experience does a nice job. I wear my watch running and cycling and in both cases it has proven to be very good. I still wear a Garmin chest strap while cycling to go with my computer so that I can see my current rate as I climb hills. I have looked at my watch from time to time during the climbs and the two are within a few beats of each other if not the same.

I have over time dropped the need to collect and analyze a ton of data. Recording the activity has become almost enough by itself.

 

[maflynn]

I have over time dropped the need to collect and analyze a ton of data. Recording the activity has become almost enough by itself.

That's my take on things, to be honest, as long as I can see my splits, I'm happy. The Surge is nice in that I can select biking as an exercise and it use the GPS to track my biking. Obviously it won't track my steps while biking

it also has a hiking app which in theory sounds like a great idea, but given how long I usually hike, the GPS sucks the battery dry before I actually am halfway done. I think this is where the iPhone may be better because I can easily throw it into my backpack set my run keeper app and hookup a small external battery to keep it going.

 

[gsmornot]

That's my take on things, to be honest, as long as I can see my splits, I'm happy. The Surge is nice in that I can select biking as an exercise and it use the GPS to track my biking. Obviously it won't track my steps while biking

it also has a hiking app which in theory sounds like a great idea, but given how long I usually hike, the GPS sucks the battery dry before I actually am halfway done. I think this is where the iPhone may be better because I can easily throw it into my backpack set my run keeper app and hookup a small external battery to keep it going.

The activity app will show splits. I'm running the iOS 9 beta but I think splits are in 8.4 too but not 100% sure. While the watch does not currently include internal GPS you can use Run Keeper on your phone like you do now at the same time as the stock app so long as you don't mind having your phone with you. In watch OS2 we should have the ability to run the application fully on the watch. GPS tracking will still be an issue that will require the phone but the application itself should be faster to start and easier to interface with if you want to use it in place of the stock app. I read too that 3rd party apps will send data to the Activity and Health apps which is great because today the only way to get credit within the Activity app for workout activities is with the stock workout application.