'Good Morning America' Goes Inside Apple's Secret Apple Watch Fitness Testing Lab

[gugy]

As and avid swimmer and surfer, I wish the Watch was waterproof. That would be fantastic to track these activities. I guess gotta wait for future versions will address this issue.

 

[MacOG728893]

The only thing I noticed were those Dell systems running the tests. Possibly the analytic software is only for Windows?

 

[CFreymarc]

This "secret facility" from the exterior shots looks like the Apple Bubb Road buildings in Cupertino near De Anza college. These buildings have a long history of confidential Apple projects going all the way back to the original Mac, Newton and first iPhone.

They have very restricted access where only a few dozen Apple employees and very select contractors have access during product development. When Campus 2 is complete, very curious to see how IL and Bubb buildings will operate. IMO, so much Apple product design was done on Bubb Road, I can see these buildings become Historic Landmarks up there with Steve Jobs's parents house where the Apple One was made.

These buildings are out of the way from the main campus on De Anza, not in view of major streets with the exception of the roofs peeking over the ravine of Highway 85. They are very close to IL and I'm sure a campus commuter bus transported the employees doing fitness regiments for these tests. Also, for this media shoot, I'm sure they chose the most fit looking Apple employees for the background.

The setup they show reminds me of many old school NASA physiological research chambers and facilities used to get astronaut physical parameters. About the only thing missing are a vacuum chamber and weightlessness training pool.

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The only thing I noticed were those Dell systems running the tests. Possibly the analytic software is only for Windows?

Good observation. Windows machines are not as verboten inside Apple corporate as they used to be back when Microsoft had greater market influence. I'm sure it they were chosen for the Fitness tracking apps they have. I wouldn't be surprised if they are running a custom app built in LabView with licenses from National Instrument via a dummy shell for project confidentiality. Also, having it run on Windows / Dell configurations throws the scent off the trail of anyone thinking it was for an Apple project.

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As and avid swimmer and surfer, I wish the Watch was waterproof. That would be fantastic to track these activities. I guess gotta wait for future versions will address this issue.

Expect a third party waterproof band / case before the summer is out. I'm sure there are several in development just waiting to get their hands on the Real McCoy before going public. Hell, I'd bet good money we'll see a waterproof band group-funding project by next month.

 

[Tycho24]

The only thing I noticed were those Dell systems running the tests. Possibly the analytic software is only for Windows?

I would've used boot camp, lol.

 

[Keirasplace]

Everyone says so, joggin only works if you want to lose muscle and weight (which almost nobody wants), have you seen those really skinny guys doing marathons? That's the kind of body you get for jogging. If you want to gain muscle and burn fat you should sprint not jog.

Sprinting isn't really good for devellopping muscles either. Sprinters get that way through well, weights, not sprinting . Same thing for high jumpers (I was one competitively for 8 years). Was a pretty good sprinter too, but a better jumper.

 

[3Gmatt]

No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.

 

[danox574]

I'd really like to see Apple paying attention to the growing triathlon market - not one person in the sport will put down their existing device for this one, and the market is growing fast. Swimming is miraculously missing from all of these fitness references and it is excellent for you. I feel like they're leaving it out because they really don't want to build a standalone waterproof device.

Garmin sees it, the 920XT is getting notifications from iPhones and Androids. That integration isn't pretty yet, but they are trying to put the features in to make sure they maintain an edge in this market. Their software is buggy, it's occasionally irritating, but it's still what a large portion of the group is using.

 

[McDaddio]

Steve Jobs (you know, the first person mentioned in that conversation) did.

Is it lonely way up on that horse all by yourself?

You are incorrect.
Mr. Jobs died of respiratory arrest.
I don't have a horse. I have 3 dogs, 1 cat and two hedgehogs.
I am not at lonely, but thanks for asking.

 

[Jakexb]

If there was any doubt they wanted more advanced sensors in the apple watch, there shouldn't be any now. You don't need that kind of thing to slap a heart rate monitor on something.

 

[Trapezoid]

You are incorrect.
Mr. Jobs died of respiratory arrest.
I don't have a horse. I have 3 dogs, 1 cat and two hedgehogs.
I am not at lonely, but thanks for asking.

Wasn't the respiratory arrest caused by a pancreatic tumor? I think that would mean he died because of pancreatic cancer.

 

[Tech198]

Apple sure knows how to put people through their paces. And I do mean literately.

Guess it's no secret anymore... I just can't believe of all the networks, they let 'Good Morning Australia' do this.

 

[Soulweaponry]

For when you spill the supersize coke on it while changing movies on the Apple TV remote app.

Oh, you meant for fitness? Sorry, no idea.

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Yeah, the new Apple TV testers got chained to their sofas.

Not that anyone complained

For anything. If you spilled a coke on you, that's literally what water resistance is for. Your watch isn't submerged for an extended length of time in coke unless you decided to leave it in a glass of coke because you decide you want to murder the apple watch.

No doubt people will test how waterproof this thing is and kill it just to say "see? It's not water proof!" Well no ****. Nobody said it was

 

[leolatarc]

Looking at statistics during your run - much more convenient on a watch vs. pulling out a phone (which is difficult when running), or using a FitBit-type device where you can't see stats until you're connected to a computer when you're done.

Just want to correct you here. Every Fitbit device ever released with the exception of maybe the Ultra had the ability to view your live stats directly on the display of the device. The connecting to a computer part is transferring that data to your Fitbit account.

 

[enblue]

Agree to that

I always enjoy these insider looks. When I see the cost and effort going into the product behind the scene it just blows my mind.

I think we can confidently say Apple watch is just the genesis of what's going to be an incredible line of products.

Listen to me, the marketing is working. I'm already sold. Lolz.

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They're taking a wholistic approach to health. This is just the beginning.

we are selling a new kind of docking station for the Apple Watch, doing a Kickstarter campaign which allows us to communicate with people from all over the world and I get the impression that there is much more excitement and demand as some media is telling us. Apple will do here the same as with the iPhone. Driving and leading that segment - the rest will follow. And many who say now "I don't buy it" will end up having one, I bet on this

 

[MacOG728893]

Good observation. Windows machines are not as verboten inside Apple corporate as they used to be back when Microsoft had greater market influence. I'm sure it they were chosen for the Fitness tracking apps they have. I wouldn't be surprised if they are running a custom app built in LabView with licenses from National Instrument via a dummy shell for project confidentiality. Also, having it run on Windows / Dell configurations throws the scent off the trail of anyone thinking it was for an Apple project

But it's all Apple employees doing the testing? I think this would be the biggest giveaway.

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I would've used boot camp, lol.

I know right? I just thought it was funny. Apple, using Dell, to test their Apple Watch. Might be good marketing for Dell.

 

[Max(IT)]

There was never a "never" implied in what he said. He thinks what I pretty much think, that the Apple Watch isn't currently much better than what the competition is offering.

I think the one thing that's hurt the Apple Watch the most, at least among the tech pundits, is the hype and expectations surrounding it. I think a lot of people were expecting the Apple Watch to be the iPhone of the wearable scene, making everything else look liked dated Blackberries. That didn't turn out to be the case.

Are you his advocate?
You are judging the Apple Watch without have it tried, not even briefly. Interesting.....
I actually think Apple watch will eventually make everything else in its field like dates blackberries, as usual. And then competitors will change their products basically pumping every Apple Watch shoes to look better.
I don't know if I'm going to buy one, probably not. But I'll surely give it a try.

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No - once again you fail to understand what I've written - or just like employing straw man arguments.

Oh I understand perfectly every post you make on this forum, believe me.

 

[Keirasplace]

...but not swimming either (from the Apple website):



So triathlon or even general fitness swimming is out of the question.

Many triathlete don't use a watch during the swim in a race, because lets face it competitive swimming with a watch just sucks and your not going to look at it during the swim. Many, just put it on in the transition.

So, you get what resistance IPX7 rating of the Apple Watch gives you, the old Garmin Forerunner, which had the SAME IP RATING as the Apple Watch IPX7, was used in the swimming cap by this triathlete which as a long running blog on the triathlon (a decade).... He says he often used it without any protection there.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2007/09/how-to-swim-with-your-garmin-forerunner.html

But, generally, to protect his investment, he put the IPX7 rated watch in a ziplock bag under his cap to keep the GPS connection up as he swims in open water. Ingenious really.

Though, those watches are generally much cheaper, so losing them wouldn't be so much of an issue.

Myself, I train in all triathlon disciplines, but don't race.

I swim a lot and most don't use a watch alone (or at all) when they swim because that won't give them reliable heart rate info unless you've got an external sensor and it may be an hindrance in intense training (it is not improving your hydrodynamics for sure).

You can use various watches with a chest strap (like the Polar) if you really want reliable stroke rate and heart rate info. Another interesting device is a ear lobe and temple monitors that either tell you your rate directly transmitting sound through your skull or on your HUD/goggles.

 

[asiga]

This watchie thing certainly looks like some April fools day joke done from Apple competitors (because competitors are going to ROTFL this April). I just hope the harm this causes on Apple is just the right harm for dropping this adventure and learning the lesson (but not greater than that, so that the real Apple products aren't affected)

 

[Keirasplace]

This watchie thing certainly looks like some April fools day joke done from Apple competitors (because competitors are going to ROTFL this April). I just hope the harm this causes on Apple is just the right harm for dropping this adventure and learning the lesson (but not greater than that, so that the real Apple products aren't affected)

IF selling more in 1-2 days than all the android wear competition in 6 months (700K) is "harm"... Well, I guess Apple will have to live with it.... You do know that none of those devices your lauding have sold in any number!

 

[Max(IT)]

IF selling more in 1-2 days than all the android wear competition in 6 months (700K) is "harm"... Well, I guess Apple will have to live with it.... You do know that none of those devices your lauding have sold in any number!

Just take a seat and see....

 

[manu chao]

Looking at statistics during your run - much more convenient on a watch vs. pulling out a phone (which is difficult when running), or using a FitBit-type device where you can't see stats until you're connected to a computer when you're done.

Whoever told you the bit about FitBit is wrong. FitBit devices can sync via Bluetooth with your phone and your phone can thus show you all the stats while you are out and about. Anybody who syncs FitBit devices directly with a computer either doesn't have a phone with Bluetooth or for some reason wants to avoid the battery and data consumption that syncing with your phone entails.

 

[manu chao]

So what the Watch offers in terms of accurate fitness tracking is primarily the ability to monitor your progress from your wrist while your iPhone is still strapped to or pocketed on your somewhere.

This seems like a small step in the right direction*, but being able to leave your iPhone behind during a workout would be something to really get excited about.

So you think the watch will not have the smarts to calculate your heart rate, step count, altitude change and other derived metrics (like calorie consumption) without the help of an iPhone, nor will it have to storage to store that data? I would have thought that an A5-class processor and 8 GB of storage should allow for that.

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But what data would that be? The Watch requires sensors to track and log the data in the first place. It can measure your basic movements with the accelerometer, but how does that turn into anything your iPhone can then translate into more accurate GPS-measured data later?

Unless I'm way off here, step counting can't be transformed into GPS data. You have either collected the data or you haven't.

The main thing GPS adds is where you worked out, now how much you have worked out. For distance, altitude and speed, step counters and barometers are (a) sufficient and (b) equally or even more accurate (barometers are typically more accurate than GPS for altitude).

 

[Chupa Chupa]

PR for sure can be unintentional pushing corporations, like Apple, into damage control - Do you recall the recent “bending iPhone 6+”? It was only after the youtube video that Apple invited cameras into their testing facility.

Damage control is the pinnacle of PR. Bad happens, the company wants to shape how the world perceives it before a 3rd party locks in their version. Company's don't have to do damage control but when they do believe me it's is very planned out. It's not unintentional in the least.

 

[Renzatic]

Are you his advocate?

No, but I can read, and I can see that you were putting words in his mouth, accusing him of saying things he never said.

You are judging the Apple Watch without have it tried, not even briefly. Interesting.....
I actually think Apple watch will eventually make everything else in its field like dates blackberries, as usual. And then competitors will change their products basically pumping every Apple Watch shoes to look better.
I don't know if I'm going to buy one, probably not. But I'll surely give it a try.

I don't have to try it see that its base functionality isn't much different than anything that's come before. There isn't anything about it that puts it in an entirely different league from its competitors. I'm not saying it's terrible or anything, just that it's hardly what I'd call "the iPhone for the Smartwatch scene". It doesn't change much of anything.

For all intents and purposes, the Apple Watch is just s'alright.

 

[Max(IT)]

No, but I can read, and I can see that you were putting words in his mouth, accusing him of saying things he never said.



I don't have to try it see that its base functionality isn't much different than anything that's come before. There isn't anything about it that puts it in an entirely different league from its competitors. I'm not saying it's terrible or anything, just that it's hardly what I'd call "the iPhone for the Smartwatch scene". It doesn't change much of anything.

For all intents and purposes, the Apple Watch is just s'alright.

You didn't try it. You don't know it's functionalities. You don't know the quality of its apps. You don't know its user interface. You basically don't know anything about it. But you are judging it anyway.
Oh yes, there's something you surely know: it hasn't a Google operative system, and that's enough....

On the contrary, I'm waiting to try it before judge, and the only good premise so far is: it isn't powered by Google.