Peloton Reverses Course, Will Continue to Support Apple GymKit

[dannyyankou]

I don't use this word lightly, but it was a brain dead decision initially. At this stage in the company's life, they should be trying to retain as many customers as possible, and removing this feature would do just the opposite. Whatever savings they would've had would've been outweighed by the customer lifetime value they would lose.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Peloton, who can trust you now?

You might reverse course in a year or two and then if I buy your product I’ll be without GymKit.

Peloton, you have a credibility problem.

Would be a good idea to present an GymKit integration roadmap with a long horizon and a commitment to only pull GymKit if Apple drops it.

 

[Robert.Walter]

I don't use this word lightly, but it was a brain dead decision initially. At this stage in the company's life, they should be trying to retain as many customers as possible, and removing this feature would do just the opposite. Whatever savings they would've had would've been outweighed by the customer lifetime value they would lose.

Just like GM dropping CarPlay. Stupid own goal.

 

[DMG35]

I was an avid Peloton user for 2 years and over 1000 rides and finally had an enough of it. It’s the same music over and over again and the same boring rides over and over again. I’m glad some people still like it but I had enough of it and sold mine and am so glad its gone.

 

[BellSystem]

Yes, please sign me up for the company that re-engineered a treadmill to remove child safety components from decades past under the guise of innovation. Anyone who pays for this rubbish needs mental help. Do you really need to pretend to work out with the people on the screen for an absurd monthly fee? Such a lame product for lame people.

 

[jjudson]

The most expensive clothes hangers made…

 

[Born Again]

Perhaps Peloton realized that if they stop supporting GymKit a lot of people would stop subscribing to their $24/mo Peloton App+ service which they cannot afford to lose [their Average Monthly Paid App Subscription Churn last quarter (2nd quarter of fiscal year 2024) was at 7.2% while total members fell 4% vs a year

i use zwift - doesn't support gym kit. gym kit is useless to us.

it's like real athletes use garmin devices. they get it.

but good for peloton

 

[InVinoVeritasty]

So many misinformed opinions about Peloton. Yes, it is expensive compared to -- doing nothing. But compared to the medical cost of metabolic syndrome and all of its manifestations, any subscription fitness device that gets the subscriber moving, is a freaking bargain. A real fitness program is hard work. A tool like Peloton, Tonal, or hydrow can make that work much easier. They are not free, but they are absolute bargains compared to the medical costs of a sedentary lifestyle. Choose wisely.

 

[jeffu]

So many misinformed opinions about Peloton. Yes, it is expensive compared to -- doing nothing. But compared to the medical cost of metabolic syndrome and all of its manifestations, any subscription fitness device that gets the subscriber moving, is a freaking bargain. A real fitness program is hard work. A tool like Peloton, Tonal, or hydrow can make that work much easier. They are not free, but they are absolute bargains compared to the medical costs of a sedentary lifestyle. Choose wisely.

Could not agree more - I bought the Bike in April 2020 realizing I needed something at home for stress relief since gyms were no longer an option. Previously I thought it was nuts to buy the equipment and then pay a monthly fee - wow was I wrong. I'm 61 now and in better shape than ever, I got in to outdoor biking and last summer rode across Michigan (165 miles one day), Indiana (160 miles one day) and Wisconsin (235, ok, two days) - I now have the tread as well as the bike and use them every day - all for the same subscription price - AND my other half (66 years old) uses the bike and lost 50 lbs over the past year - again same subscription. It's so much more than the bike or tread or rower - they also have strength and yoga and stretching - all included. As to the bike and tread - probably some of the best equipment in the market, just look at the specs - the tread with knobs to control speed and incline, just brilliant - so in my mind, it's a very wise investment in my health - as the previous poster said - Choose wisely!

 

[ipedro]

Breaking: Maker of expensive and sleek industrial design hardware discovers that most of its customers are Apple users. – stay tuned for more on News at 11

 

[ipedro]

Wow, a company that listens to their customers?!?!

No, they listen to their lawyers.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1757468284122018063

This guy absolutely has a case. If a company advertises hardware with support for a critical function, in this case as an Apple Watch compatible gym equipment, then pulls the feature that tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people purchased a Peloton for, then at the very least they have to issue a recall and refund those customers, bankrupting the company finding money that's long gone, or worse, they're sued for compensation over and above the cost of each bike.

They figured it's best to just leave GymKit in there and probably not support it with any updates if Apple issues any. I don't trust Peloton and would never buy any of their equipment, that'll turn into an expensive clothes rack when they inevitably fold.

 

[Thehangmn]

I’m glad they reversed this decision. I bought the bike+ because of this feature and was pretty angry about it

 

[hagar]

GymKit? Forgot this was a thing. Anything happening on that front for Apple?

 

[Arran]

So was this a gaffe, or a test? Is management clueless or clued-in?

Buy PTON or ignore?

 

[AdmiralTriggerH]

No, they listen to their lawyers.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1757468284122018063

This guy absolutely has a case. If a company advertises hardware with support for a critical function, in this case as an Apple Watch compatible gym equipment, then pulls the feature that tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people purchased a Peloton for, then at the very least they have to issue a recall and refund those customers, bankrupting the company finding money that's long gone, or worse, they're sued for compensation over and above the cost of each bike.

They figured it's best to just leave GymKit in there and probably not support it with any updates if Apple issues any. I don't trust Peloton and would never buy any of their equipment, that'll turn into an expensive clothes rack when they inevitably fold.

Yeah, Sony learnt that the hard way with OtherOS on the PS3.
Pulling a feature that was an included feature at purchase time is a good way to get a class action lawsuit.
I got myself a cheap $300 AUD exercise bike and I watch TV while using it, much better than some stupid Spin class.
But I much prefer to ride my real $3000 Bike instead

 

[svish]

Great to see that they have reconsidered their decision.

 

[sos47]

buy a proper smart indoor trainer from wahoo, taxx or elite. they have standard protocols based on BLE and ANT+. So much more apps for iPad, Apple TV, iPhone and of course androids. Guided training possibilities (plans for everything) and fun with real world coarses (sufferland, taxx, trainerroad, etc) or group riding (zwift).
peleton is proprietary, expensive and restricted.

 

[zakarhino]

I have heard more about peloton this week than the last 5 years.

"Guys we need a press boost"

"Why don't we announce the removal of a feature that a significant portion of our customer base utilizes based on our analytics, wait for the backlash, and then backtrack under the justification of 'We love our customers and listen to them, we are such a customer focused company' even though we never had any intention of getting rid of that feature? Even better if it's something Apple related so we can piggy back off of their Vision Pro media hype"

"Genius. You get a bonus this quarter!"

"Great! I'm gonna take my family on that vacation!"

"No no, it's a $100 voucher for Uber Eats"

 

[Armada2]

You would expect to ask customers first about feedback rather than make a decision and then reverse.. not good leadership

 

[iBluetooth]

So does this mean Apple’s purchase of Peloton is happening again? 🤪





That was meant as sarcasm, just in case you couldn’t tell

It means they will pump the share price with a story of Apple purchase, or any other company with cash.

 

[J___o___h___n]

It was sold as a core feature on the upgraded bikes. Can’t just pick and choose years later what you want to still support.

What’s next? Samsung or LG announcing they’ll no longer support 4K on their 4K TVs? Come on Peloton - do better, be better.

 

[arkitect]

So many misinformed opinions about Peloton. Yes, it is expensive compared to -- doing nothing. But compared to the medical cost of metabolic syndrome and all of its manifestations, any subscription fitness device that gets the subscriber moving, is a freaking bargain. A real fitness program is hard work. A tool like Peloton, Tonal, or hydrow can make that work much easier. They are not free, but they are absolute bargains compared to the medical costs of a sedentary lifestyle. Choose wisely.

OTOH, I just put on my running shoes (or get on my bike) and get outside while breathing relatively fresh air. 🙂
No monthly subscription needed.

I don't think we need to have a piece of technology parked somewhere in the house to avoid the things you mentioned.
Unless you live in a positively Arctic environment where you can never get outside, then yeah…

 

[User 6502]

I just don't think I could ever justify spending a monthly fee on a piece of workout equipment that lives in my house. I'm so sick of subscriptions....

It’s nonsensical, I can’t believe people actually pay for that. Well, not that many people it seems, but still…

 

[User 6502]

So many misinformed opinions about Peloton. Yes, it is expensive compared to -- doing nothing. But compared to the medical cost of metabolic syndrome and all of its manifestations, any subscription fitness device that gets the subscriber moving, is a freaking bargain. A real fitness program is hard work. A tool like Peloton, Tonal, or hydrow can make that work much easier. They are not free, but they are absolute bargains compared to the medical costs of a sedentary lifestyle. Choose wisely.

There are countless alternatives to be active just as easy but completely free or considerably cheaper. Peloton doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

 

[philstubbington]

It's an industry leading product from a poorly run company. Software and UI is excellent. Hardware is adequate for home use. They need to slash overhead to survive. Cutting promised services is not the way.

Wow, never used Peloton, but the hardware is only adequate? Glad we stuck with much lower cost options - Decathlon to be specific. Hardware is fine, software is poor - to the extent we don’t use it.