Apple unveils Apple Watch Series 6 and Fitness+ subscription service

15 September 2020, 20:19

Apple has unveiled the next generation of its Apple Watch and its Fitness+ class subscription service that will be linked to the device.

The Apple Watch Series 6 features a health sensor which is able to measure the user's blood oxygen levels in 15 seconds.

It was revealed alongside the new "affordable" Apple Watch SE which will start at £269 and will contain many of the core features of the Series 6, which will have a starting price of £379.

The $2 trillion company has increasingly marketed the Watch as a health and fitness device, earlier this year announcing that sleep tracking and a prompt around hand-washing would also be introduced to the device this year.

It is hoped the fitness class subscription service will help it compete with rivals such as Peleton.

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Speaking during a virtual event on Tuesday to announce the products, Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams called the Series 6 the "most advanced Apple Watch ever" having taken "another big leap forward".

He also said the SE combined the "features customers love" at a lower price, which means there is now an Apple Watch "for everyone".

The US technology firm also confirmed its plan to launch a new exercise subscription service called Fitness+, which will be powered by the Apple Watch and will cost £9.99 a month.

It will enable users to stream fitness classes with professional trainers on their iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, with their exercise metrics automatically tracked by their Apple Watch while also being shown on-screen.

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The service will be linked with Apple Music, the tech giant's music streaming service, to provide playlists for each workout.

A range of workouts, including walks and runs on a treadmill, yoga and HIIT sessions will be available when the service launches later in the year and will be seen as a direct competitor to platforms such as Peloton, which has had success with its own exercise bike and linked subscription service of associated workout classes.

The new subscription service joins a growing number of similar products offered by Apple, which has increasingly turned to its services business in recent years as a key revenue source as hardware sales slowed.

As part of that expansion, a new bundle of all its subscription services known as Apple One was announced, which at the top tier will include access to iCloud storage, Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, News+ and Fitness+ for £29.95 a month.