Apple has announced a multitude of new features for the Apple Watch with its new watchOS 10 software update, and that’s good news for cyclists! Apple Watch owners will soon be able to pair it with Bluetooth peripherals such as power meters, speed and cadence sensors, and heart rate monitors.
iPhone screen real estate has also been optimized in the new software update, with the ability for users to view heart rate zones, routes and more on live workouts from connected devices.
This means you’ll actually be able to use your iPhone as a head unit if you mount it to the bars. This is unlikely to compete with the best cycling computers on the market, but for those who already have these Apple devices, it could encourage some riding.
Apple Watch cycling functionality
(Image credit: Apple)
It wasn’t until the seventh generation of the Watch that Apple seemed to take a specific interest in cycling. Prior to this, basic fitness features were available, but the device was more based on being an extension of already existing products in the Apple ecosystem. In 2021, Apple introduced automatic activity logging, including cycling, creating more functionality for the user in a fitness environment.
Fast forward to 2023, and this “milestone update” brings the Apple Watch much more in line with the best cycling smartwatches. Bluetooth functionality will now automatically connect to compatible peripherals, allowing riders to capture more data like power and heart rate through their watches.
All of these features, we expect, will also be ready for seamless integration with third-party apps like Strava, which should allow cyclists to train and log directly from their watch, even with power data.
In addition to Watch connectivity, Apple has also updated features surrounding routes and heart rate zones, so the information should be more palatable. In the US only you’ll get comprehensive topographic maps at the start, which will include contour lines, hill shading, and elevation details that will be useful for off-road riders, as will the ability to search for trailheads.
If you stray off the beaten path, the new mapping software will leave a pin at your “last cellular connection waypoint.” This means that if you lose coverage and need it fast you can go back to that point to upload that awesome selfie. More importantly, it means you can go back somewhere to make an emergency call – it will also locate the last place you could make an emergency call on any network with its Last Emergency Call waypoint.
Another safety feature is fall detection: accelerometers can detect if you stop in an accident and, if you don’t move, alert the emergency services.
It’s also worth noting that the entry-level Apple Watch, Watch SE starts at $249/(£259), which is certainly close to many cycling computers.
(Image credit: Apple)
And that brings us to the next big question: If Apple can provide a platform where data can be collated, processed and displayed in a palatable way, should the likes of Garmin and Wahoo be concerned?
Yes and no… let’s think. While Apple’s ecosystem offers obvious benefits like seamless third-party integration, we’d need to pit an Apple Watch with the new software against the likes of a Garmin Fenix 7 before we could say it’s a product. truly thoroughbred sportsman.
That said, Apple tops the chart by more than three times when it comes to market share. In Q4 2022, they held 36.1% of the market, while Garmin only held 4.6%. The problem for the likes of Garmin and Wahoo then is that for potential new cycling customers who have already bought into the Apple ecosystem, these new features will likely keep people using Apple products longer.
The new OS10 Watch is currently in testing and is expected to be released in September, visit the Apple website to find out more.
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