I'm all in on my Apple Watch (former Fitbit user)

[James Falconer]

Time to update things a bit here. As some of you know, I was a Fitbit user for over 2 years (approximately). Loved the darn things. Worked well, very durable, and helped me along with my fitness goals.

However, once the Apple Watch Series 2 came out with waterproofing and GPS, I decided to make the purchase, and at this point I have to say I'm all in.

I stopped using my Fitbit HR when the Apple Watch arrived, just quit, cold turkey. I figured there was a chance I'd want to go back, but to date, absolutely no urge. The Series 2 does so many things well that it did in a mediocre fashion before. But most important to me is the fitness app. I absolutely LOVE filling my rings each day, and I'm finding I'm more active, and get my butt off the couch more often to go for a quick jog outside or inside on the treadmill.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

 

[shodipo]

Yes for a while I had to read out the first generation Apple Watch for free and I got more active
Then I had to go back to my Fitbit charge hr and I must say I've gotten used to it
It's like Vanilla
I particularly miss the stand notifications on the Apple Watch and the circular base made the heart rate more accurate
Right now I'm sourcing for a cheaper Apple Watch Sport first generation
Probably because I put on a couple of pounds

 

[StraightlineBoy]

Fairly similar except I've come from a Garmin GPS running watch.

Where the Apple Watch has been a big success for me are the days when I don't run; I want to fill the rings on those days so it's got me more active on those days. My Garmin used to show that on non-running days that my step count was pitiful but didn't inspire to do anything about it. All of the notifications are a good thing too.

There are downsides but they're not big enough to make me revert to my Garmin. The Garmin gave more advanced running metrics (stride length, cadence etc) and had a virtual pacer on it. It also uploaded to Strava without having to resort to hacks (I know it's just a matter of time until the apps catch up with the Watch hardware). The final one is that the wrist HR sensor is convenient but not a patch on a chest strap for accuracy. Fortunately I've done enough running with a chest strap to know what my typical data looks like and when the graph looks weird (as it did today) I know to ignore it - perhaps a less experienced runner could believe the data and be very confused by it.

 

[James Falconer]

Yes for a while I had to read out the first generation Apple Watch for free and I got more active
Then I had to go back to my Fitbit charge hr and I must say I've gotten used to it
It's like Vanilla
I particularly miss the stand notifications on the Apple Watch and the circular base made the heart rate more accurate
Right now I'm sourcing for a cheaper Apple Watch Sport first generation
Probably because I put on a couple of pounds

Hope you find one that fits your budget!

 

[James Falconer]

Fairly similar except I've come from a Garmin GPS running watch.

So you're all in with the Apple Watch having dumped the Garmin?

 

[ItnStln]

Time to update things a bit here. As some of you know, I was a Fitbit user for over 2 years (approximately). Loved the darn things. Worked well, very durable, and helped me along with my fitness goals.

However, once the Apple Watch Series 2 came out with waterproofing and GPS, I decided to make the purchase, and at this point I have to say I'm all in.

I stopped using my Fitbit HR when the Apple Watch arrived, just quit, cold turkey. I figured there was a chance I'd want to go back, but to date, absolutely no urge. The Series 2 does so many things well that it did in a mediocre fashion before. But most important to me is the fitness app. I absolutely LOVE filling my rings each day, and I'm finding I'm more active, and get my butt off the couch more often to go for a quick jog outside or inside on the treadmill.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

How do you like Apple Health versus Fitbit? My hesitation is the lack of a web interface that I can pull up on my computer, and the fact that I can't sync Health with my iPad as well, unless I'm missing something. Also do you find the Apple Watch's lack of counting flights of steps climbed to be annoying?

 

[mc511]

I was thinking about getting an Apple Watch since MS dropped the Band line of devices. I decided on the Blaze in the end. I wasnt really into charging the device every 24 hours or so and plus I really dont need that much on my device just yet. I am really using wearables as health devices to check things like my resting HR and steps I take ect. Also Workouts and such. The Apple Watch at the moment i feel, is too early and too over priced, atleast for my needs. I do think the fitness aspect of the devices will improve greatly however and will give much better more accurate readings that will fully replace a chest strap and do a ton more. I am not entirely sold on the notifications or apps on smart watches. I think then need a few more revisions so for now I'll stick with a fitness tracker. Hell I expect them to keep up as well in terms of fitness and health features.

 

[StraightlineBoy]

So you're all in with the Apple Watch having dumped the Garmin?

Yes I am but there is a big caveat to that. One of my friends was asking about getting a running watch in time for the beginning of 2017 - I said buy a Garmin.

For a runner there's still lots of things that Garmin does better. Many of those things are software rather than hardware so I suspect if I was having the same conversation 3 months from now it would be easier to recommend Apple but right now Garmin does a better running watch.

I see the other benefits such as the activity rings and notifications but I know my mate isn't interested in that, he wants a running watch and you can get a Garmin Forerunner 235 for about ?150 less than a series 2 Apple Watch.

 

[James Falconer]

Yeah I suspect the distinction is how hardcore you are into your running (or swimming, biking, etc). If you need absolutely accurate information, every hardcore fitness junkie I know uses a Garmin or something similar.

I suspect more Garmin users will switch over as the Apple Watch Series 3 nears. No doubt accuracy and features will be much improved.

 

[ItnStln]

Yeah I suspect the distinction is how hardcore you are into your running (or swimming, biking, etc). If you need absolutely accurate information, every hardcore fitness junkie I know uses a Garmin or something similar.

I suspect more Garmin users will switch over as the Apple Watch Series 3 nears. No doubt accuracy and features will be much improved.

I've looked into the Garmin products. Is there a way to get the data from Garmin Connect into Apple Health? Or sync your Apple Watch data from Health into Garmin Connect? I'm looking for a solution where I can wear my Apple Watch during the day and whatever fitness tracker I choose when I work out and sleep.

 

[StraightlineBoy]

I've looked into the Garmin products. Is there a way to get the data from Garmin Connect into Apple Health? Or sync your Apple Watch data from Health into Garmin Connect? I'm looking for a solution where I can wear my Apple Watch during the day and whatever fitness tracker I choose when I work out and sleep.

In theory the Garmin Connect app does talk to Apple Health and will transfer data. However in all the time I used a Garmin I never found it to work well. I'd look at my stats for distance covered in a day and it would frequently seem to sync the same data several times in a row so your stats would look like you'd covered 20km in the day when in reality it had copied 5km across 4 times. I will say that perhaps I was doing something wrong but I never got anything reliable from Garmin Connect to Apple Health so just turned off the integration. It's certainly easier to be all in on one system or the other rather trying to mix and match

 

[StraightlineBoy]

Yeah I suspect the distinction is how hardcore you are into your running (or swimming, biking, etc). If you need absolutely accurate information, every hardcore fitness junkie I know uses a Garmin or something similar.

I suspect more Garmin users will switch over as the Apple Watch Series 3 nears. No doubt accuracy and features will be much improved.

The only real limitations of the AW I'd say with Series 2 are battery life (if we're talking hardcore fitness junkies that is) where many of the Garmins can do 12 hours+ of GPS recording and issues with the AW touchscreen when it's wet (most of the Garmins have physical buttons which are more responsive) and to be honest I don't think even with series 3 you'll see more than a modest battery performance increase (because Apple aim for the bulk of the market and not the outliers) and they're not going to add physical buttons.

 

[ItnStln]

In theory the Garmin Connect app does talk to Apple Health and will transfer data. However in all the time I used a Garmin I never found it to work well. I'd look at my stats for distance covered in a day and it would frequently seem to sync the same data several times in a row so your stats would look like you'd covered 20km in the day when in reality it had copied 5km across 4 times. I will say that perhaps I was doing something wrong but I never got anything reliable from Garmin Connect to Apple Health so just turned off the integration. It's certainly easier to be all in on one system or the other rather trying to mix and match

How do you get the Garmin Connect app to talk with Apple Health? Is it a two way conversation? I know using one system is easier, but each device does what I want it to, and it does it very well.

 

[StraightlineBoy]

How do you get the Garmin Connect app to talk with Apple Health? Is it a two way conversation? I know using one system is easier, but each device does what I want it to, and it does it very well.

Go into the Apple Health phone app, pick the sources tab and Garmin Connect should be listed (assuming you have the app installed). Select it and turn everything on

 

[ItnStln]

Go into the Apple Health phone app, pick the sources tab and Garmin Connect should be listed (assuming you have the app installed). Select it and turn everything on

Thanks! That gets what is on my Garmin to Apple Health. Is there a way to do the reverse?

 

[tcuprof]

I stopped using my Fitbit HR when the Apple Watch arrived, just quit, cold turkey.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

Ironically, I bought my first Fitbit because of my AW2 purchase. Let me explain. I've been using my iPhone as a Fitbit for a long time. Many folks don't realize an iPhone is a perfectly good Fitbit IF you don't mind always carrying it. Since I needed the iPhone to have GPS with my original iPhone, I always ran with my iPhone. However, since the AW2 has GPS, and since I really don't like running with my iPhone, I decided to buy a Fitbit Flex 2 (because I need the extrinsic motivation I get from my Fitbit friends) and stop running with my iPhone. It's a solution that may seem crazy to most - wearing an Apple Watch and a Fitbit - but I'm happy.

"every hardcore fitness junkie I know uses a Garmin or something similar"

I don't know if I'm what you would classify as hardcore, but at over 1200 miles per year, I'm pretty serious about my running and I greatly prefer my Apple Watch to the Garmin Forerunner it replaced. The biggest advantage to the Garmin is the reports are better using the ConnectStats app, but I can manually enter running stats and still get those reports. Meanwhile, I don't missing waiting and waiting and waiting for my Garmin to get a GPS lock. The GPS on Apple Watch locks in without waiting and is as accurate, if not more, than the Garmin.

 

[StraightlineBoy]

Thanks! That gets what is on my Garmin to Apple Health. Is there a way to do the reverse?

Sorry I don't know. I was only ever interested in getting Garmin data across to my iPhone and when I found the results to be unreliable I gave up trying to merge the 2 sources.

 

[ItnStln]

Sorry I don't know. I was only ever interested in getting Garmin data across to my iPhone and when I found the results to be unreliable I gave up trying to merge the 2 sources.

No worries, thanks for the information you did provide!

 

[James Falconer]

I don't know if I'm what you would classify as hardcore, but at over 1200 miles per year, I'm pretty serious about my running and I greatly prefer my Apple Watch to the Garmin Forerunner it replaced. The biggest advantage to the Garmin is the reports are better using the ConnectStats app, but I can manually enter running stats and still get those reports. Meanwhile, I don't missing waiting and waiting and waiting for my Garmin to get a GPS lock. The GPS on Apple Watch locks in without waiting and is as accurate, if not more, than the Garmin.

Well that's good to hear!

We are probably around the same level of activity, I typically log between 1,000 - 1,400 miles per year. Will probably end up at the lower end of that this year, but next... hoping to bust through!

 

[ame]

Time to update things a bit here. As some of you know, I was a Fitbit user for over 2 years (approximately). Loved the darn things. Worked well, very durable, and helped me along with my fitness goals.

However, once the Apple Watch Series 2 came out with waterproofing and GPS, I decided to make the purchase, and at this point I have to say I'm all in.

I stopped using my Fitbit HR when the Apple Watch arrived, just quit, cold turkey. I figured there was a chance I'd want to go back, but to date, absolutely no urge. The Series 2 does so many things well that it did in a mediocre fashion before. But most important to me is the fitness app. I absolutely LOVE filling my rings each day, and I'm finding I'm more active, and get my butt off the couch more often to go for a quick jog outside or inside on the treadmill.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

I haven't unsealed and set up my Watch yet, and my biggest hesitation has been the silent alarm on my fitbit and how it will tie that Fitbit data that synced to MyFitnessPal with my watch. I also have a Polar chest strap that I wear to work out, and was trying to figure out how that would all work as well, esp if I wear the watch as well.

A lot for me to figure out. I feel like I've got the phone worked out, my Mac worked out, and this is just some new alien I have no idea how to handle.