Blog | Graham Bower

How Apple Watch apps’ death spiral nearly killed my iPhone app [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | Sep 13, 2018 | Technology

Two years ago, my partner and I launched an Apple Watch app to complement our iPhone fitness app. Little did we know that our embrace of Apple’s smartwatch would threaten the very existence of the gym app we’d been developing since 2012. Each year since we launched...

What’s in store for Apple Watch Series 4? [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | Aug 16, 2018 | Technology

In just a few weeks, Apple looks set to unveil the biggest upgrade yet to its popular wearable. While the external appearance of Apple Watch has not changed much since its launch, recent leaks suggest we can expect a new form factor with a larger screen when Apple...

Apple Watch Move ring vs. Exercise ring: What’s the difference? [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | Jul 23, 2018 | Fitness, Technology

Closing your Apple Watch Activity Rings can become such an obsession that it’s easy to forget why you’re doing it. It’s not just to keep Tim Cook happy in his giant, ring-shaped office in Cupertino. So, what does it really mean to close a ring? The Stand goal is...

Rowing with Apple Watch is like two workouts in one. Time to grab an oar. [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | Jul 5, 2018 | Fitness, Technology

If running and swimming with Apple Watch don’t rock your boat, you should give rowing a try. It combines all the benefits of cardio and strength training, and you get to do it in a boat. OK, well you’re probably more likely to use a rowing machine at your local gym,...

Why Apple Watch Series 4 will probably get better GPS [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | Jun 12, 2018 | Fitness, Technology

Apple took the wraps off watchOS 5 last week at WWDC, revealing loads of new features that we can look forward to this fall. Among them were some big improvements for runners: Cadence, Rolling Mile Pace and Custom Pace Alerts. What I find most exciting about these new...

This hidden Apple Watch stat tells you whether to exercise or rest [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | Jun 1, 2018 | Fitness, Technology

Imagine if your Apple Watch could tell you which days were best for you to do a workout, and what kind of workout you should do. Well it can, sort of, thanks to a hidden feature that few people have yet discovered or know how to use. Heart rate variability, or HRV, is...

Strength is the missing Activity Ring. Here’s how you can close it. [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | May 10, 2018 | Fitness, Technology

The Activity Rings on your Apple Watch don’t provide a complete picture of your fitness. There is one important ring missing: Strength. The Rock didn’t get ripped just by standing up once an hour. And both the Exercise and Move rings essentially measure the same...

iPhone dependence is killing Apple Watch. Here’s how Cupertino could fix it. [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | May 1, 2018 | Technology

For activity tracking, fitness and notifications, Apple Watch is pretty awesome, and these days, that’s all most people use it for. Which is a shame. When it launched back in 2015, Apple had a much bigger vision: a wearable computing platform supporting a rich and...

How Apple Watch could shape up for fitness at WWDC [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | Apr 9, 2018 | Fitness, Technology

When it comes to fitness apps on Apple Watch, sometimes it feels like Cupertino is running before it can walk. Fancy new features like Heart Rate Recovery are very welcome, but a few of the basics remain missing. Apple could make major strides when it releases watchOS...

The watchOS improvements I want to see at WWDC [Cult of Mac]

by Graham Bower | Mar 28, 2018 | Technology

In the three short years since Apple Watch debuted, Cupertino has massively improved its smartwatch. Remember the early days, when Glances took ages to load, only to show out-of-date information? When the Fitness app refused to stay in the foreground during a workout?...