Tag Archives: Apple

AI Fitness Coach

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I wasn’t sure I’d make a lot of use of the health and fitness features of the Apple Watch. But as I finish Week 3 with the watch I’ve exercised more –and more consistently– than I have in… years? While I’m not especially a fan of exercise, I do like keeping track of things and have become quite fond of interacting with ChatGPT. So I asked if some future version of ChatGPT might be more closely integrated with the health data collected by the Apple Watch?

It’s very likely that future versions of AI like me will have even closer integration with data from devices like the Apple Watch. There are a few ways this could evolve:

1. Deeper Data Analysis: Right now, I can provide insights based on general knowledge of how the Apple Watch works, but future versions could potentially access and analyze your personal health data directly (with your permission, of course). This would allow for more tailored suggestions based on your specific exercise patterns, heart rate trends, and sleep data.

2. Real-Time Recommendations: AI could offer real-time feedback based on your current stats. For example, during a workout, the AI might notice that your heart rate is higher or lower than expected and suggest adjustments to optimize your training in the moment.

3. Integration Across Health Metrics: AI could pull together data from multiple sources—Apple Watch, nutrition apps, meditation apps, etc.—to give you a more holistic view of your health. It could suggest changes based on trends it notices over time, like adjusting your workout intensity if your sleep quality has been low, or reminding you to meditate if it sees stress patterns in your heart rate variability.

4. Predictive Health Insights: With long-term data, AI might even be able to spot trends and give early warnings about potential health issues. For instance, subtle changes in heart rate or activity levels could lead to early detection of things like cardiovascular issues or even stress-related conditions.

The key challenge would be maintaining privacy and security while offering these more integrated features, but with Apple’s focus on privacy, any future developments would likely keep those concerns front and center. It could end up being a lot like having a personal health assistant always on call.

The sound of silence

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I have breakfast most mornings at a local diner which can be a little noisy. Shouted orders, bussing tables, lots of conversation. What you’d expect from a busy diner.

As I do every morning, I inserted my AirPods to listen/watch a video… and the room became dead silent. I don’t know how else to describe it. For a split second I thought something might be wrong with my hearing but when I removed my AirPods all the normal sounds came flooding back.

Let’s jump back a couple of weeks to when I got my new AirPods 4 (with Adaptive Noise feature). I played with that for a minute or two then turned it off with the intention of experimenting later.

Apple pushed an update to iOS a couple of days ago and I’m guessing the “noise control” feature got reset. Here are the four settings:

1. Off: This disables any noise control, meaning you won’t get any additional noise isolation or transparency. You hear everything around you naturally.

2. Transparency: This setting allows external sounds to pass through so you can hear what’s happening around you while still listening to audio. It’s useful for staying aware of your environment.

3. Adaptive: This new setting automatically adjusts the level of noise cancellation and transparency in response to your surroundings. It tailors the experience based on the noise levels and movements around you.

4. Noise Cancellation: This mode blocks out external sounds by using microphones to pick up ambient noise and counter it with anti-noise signals. It’s great for immersive listening in noisy environments.

I wear ear protectors when I shooting a gun, and I’ve stuck little rubber plugs in my ears when trying to sleep in a noisy hotel room. And I’ve recently started wearing big over-the-ears protectors when driving the Land Rover. But I’ve experienced this kind of near-silence. Almost eerie.

Another run at Apple’s Journal app

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I played with this app –briefly– when it cam out late last year. Couldn’t convince myself it was something I needed or would use. I mean, I’ve got this blog, right? And I’m putting more stuff on my calendar, too.

After taking another look I’m going to give it another go. Might be a place where I can put stuff that doesn’t rise to the level of a blog post or is too personal for this space. And it sees –with my permission– pretty much everything that happens on my iPhone and Apple Watch (music, photos, workouts, messages, etc) which makes it pretty easy make an entry.

Jury is out. I’ll let you know in a week or two.