Sports Tech Unveils Pre-CES Innovations
Ahead of the highly anticipated Consumer Electronics Show (CES), sports technology companies are already making headlines with significant announcements.
Apple Fitness+ Rolls Out Extensive Updates
Apple has launched a series of updates for Fitness+, with most new features becoming available as of January 5th.
New Multi-Week Workout Programs for a Fresh Start:
- "Make your Fitness Comeback": Incorporates HIIT, Strength, and Yoga, featuring three 10-minute workouts per week for each discipline.
- "Build a Yoga Habit in 4 Weeks": Offers two 10-minute yoga sessions weekly, balancing slow and energetic styles.
- "Back-to-Back Strength and HIIT": Provides three 20-minute weekly workouts, evenly split between Strength and HIIT.
- "The Strength Basics in 3 weeks": Comprises three weekly workouts, each focusing on a different body area to help users establish correct technique. This specific program will be available from January 12th.
Artist Spotlight Workouts Expand with Global Icons:
Five new workouts from KAROL G are now available. Additionally, three new workouts from Bad Bunny are scheduled to be added on February 2nd.
New Time to Walk Episodes Offer Inspiring Conversations:
Latest episodes feature Penn Badgley, Mel B, and Michelle Monahan, with the latter's episode scheduled for release later in the year.
2026 Workouts to Feature Social Media Personalities:
Upcoming workouts in 2026 will include well-known social media personalities such as Allie Bennett (Treadmill), TwinSauce (Dance), and Remy Park (Yoga).
Apple Watch Study Highlights User Engagement
A comprehensive Apple Watch study, conducted from 2021 to early 2025 with 100,000 participants, reveals compelling data on user exercise habits.
During the first two weeks of January, over 60% of Apple Watch users increased their daily exercise minutes by more than 10% compared to their December average.
Remarkably, approximately 80% of those who increased their exercise minutes maintained these elevated levels through the second half of January. This positive trend continued, with 90% of that group sustaining their increased exercise levels through February and March.
To further encourage activity, a new 'Ring in the New Year' reward is now available for users who close all three activity rings seven days consecutively in January.
iOS 26.3 Update to Enhance Smartwatch Functionality
The public release of iOS 26.3 is anticipated later this month, bringing a notable enhancement for smartwatch users.
This update is expected to enable 3rd-party smartwatches to receive actionable smart notifications, allowing users to respond directly from their wrist rather than simply dismissing alerts. A key limitation of this feature, however, is that notifications cannot be received on more than one device simultaneously.
Amazfit Introduces Active Max Smartwatch
Amazfit has announced its latest device, the Amazfit Active Max, which will retail for $169. Positioned as a larger iteration of the Amazfit Active 2 (priced around $100), the Active Max boasts an enhanced feature set.
Key Specifications of the Amazfit Active Max:
- Display: 1.5-inch AMOLED with a bright 3,000 nits peak brightness.
- Navigation: Features offline mapping capability.
- Battery Life: Claimed 25 days (standard use), 10 days (with always-on display), and 64 hours (GPS).
- Weight: 39.5g (including band).
- Water Resistance: 5ATM.
- Control: Includes voice control functionality.
- Sport Profiles: Approximately 170 pre-loaded sport profiles.
- Storage: 4GB of internal storage for offline content such as podcasts or MP3s.
- Payments: NFC for payments, currently compatible only with Curve accounts in Europe.
A distinctive physical characteristic of the Active Max is its innovative design where the watch band attachment poles rotate with the strap. While the Active 2 also includes maps, it features a smaller screen and reduced battery life compared to the new Max model.