YouTuber given rare tour of Apple Fitness+ studios

Posted:
in General Discussion
Apple has given popular YouTuber iJustine a tour of its Apple Fitness+ studio in Santa Monica, as well as interviews with the company's fitness executive and coaches.

Apple Fitness+ tour
Apple Fitness+ tour


The iPhone maker produces all of its weekly Apple Fitness+ content at a large studio in Santa Monica. As shown in iJustine's video, the studio is highly mechanized -- and trainers are essentially able to film their classes without a large technical team.

Additionally, iJustine also interviewed Apple's Vice President of Fitness, Jay Blahnik, who said the company is continuing to evolve and update the service to bring more value to its customers.

"We've had a really great time innovating, and we're just going to keep pushing," said Blahnik. "We're really committed to this notion of trying to welcome as many people as possible regardless of where they're at in their fitness journey."





The YouTube also spoke with a few Apple Fitness+ trainers, including yoga instructor Jessica Skye. Skye gave some additional details about how Fitness+ classes are produced.

"My favorite part of the process is probably the rehearsal. That's where the real collaboration happens," she said. "So we get assigned our workouts, we create them, and then the final step between that and coming on set is being able to rehearse with your teammates where you start to bounce ideas and really dial into the detail."

iJustine's full video is available over at her YouTube channel and is worth a watch for anyone interested in Apple Fitness+.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    sbdudesbdude Posts: 282member
    I can't imagine anything I'd refuse to watch more than her.
    Appleish
  • Reply 2 of 12
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,990member
    Interesting. She. seems to get everything from Apple. (prerelease software, etc.). Almost wonder if she has relatives on Apple leadership or is secretly. an Apple PR employee.
    Seriousluy. It's different than Reneee. Ritchie getting an interview, etc. It's a bit much.  
  • Reply 3 of 12
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,149member
    Interesting. She. seems to get everything from Apple. (prerelease software, etc.). Almost wonder if she has relatives on Apple leadership or is secretly. an Apple PR employee.
    Seriousluy. It's different than Reneee. Ritchie getting an interview, etc. It's a bit much.  
    Apple Fitness VP Jay Blahnik's comment "We're really committed to this notion of trying to welcome as many people as possible regardless of where they're at in their fitness journey" provides some insight into Apple's motivations.

    For reference, here are some selected YouTube subscriber numbers:
    • Rene Ritchie: 324 thousand
    • E! News: 988 thousand
    • David Pogue: 1.13 million
    • Cosmopolitan: 1.6 million
    • CBS Mornings: 2.3 million 
    • PBS NewsHour: 3 million
    • Good Morning America: 4 million
    • iJustine: 7 million
    • ESPN: 8.4 million
    • SnoopDoggTV: 8.4 million
    • Vogue: 11.6 million
    • Beyoncé: 24.4 million
    • Billie Eilish: 45.5 million
    • Taylor Swift: 46.3 million
    She reaches a larger audience than Rene, 21x more people. Justine is not quite rockstar status but she's a hell of a lot closer than Rene.

    Justine isn't some flash-in-the-pan influencer who hatched last year. She's been doing this for almost 15 years, lifecasting long before YouTube started streaming live video.

    Ritchie didn't even start blogging until 2008, a year after Justine had started lifecasting in 2007.

    So she's the veteran in this matchup.

    Apple is deliberately sensible in rolling out the red carpet for her and giving her special access to their facilities and executives. They want people to sign up for Apple Fitness and more people are going to learn about it from her rather than Rene.

    Rene Ritchie is a tech writer who focuses on Apple. iJustine is a lifestyle vlogger who doesn't focus on one corporation.

    My guess is that Apple executives are aware that many of iJustine's followers are Android users and I'm sure there's some hope that some of them might switch to iPhone/Apple Watch if they can see the benefits and advantages of something like Apple Fitness.
    edited May 2022 muthuk_vanalingamSpitbathroundaboutnowlolliverargonaut
  • Reply 4 of 12
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    mpantone said:
    Interesting. She. seems to get everything from Apple. (prerelease software, etc.). Almost wonder if she has relatives on Apple leadership or is secretly. an Apple PR employee.
    Seriousluy. It's different than Reneee. Ritchie getting an interview, etc. It's a bit much.  
    Apple Fitness VP Jay Blahnik's comment "We're really committed to this notion of trying to welcome as many people as possible regardless of where they're at in their fitness journey" provides some insight into Apple's motivations.

    For reference, here are some selected YouTube subscriber numbers:
    • Rene Ritchie: 324 thousand
    • E! News: 988 thousand
    • David Pogue: 1.13 million
    • Cosmopolitan: 1.6 million
    • CBS Mornings: 2.3 million 
    • PBS NewsHour: 3 million
    • Good Morning America: 4 million
    • iJustine: 7 million
    • ESPN: 8.4 million
    • SnoopDoggTV: 8.4 million
    • Vogue: 11.6 million
    • Beyoncé: 24.4 million
    • Billie Eilish: 45.5 million
    • Taylor Swift: 46.3 million
    She reaches a larger audience than Rene, 21x more people. Justine is not quite rockstar status but she's a hell of a lot closer than Rene.

    Justine isn't some flash-in-the-pan influencer who hatched last year. She's been doing this for almost 15 years, lifecasting long before YouTube started streaming live video.

    Ritchie didn't even start blogging until 2008, a year after Justine had started lifecasting in 2007.

    So she's the veteran in this matchup.

    Apple is deliberately sensible in rolling out the red carpet for her and giving her special access to their facilities and executives. They want people to sign up for Apple Fitness and more people are going to learn about it from her rather than Rene.

    Rene Ritchie is a tech writer who focuses on Apple. iJustine is a lifestyle vlogger who doesn't focus on one corporation.

    My guess is that Apple executives are aware that many of iJustine's followers are Android users and I'm sure there's some hope that some of them might switch to iPhone/Apple Watch if they can see the benefits and advantages of something like Apple Fitness.

    She’s been following Apple the whole time. Plus she’s female. If she were an older fat male, they wouldn’t care for her as much let’s not BS to be “politically correct”. 
  • Reply 5 of 12
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,149member
    Beats said:

    She’s been following Apple the whole time. Plus she’s female. 
    No one here is refuting the fact that sex sells.

    However you've missed the most pertinent points, the most important one being that she has a MUCH larger audience and a much wider one.

    Yes, she has been following Apple for a long time but if you look at her YouTube playlists, she doesn't restrict her broadcasting to Apple news. She's a big fan of Nintendo videogames (particularly Animal Crossing) and LEGO. She has also reviews drones, cars, e-bikes, non-Apple smartphones, digital cameras, PCs that aren't Macs, food, kitchen appliances and more.

    And notably she does not vlog about two very popular subjects with female vloggers and their audiences: cosmetics and fashion.

    Some of her broadcasts focus on an event or holiday so not just product reviews. She is also a participant in activities. She isn't just parked in front of a camera in her home studio. She rode a mule in the Grand Canyon.

    Rene Ritchie by contrast is basically parked in front of a camera in his home studio and mostly just holds up an Apple product to the camera.

    If someone is talking up Apple Fitness, it'll be a more compelling review from someone who actually gets out of their chair. Justine has previously vlogged about fitness tech like weights and rowing machines.
    Beats said:

    If she were an older fat male, they wouldn’t care for her as much let’s not BS to be “politically correct”. 
    Walt Mossberg retired in 2017. Sorry about that.
    edited May 2022 crowleylollivermuthuk_vanalingamargonaut
  • Reply 6 of 12
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Beats said:
    mpantone said:
    Interesting. She. seems to get everything from Apple. (prerelease software, etc.). Almost wonder if she has relatives on Apple leadership or is secretly. an Apple PR employee.
    Seriousluy. It's different than Reneee. Ritchie getting an interview, etc. It's a bit much.  
    Apple Fitness VP Jay Blahnik's comment "We're really committed to this notion of trying to welcome as many people as possible regardless of where they're at in their fitness journey" provides some insight into Apple's motivations.

    For reference, here are some selected YouTube subscriber numbers:
    • Rene Ritchie: 324 thousand
    • E! News: 988 thousand
    • David Pogue: 1.13 million
    • Cosmopolitan: 1.6 million
    • CBS Mornings: 2.3 million 
    • PBS NewsHour: 3 million
    • Good Morning America: 4 million
    • iJustine: 7 million
    • ESPN: 8.4 million
    • SnoopDoggTV: 8.4 million
    • Vogue: 11.6 million
    • Beyoncé: 24.4 million
    • Billie Eilish: 45.5 million
    • Taylor Swift: 46.3 million
    She reaches a larger audience than Rene, 21x more people. Justine is not quite rockstar status but she's a hell of a lot closer than Rene.

    Justine isn't some flash-in-the-pan influencer who hatched last year. She's been doing this for almost 15 years, lifecasting long before YouTube started streaming live video.

    Ritchie didn't even start blogging until 2008, a year after Justine had started lifecasting in 2007.

    So she's the veteran in this matchup.

    Apple is deliberately sensible in rolling out the red carpet for her and giving her special access to their facilities and executives. They want people to sign up for Apple Fitness and more people are going to learn about it from her rather than Rene.

    Rene Ritchie is a tech writer who focuses on Apple. iJustine is a lifestyle vlogger who doesn't focus on one corporation.

    My guess is that Apple executives are aware that many of iJustine's followers are Android users and I'm sure there's some hope that some of them might switch to iPhone/Apple Watch if they can see the benefits and advantages of something like Apple Fitness.

    She’s been following Apple the whole time. Plus she’s female. If she were an older fat male, they wouldn’t care for her as much let’s not BS to be “politically correct”. 
    If she were an older fat male with an audience of 7 million then I’m sure Apple would be perfectly willing to engage.  They’ve given interviews to Rene Ritchie before too, with a far smaller audience. 

    You’re going to need to try harder to make the world fit your misogynist narrative.
    lollivermuthuk_vanalingamargonaut
  • Reply 7 of 12
    appletimappletim Posts: 14member
    iJustine is unwatchable.  There's no thoughtful analysis.  No critique of what could be better or improved.  No pros and cons.  She simply just regurgitates the "everything is amazing, immersive, dramatic, excellent, stunning, etc etc" lines from Apple marketing.  
  • Reply 8 of 12
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,149member
    appletim said:
    iJustine is unwatchable.  There's no thoughtful analysis.  No critique of what could be better or improved.  No pros and cons.  She simply just regurgitates the "everything is amazing, immersive, dramatic, excellent, stunning, etc etc" lines from Apple marketing.  
    And you don't get it either.

    Apple did not give iJustine preferential access for her to give a critical review of Apple Fitness. They want her to be an outside evangelist/cheerleader and generously gush about how great it is. They already get plenty of feedback about how Fitness could be made better.

    She is not Steve Burke from GamersNexus or Dr. Ian Cutress (formerly of Anandtech).

    Remember that the original Apple Watch was profiled on Christy Turlington Burns, a supermodel turned women's rights activist and marathoner. Not everyone who accounts their experience with an Apple product needs a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline.

    And you don't need such a degree to use one either.

    I'm sure there's some engineer who has ranted at length about everything wrong with Apple Watch. Maybe that blog has 823 views. And there's probably a licensed physical therapist who has ranted about everything that's wrong with Apple Fitness. That blog might have 492 views. That's great, good on them.

    Apple Watch and Apple Fitness aren't going to turn anyone into an Olympic champion.

    Remember: SEVEN. MILLION. SUBSCRIBERS.

    If one percent of iJustine's YouTube subscribers (70,000) signed up for a one-year Apple Fitness membership ($80), that would be $5.6 million in revenue.

    The first three months are free. The point is to get people to try it. That's what Jay Blahnik emphasized.

    iJustine can't do a deep dive into the technical aspects of Apple Fitness but as a social media personality she can ask her followers how many rings they've closed.

    Jay Blahnik (and other Apple execs) wants to see more people post: "OMG, I closed my first ring today!!!"

    One thing for sure: you'll never get a marketing job.
    edited May 2022 lolliverargonaut
  • Reply 9 of 12
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,772member
    I really don’t get all this hate for iJustine. Personally, I watch her because she makes me laugh. What the hell do you people need from your YouTube tech reviewing personalities that she doesn’t provide or you can’t figure out yourselves? Watch MaxTech if a wanna-be academic analysis is needed, as long as you don’t mind them constantly changing their minds. Watch Renee if you need some old guy “all caps” trying to sound hip by awkwardly using Gen Z lingo. 
    Sorry, I just don’t know what else you people want. 
    crowleymichelb76argonaut
  • Reply 10 of 12
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,149member
    No one can please everyone all the time. Some people here are a little too dense to understand that.

    There are audiences for Rene, iJustine, Dr. Ian Cutress, etc.

    I don't regularly watch iJustine but that doesn't mean I should deny the fact that there are millions of people to do.

    A lot of tech forum whiners can't understand the basic fact that there are people with different usage cases, with different motivations for owning tech, for having different ideas of having a good day.

    We witness that regularly here at AI but this site doesn't have exclusivity on nitwits who can't see a world beyond one narrow visioned situation. It's both comical and sad. I suppose that's some of the downfall of people not having ever left their mom's basement.
    edited May 2022 argonaut
  • Reply 11 of 12
    michelb76michelb76 Posts: 676member
    Interesting. She. seems to get everything from Apple. (prerelease software, etc.). Almost wonder if she has relatives on Apple leadership or is secretly. an Apple PR employee.
    Seriousluy. It's different than Reneee. Ritchie getting an interview, etc. It's a bit much.  
    Sigh. Marcus also gets A LOT from Apple. As Mpantone already said: There are audiences for Rene, iJustine, Dr. Ian Cutress, etc.
  • Reply 12 of 12
    AppleishAppleish Posts: 704member
    I don't mind iJustine, but her content is largely fluff. I just skimmed quickly through the video. She and Jay Blahnik are so California 'celebrity' looking here. They both look like they got spray tanned and dipped in plastic. Kind of like the six actors in 'Friends' during the last couple of seasons. The mannequins show up at about 1:50. 
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