RIO – Nine months after its US debut, Apple is launching its online fitness and meditation service called Fitness + this Wednesday in Brazil. Although at this first moment, 11 types of exercises have only English audio and Portuguese subtitles, the company intends to take unprecedented steps in Brazil.

In an interview with GLOBO, Jay Blahnik, vice president of Apple Fitness Technology, said the company is open to investing in Portuguese-language content with Brazilian professionals.

“We want to attract as many users as possible and make them more enjoyable,” he looks forward.

The service, which will cost R $ 29.90 per month or R $ 149.90 per year, is launching today in 14 other countries such as Colombia, France, Germany, Italy and Portugal. In September, the company launched a new iPhone 13 line in Brazil.

Microsoft“Hybrid work is even harder than 100% remote work,” says the president of the company.

Blahnik also recalled that the pandemic has shown that people want maximum flexibility when it comes to fitness, health and wellness.

“We learned that fitness is now defined as more than just a gym,” he said.

He also highlighted how the 5G network will enable the provision of new services.

“We will continue to invest in resources that will use this technology,” Blahnik said. Read the key interview excerpts.

Apple is launching a fitness service in Brazil, but with content in English. Are you planning to develop it in Portuguese and with Brazilian professionals?

Yes, I think we’re ready to go where Fitness + is. Our goal is to help people get in shape. We want to attract as many users as possible and make them as pleasant as possible.

Unlike a movie or TV show, it’s okay if you try it in English because you understand most of what you are doing, because you see it too, but we would be absolutely open to all kinds of things to help make the experience. . with the most rewarding physical fitness in the world.

We will still be doing all content in English, but we will offer some subtitles in six different languages, including Brazilian Portuguese.

We talk a lot with users, and I think people are really happy to have the opportunity to do trainings and meditations in the language the trainer speaks. They want to hear your intonation, not your voiceover.

We are also very happy to see where this leads us. You know that we have only been around for nine months, so we are very happy to visit so many new countries, but we believe that over time there will be a need for content in this language. We’re just getting started.

There is a lot of investment in artificial intelligence and data. How can this help improve healthcare services?

Running algorithms can help alert people to a variety of things throughout the day, from fall detection to normal arrhythmia.

We couldn’t even imagine that these things would be available on your wristwatch just a few years ago. We see how far the watch has gone and the same applies to Fitness +. We think there will be many opportunities. We already have customized recommendations based on what you do, but we also feel like we’re just getting started in healthcare.

Fitness + was launched just 9 months ago and you already have 11 different types of exercise, 5 exercise programs, guided meditation, audio, video, walking time function.

And with the gradual return of people to personal work, will consumers continue to strive to exercise at home?

We developed Apple Fitness + before the pandemic. We thought it would be great if this service allowed people to play sports wherever, whenever and however they please. That’s why there are workouts that are five or ten minutes, 30 minutes or 45 minutes.

But there are also options such as bicycles, indoor treadmills and rowing. Most people didn’t have this equipment at home before the pandemic, so we obviously thought Fitness + would also be a great item to use in the gym.

And the pandemic came. What did it show for the company?

The pandemic has shown us that people want maximum flexibility when it comes to fitness, health and wellness. So if you are in the office and want to quickly meditate, but do not want to be in front of the screen, you can listen to it on your watch and headphones.

If you want to warm up quickly in the office, you can do yoga while standing, but if you decide to go to the gym, you can do a 45-minute cycling workout followed by a short yoga workout.

We learned that fitness is now defined as more than just a gym. This can be anything from a good walk to a five minute stretch or a 30 minute HIIT (high intensity) workout. We believe this trend will continue. More and more people will want to be able to do things wherever possible.

And in this scenario, what new services is Apple developing?

We launched guided meditation, added Pilates. We continue to launch new programs such as exercises for beginners, pregnant women, seniors and exercises to prepare for the snow season. We will continue to develop options for what people want.

The sky is the limit. We can do much more, and we have already done a lot in just nine months.

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5G is evolving all over the world. How can the fifth generation create new services?

5G is becoming more and more popular in the world. While it is possible to download and do exercises offline, people have the ability to be more connected at higher speeds.

One example is “SharePlay” (video sharing between Apple users), a new feature where you can train with someone around the world in real time with the same content.

Who would have thought of this five or six years ago. 5G just makes the experience easier and more accessible for people. We will continue to invest in resources that will use this technology.