Peloton, the company behind subscription based treadmills and exercise bikes for the home, is looking to make a wearable, according to code hidden in the iOS app uncovered by Bloomberg.
It doesn’t seem like this is going to be a fully featured smartwatch, however, and will apparently take the form of an armband. This will take heart-rate readings that will be paired wirelessly with the company’s fitness machines, as well as any phones, tablets or TVs running the Peloton app.
It will have a small screen, but this is only intended to show battery level and to help with the initial pairing, the code suggests. Once initial setup is complete, the device will automatically connect via Bluetooth.
“Track the intensity of your workouts from Zone 1 (lowest effort) to Zone 5 (maximum capacity),” the text within the app reads. “Using the adjustable strap, wear the Peloton Heart Rate Monitor snug on your forearm to accurately monitor your effort during workouts.”
What’s slightly unusual about this is that Peloton already has an optional extra which does all this: a $49 chest strap. Presumably this is aimed at Peloton subscribers who want something they can slip on that bit quicker before they start their workout, although as of last year it’s also been possible to do the same via Apple Watch.
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A bigger move into the wearables space wouldn’t be wholly surprising, given Peloton completed the purchase of Atlas Wearables earlier this year. Unlike the likes of Garmin, Polar and other manufacturers of the best running watches, Atlas Wearables specialises in devices to track indoor gym-based exercise without the aid of GPS. Naturally, this is a better fit for Peloton: a company that makes its money off indoor hardware and streamed exercise classes.
We have reached out to Peloton to ask when we can expect to see this available to customers. We’ll update the piece when we get a response.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
