Former NFL linebacker DeMarcus Ware is launching an iOS fitness app called Driven to Win (D2W) — and Apple helped him build it.
The former Dallas Cowboys star said was invited to Cupertino to meet with Apple engineers who helped him develop the app. Starting in 2019, he made a total of nine trips to Apple’s offices to meet with the company’s developers.
“Their support was monumental on what I should and shouldn’t do,” Ware said in a CNBC interview. “It’s not one of those things to where it’s me partnering and saying, ‘Hey, this is my name.’ This is a product that I helped develop.”
Ware, who studied computer science at Troy University, says he already knew how to code. But when it came to building Driven to Win, he needed assistance on some of the software concepts. Apple was more than willing to step in and help, he said.
DeMarcus Ware’s fitness app launches in the App Store today
Driven to Win, a subscription app that starts at $14.99 per month, launches Wednesday. It faces intense competition in the increasingly crowded fitness app market — including from Apple Fitness+, which goes live next week.
Among the things the D2W app offers are augmented reality videos of Ware and others doing hundreds of exercises. The app can then create custom workouts for users including warmups, activations and a recovery program.
“It’s using artificial intelligence,” Ware told CNBC. “The more you use it, the smarter it gets, and the more advanced it grows with you as go along the process. It’s like having a real trainer in your hand.”
There’s also a voice capture feature that listens to your breathing and makes suggestions accordingly.
“The personalized engagement is one of the biggest keys that I was trying to get out of this,” Ware said. “Because when you go to a trainer, you’re getting the personalized engagement that keeps you coming back. I want that same thing for this app.”
Source: CNBC
