Apple music to launch lossless streaming
- Thread starter Pardeep Bansal
- Start date
Apple Lossless : The Only best part is it is being offered at No Extra Cost to the Consumers ; Later it will be restricted to Apple One Consumers I think. It's a win win for Apple, hear my reasons.
Practically speaking All portable apple devices, Airpods, iphones & their airplay protocols are built around a lossy formats topping out at 46khz if I'm not wrong. You'll have to revamp the whole streaming protocols to demonstrate the advantages of lossless format. Currently, Which is possible only via a USB DACs connected to Mac OS or Windows PC running Apple Music. So majority of consumers of Apple Music won't be able to get the advantages of Lossless format or won't be able to make out a difference unless apple indulges in Some Technical or Marketing (They're Very Good at it) Gimmicks. So Its illogical to charge Customers for Lossless format which they're unable make full use of. Also by offering it at no extra cost, apple is not obligated to Pay Extra Remuneration to Artists and Record Labels for offering a Lossless format, which in reality will dent their income from CD sales etc. Apple hasn't technically commented on the numbers of Hi Res Format so its playing the Numbers Game by not giving any importance to it ; Same way it never mentioned the RAM or Processing Power of their Iphones in their Presentations. How Notoriously they proclaimed that the Best is Retina Resolution and there's no need to get higher resolution than that; Only to followed with higher than Retina Resolution in Next Year iphones. They know that Other streaming services are better equipped to beat them in Number Games and Apple Loyalists don't bother about Number Games anyway
I am very much interested in spatial format of songs, with apple tv 4k connected to a AVR running a Dolby Atmos Setup may make complete use of. Let's see how the whole thing unfolds. Apple excercising an iron hand in hardware specifications, how it will play out on audiophile Streamers compatibility is another area of concern.
Whatever may be the outcome, Apple with its deep pockets and consumer base heavily invested in their ecosystem is definitely going to disrupt the Streaming service race. We can see consolidation and larger mergers happening with everything consolidating into handful of streaming services sooner or later.
Disclaimer : I'm iphone user since last 10yrs and have many Apple devices to be deeply invested in Apple ecosystem.
Practically speaking All portable apple devices, Airpods, iphones & their airplay protocols are built around a lossy formats topping out at 46khz if I'm not wrong. You'll have to revamp the whole streaming protocols to demonstrate the advantages of lossless format. Currently, Which is possible only via a USB DACs connected to Mac OS or Windows PC running Apple Music. So majority of consumers of Apple Music won't be able to get the advantages of Lossless format or won't be able to make out a difference unless apple indulges in Some Technical or Marketing (They're Very Good at it) Gimmicks. So Its illogical to charge Customers for Lossless format which they're unable make full use of. Also by offering it at no extra cost, apple is not obligated to Pay Extra Remuneration to Artists and Record Labels for offering a Lossless format, which in reality will dent their income from CD sales etc. Apple hasn't technically commented on the numbers of Hi Res Format so its playing the Numbers Game by not giving any importance to it ; Same way it never mentioned the RAM or Processing Power of their Iphones in their Presentations. How Notoriously they proclaimed that the Best is Retina Resolution and there's no need to get higher resolution than that; Only to followed with higher than Retina Resolution in Next Year iphones. They know that Other streaming services are better equipped to beat them in Number Games and Apple Loyalists don't bother about Number Games anyway
I am very much interested in spatial format of songs, with apple tv 4k connected to a AVR running a Dolby Atmos Setup may make complete use of. Let's see how the whole thing unfolds. Apple excercising an iron hand in hardware specifications, how it will play out on audiophile Streamers compatibility is another area of concern.
Whatever may be the outcome, Apple with its deep pockets and consumer base heavily invested in their ecosystem is definitely going to disrupt the Streaming service race. We can see consolidation and larger mergers happening with everything consolidating into handful of streaming services sooner or later.
Disclaimer : I'm iphone user since last 10yrs and have many Apple devices to be deeply invested in Apple ecosystem.
D
Deleted member 15865
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Well put, especially at the factual level, though the inferences/attributions to intent are subjective, as they should be.
I see Apple as a company striving to continually excel and raise the bar while they remain non-compromising on providing a consistent, coherent and convenient user experience. While their slick marketing surely plays a role, the above experience is central to the user loyalty.
I am largely invested in Apple ecosystem too, and from a holistic experience as well as life cycle value angle, I find their products and services VFM, contrary to popular perception. Of course, the value keeps increasing disproportionately as you add more Apple offerings to your system/life. And then, comparing in terms of numbers/specs, at a component/gadget level makes far less sense to me. Not that Apple products are slouch at it, but numbers is not their game.
Also, in terms of other important considerations such as security, sharing of personal data, regulation of apps, reliability of performance as well as useful life, upgrades and support, transparency they are way ahead of most of the competition. And to do that year after year, for two decades, without fail - if that generates the kind of margins they enjoy, it’s a lesson to learn, rather than to envy or worse, hate. (Not that you are doing that, but Apple hate is as common as Apple fanaticism).
Back to the lossless launch, yes, as it’s a win-win for them as it could trigger upgrades in some of their product categories (air pods, home pods, etc). Smart? Yes. Unscrupulous? I don’t think so.
Let’s also not forget that in the same (marginally speaking) free offering they are also providing the Dolby Atmos which doesn’t (necessarily) need upgrading your audio devices. I don’t know how serious they are about the audiophile segment (but do read a link I shared in an earlier post in this thread on Apple Mastering, they might be!), the one critical success factor they’d need to work upon to penetrate this segment is opening up their code for native integration with streamers. Will they make this seemingly ideological deviation? Let’s see.
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Whatever the reason and motives of Apple, I am just happy and grateful that one of the worlds largest and most influential companies that produces computers, software, accessories and is committed to user experience (whether we like it or not) is investing in “LOSSLESS AUDIO” streaming...
souravin
Well-Known Member
I always run on a shoestring budget. So Apple products were away from any of my gadget system except an iPoD classic 160GB which was gifted to me a long back. This has been a friend on airplanes and post office travel days at hotels. Almost 14 years old and still going strong. This is the durability for their products.
My foray to apple new ecosystem occurred last year to introduce an Apple IPad for my son’s online classes. My HP laptop performance was not at par and desktop PC is occupied sometimes by me for music et. Al. Hence it was somehow a necessity. Oh man... slowly I have become an Apple follower. Even simple music listening over 3.5mm jack using Beyerdynamic in ears has been very very pleasant. Added a Logitech BT keyboard and mouse to make it a complete rig for convenience. Then on Dec 31 my favourite Mi A3 crashed after an Android update and I landed up to IPhone SE 2020 edition. Again very happy.
Now iPad has become a streaming device for me during late evenings and post work from home laziness over a IfI Zen blue BT DAC to feed my audio rig. Even a Foobar2000 with uPnP on iPaD to connect my Windows desktop PC server with loads of music on internal and external HDD has become super smooth. Trying Schiit Multibit DAC over a lighting connector and USB.
I also listen to Apple Music a lot for convenience. This has started since last year when I have become an Apple member for iPad. Loads of music including Bollywood new and oldies. Honestly I didn’t invest much on physical media for English music as my budget is mostly dedicated for Bollywood music especially oldies. I am more than happy with Apple Music on my midfi rig. Adding external HDD with downloaded discographies are somehow redundant owing laziness. Really looking forward to lossless music streaming. I was aiming for a shared Tidal family plan amongst Kolkata friends, now confident to save few bucks and stick to Apple Music fro streaming.
Thanks,
Sourav
My foray to apple new ecosystem occurred last year to introduce an Apple IPad for my son’s online classes. My HP laptop performance was not at par and desktop PC is occupied sometimes by me for music et. Al. Hence it was somehow a necessity. Oh man... slowly I have become an Apple follower. Even simple music listening over 3.5mm jack using Beyerdynamic in ears has been very very pleasant. Added a Logitech BT keyboard and mouse to make it a complete rig for convenience. Then on Dec 31 my favourite Mi A3 crashed after an Android update and I landed up to IPhone SE 2020 edition. Again very happy.
Now iPad has become a streaming device for me during late evenings and post work from home laziness over a IfI Zen blue BT DAC to feed my audio rig. Even a Foobar2000 with uPnP on iPaD to connect my Windows desktop PC server with loads of music on internal and external HDD has become super smooth. Trying Schiit Multibit DAC over a lighting connector and USB.
I also listen to Apple Music a lot for convenience. This has started since last year when I have become an Apple member for iPad. Loads of music including Bollywood new and oldies. Honestly I didn’t invest much on physical media for English music as my budget is mostly dedicated for Bollywood music especially oldies. I am more than happy with Apple Music on my midfi rig. Adding external HDD with downloaded discographies are somehow redundant owing laziness. Really looking forward to lossless music streaming. I was aiming for a shared Tidal family plan amongst Kolkata friends, now confident to save few bucks and stick to Apple Music fro streaming.
Thanks,
Sourav
That would be great! Cant wait
Whether Numbers is their game or not it does not matter ; because How do you differentiate Lossy and Lossless format without explaining it via numbers?
This is what the Apple Marketing wants you to believe. When they say new iPhone is 20% faster without giving numbers ; it doesn't make sense to an inquisitive mind. Honesty from the Manufacturer side is a part of user experience too. They're good at creating a perception which sells, but it depends on the individual wisdom on how much importance one should be giving it.
Yes they're committed to Making Apple Music Lossless, not in the Format Sense but More in the Financial Sense
Read this :
Tim Cook: We’re not doing Apple Music for the money
In a short interview for Fast Company, Tim Cook raves about his love of music, and talks about Apple's reasons for getting into the space with Apple
www.cultofmac.com
They could have improved user experience similar to Spotify, let's see.
If it all works out for betterment of the music industry I'm all for it, if it helps Apple increase its hegemony further, that's a cause of concern.
Thanks for the link. I did not see any mention of Lossless format in the article here.
But I do feel they may be aiming for lossless in both streaming format and commerce.
D
Deleted member 15865
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Right, and I thought I wrote comprehensively about that wisdom.
The specs of ALAC is public knowledge.
That seems to be the bone of contention. There’s no point of an ideological debate, it leads nowhere. Each one of us has a different notion of the world we’d like to see.
While it does for some other minds who value real life usage speed (resulting from entire system system, including the OS to apps ) over the theoretical speed of the processor. We all think and decide differently.
Surprised to see so many apple loyalists who are defending each and everything anyone says even neutral about apple forget negative. This is not a fanboy forum for apple as far as I remember, there are plenty of those. This is an audio forum dedicated to audiophiles and brandishing every non positive comment about apple as personal opinion, while advocating anything positive as gospel is biasness of the highest degree.
Let's not act as if apple has suddenly become a saint, nor that they are the only ones who are going to give "free" lossless audio. Already Amazon is doing it and no doubt spotify will do it in a month.
Plus both these will do it with consistently good experience across platforms and without half as many restrictions and caveats as apple
Let's not act as if apple has suddenly become a saint, nor that they are the only ones who are going to give "free" lossless audio. Already Amazon is doing it and no doubt spotify will do it in a month.
Plus both these will do it with consistently good experience across platforms and without half as many restrictions and caveats as apple
So you're having a slow Saturday too?
Haha actually yeah have been recovering from covid for past 10 days so normal life has certainly been disrupted
D
Deleted member 15865
Guest
Take care and get well soon.
I shared it to emphasize that none of the audio streaming services are making real profits. Even Apple music is losing money so the whole idea is to try and make it Loose less. Btw Rising popularity of Spotify with its practical yet innovative interface has forced the giant to reinvent and experiment with other options. Unless Apple does something phenomenal technically ; Lossless audio & Spatial Audio are already DOA.
They Needs to specify it, (Alac can be configured with lesser bitrates as well) They won't, because they're not yet ready to face the next big question, What Apple portable music devices can handle that format and subsequently who stands to actually benefit currently ? So its understandable that they are unclear about it themselves...
I am quite surprised that you are unaware of Apple Historical attempts at arm twisting the music industry, this is not new and I am not mentioning anything new. From Steve days when Beatles declined featuring their music on Apple Music to Taylor Swift threatening to quit Apple music recently , Apple's stint with bigger music labels is very well documented. There's a detailed reference to that in Jobs Autobiography as well. This has been well written about and been criticized unequivocally by many recording labels. Currently, With its deep pockets & popularity it takes a lots of guts to speak against the big Apple. I was referring to this when I was mentioning about hegemony. AFAIK it's not in the best interest of music industry. Let's see how it unfolds. I am leaving you with few links on some of the stories.
Above Avalon: Apple's Plan to Own the Entire Music Industry
Apple's ambition in music continues to be misunderstood. Most of the focus remains on the battle between Apple Music and Spotify for paid music streaming subscribers. However, the much more interesting development relates to Apple's desire to grab music mind share. Apple is aiming
www.aboveavalon.com
Apple Music changes policy after Taylor Swift stand
Apple Music reverses its payment policy, a day after Taylor Swift said she was refusing to allow the company to stream her album 1989.
www.bbc.com
D
Deleted member 15865
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Once upon a time even Lata Mangeshkar was accused of hegemony. Universal and Sony between themselves have 60% of global music market today. In comparison, even in its home market (US) Apple has only 20% share of the streaming market which is led by Spotify. But we can still create illusory demons in our minds. Conspiracy theories sell well.
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Somebody plz call a troll hunter
So,
This is what Apple has put out, officially. This should help clarify some of the questions, speculation and doubts , for now?
support.apple.com
This is what Apple has put out, officially. This should help clarify some of the questions, speculation and doubts , for now?
About lossless audio in Apple Music - Apple Support
Learn about lossless audio in Apple Music and how to turn it on or off for your device.
D
Deleted member 15865
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Quite detailed and unambiguous. But they haven’t said anything about lossless (and hi-Res) AirPlay from Apple devices to compatible streamers/speakers. Wish they had also clarified that - both possibility and limitations. Guess we’d have to figure that out upon the launch, using our ears.So,
This is what Apple has put out, officially. This should help clarify some of the questions, speculation and doubts , for now?
About lossless audio in Apple Music - Apple Support
Learn about lossless audio in Apple Music and how to turn it on or off for your device.
The glass is half full and I will take it !
Being late to the game, they have some catching up to do. (Reverse compati
They always had ALAC lurking in iTunes etc, so they were not totally ignoring lossless audio.
Wonder what made them change their minds and why now, in the middle of a recession and a pandemic?
Like the rabbit said “it’s getting curiouser and curiouser”
Looks like the homepods are getting lossless support.
gizmodo.com
Apple Says HomePod and HomePod Mini Will Support Lossless Audio
In a reversal, Apple said that its HomePod and HomePod mini would support lossless audio after a future software update, according to a recently published support page. It did not specify when it would roll out the software update.
gizmodo.com
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