Apple Music: Apple announces a radical change for music

For several weeks, traces in the beta of iOS 14.5 suggest that Apple is about to modify its music streaming service. And the brand formalized the news on Apple Music with an insert promising "that music will never be the same again".

The Apple Music logo // Source: Apple

It's probably only a matter of days. After announcing its AirTags, its new iMac and its iPad Pro under M1 chip, Apple obviously still had a little room in its schedule to draw its redesign of Apple Music.

Murmured for several weeks, the revival of the audio streaming service seems to be confirmed. In any case, the Cupertino company itself left the possibility floating by showing a fairly explicit message on Apple Music. “Get ready...The music will never be the same again,” reads the Explore section of the app.

Surround sound to be expected

And the information provided by Apple is quite sketchy. Clicking on the "Coming Soon" section only shows a video showing the rotating Apple Music logo on a black background, then on a white background. A little thin to glimpse the musical revolution promised by the title. But knowing the minds of Apple, there is no doubt that everything is already there...

Source: Apple

In particular, we can think of a movement reflecting the surround sound to come with the Spatial Audio technology already present on the AirPods or the AirPods Max headphones. This allows you to give a feeling of sound coming from all directions around the voice, whether for a film or a simple video. But this requires having an up-to-date compatible device (iPhone 7 and following; iPad, iPad mini and iPad Pro of the latest generations) and also compatible content.

Apple Music lossless, but with a bang

For some time now, the arrival of a new Apple Music has been becoming more and more obvious. It started with hints in the iOS 14.6 beta code that showed "lossless" or "hifi" audio quality. Unlike services like Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal or even Amazon Music, Apple Music does not offer a CD quality audio format. But several elements are now converging in this direction.

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The Apple Music app on Android has been updated with some mentions in the code indicating the presence of audio quality options to take advantage of lossless with a "significant increase in data consumption". The 9to5Mac site which dissected the APK has thus identified four available formats of audio quality, two of which are superior to CD quality.

But where could be the revolution to be expected so that Apple, cantor of music to take with you with the induction of the iPod or even iTunes, finally seizes CD quality in its offer, it is if the apple brand decides not to change its price. At 9.99 euros per month for high sound quality, Apple Music would pull the rug out from under the competition, which generally offers its Hi-Res offers at a price higher than the floor price of paid audio streaming (from 14.99 or 19.99 euros monthly). And Spotify, which also intends to tumble to attract music lovers, but with a more expensive subscription, would thus find itself trapped.

An announcement for May 18 with the AirPods 3?

It might not be long to wait to find out what this new Apple Music will be made of. For Apple to mention this in “Coming soon” on its application, it means that everything is in immediate approach. We are talking about Tuesday, May 18, a day that the Californian company often likes to announce.

And this could accompany a simple press release to announce the arrival of AirPods 3, the new generation of wireless headphones which this time would undergo a real facelift to look like the AirPods Pro with a larger case in particular. And probably also possible compatibility with Spatial Audio technology, which is not the case with the first two generations.

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