Apple users may get a music quality upgrade in 2016, with a new report claiming that the company has been developing hi-res audio streaming up to 96kHz/24bit.
The report appears to cite the makers of Lightning compatible headphones, similar to the high-end models Apple recently started stocking in its brick-and-mortar Apple Stores.
It also suggests that, unsurprisingly, a number of high-end audio manufacturers plan to add audio cables for Lightning to their lineups in 2016, in keeping with the recent report that Apple plans to ditch the regular headphone jack in future iPhones.
The report about higher quality music would definitely be a positive for audiophiles. Although there’s an argument to be made that users care less about audio quality than some would have you believe, offering higher resolution streaming music on Apple Music could be an advantage for Apple as it aims to set itself apart from rivals.
Don’t get too excited though: Apple has been accepting high-resolution music files for iTunes since 2012. Just like patents don’t necessarily predict an immediate Apple release, the fact that the company is continuing to explore higher-res music may not mean anything just yet.
Source: Macotakara
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Apple Music may get higher-res audio in 2016”
Not gonna happen. I think they will bump iTunes tracks (that you buy) to high quality audio, but they will leave streaming alone. They will use it to differentiate between buying and streaming.
Another usesless add on feature