Apple Streaming: Too little too late?

Due to the reach of Apple it might still have a great impact. It at least will wake up the last which didn't get into the streaming business and are following.

I watched the keynote, I'd be selling my apple shares if I had any.

So behind the curve, the crowd actually applauded when a song was moved up a playlist!

Equally depressing was the fact that the quality of the stream was not mentioned at all, as if it has no impact whatsoever.

I wonder what John Peel would have made of Beat1 or whatever the worldwide radio station is.

Unless the new iTunes is a total rewrite I can't see this impacting on me much. Pity, for a moment I thought we would have another iPod type game changer.

SJB

Coming to Naim streamers in 2021. 

Ironically, given Naim streamers already do AirPlay, my guess is its already as integrated as it'll get (can't see apple giving someone else's app control.)

Given Airplay - I believe - only does up to CD quality, they'll never go hi res.  Another guess, but can't see apple rolling out anything that isn't supported by their devices.

I think the overal move on apples part is a bit beyond moving a track up a playlist. Thats always been possible any how so not sure where you were going there.

Not that I will use it*, but it appears to be roon squared but not 500 quid. Every one wins

*I am totally into just playing music, so I use my naim app to play music from out of my uniti, it just like works man.

One of the less-than-original features announced is a 3 month free trial, so if you really want to find out how crap it is, you'll be able to find out easily enough.

Haha, love the cynicism here 

Its the same crowd that applauded when they changed the phone connector and rendered useless a million peripherals

The new connector is way better imho.  I was glad to see the old one go, notwithstanding the zillion peripherals that then needed an adapter (if you also got a new iPhone / iPod); the old peripherals still work with the old phones etc.  The old connector broke more easily and had a little clip thingy that tended to snag my woolens.

It was hardly the new Ipod though was it?  I think the crowds they attract would applaud anything the put in front of them.  I'm havig mixed emotions at the moment, my new Mac Mini sound magnificent and I'm really really happy with it but the first one didn't work and my new remote doesn't work either  - added to my inate and intense dislike of Apple its making me confused,

I bought a bunch of their stock pre-split because I had a hunch the iPhone 6 would do well, and it's up 74% since I bought it, so I am biased.  As a family we've had very good luck with iPhones and Macbooks and our one iMac (my daughter has been using for about 5 years; she does a graphic arts and design school program and has yet to complain it's too slow to do the latest Adobe stuff but I'm guessing it's a little slow now).

However I don't think I need a streaming music service for $9.99 / month, so I'll pass on that.  And I have no idea how it'll fare commercially, but the data will be out soon enough.  (My new car came with a Slacker Radio subscription, and so far we like that.  The 60's and 70's Rock channels are pretty good in the car!)

If its up 74% I'm not surprised you are happy, well done!  I'm enjoying listening to this so much at the moment that my prejudice may well be challenged, although Itunes and any streaming product will remain out of bounds!

Well, I watched some of the whooping that they got for announcing a credit card app, a map that can show you subway exits (for God's sake), a News app ( who could have thunk that?), and of course Spotify, err, I mean Apple Music or iTunes or whatever.

I saw my first real life Apple watch today in Bath and, I mean this most sincerely folks, I can easily do without it. My never wrong, never need a battery Citizen is safe for a year or two yet. And my show off Zenith El Dorado has not been put in the shade. I used to work for Timex when they made the original and best Mickey Mouse watches, but no-one was ever prepared to pay £400 for one.

Once upon a time you could never be fired for buying IBM, then it was Microsoft and now it is Apple. At some point their tawdry Emperor's new clothes are going to catch them out. 

No Naim streaming device apart from the mu-so supports AirPlay.

First time I have heard that mentioned about Apple.. certainly am aware of some unwise purchases of Apple tablets in an organization or two. Can't say anyone was fired that I was aware of but I think career prospects might have been dented... But I agree with the general point.. these things come and go. Blackberry is another brand that has fallen from grace....

They've changed (and improved) their phone/ipod connector precisely once in the 10 years since the iPod was launched. I don't know another brand that has been as stable in this regard.  It's hardly evidence of planned obsolescence as some would like us to believe. Even the so-called standard of USB has been tweaked several times mini A/mini B/micro A/micro B etc.... plus a swag of proprietary connectors from different manufacturers. Apple is an easy target for criticism becasue of their size, but the users of other brands have arguably been messed about far more over the years.

I get what you say about the "faithful" and their OTT enthusiasm. But it is exactly that sort of loyalty that is the reason that their streaming will perhaps be a success. We'll probably sign up provided it is decent quality (Redbook at least), whereas I wouldn't consider signing up to Spotify or the others.

Microsoft was late to the console game...

I watched the keynote too, I mean the streaming part. Of course, they will come up with a slick app embedded in their hand-helds as well as smooth running integration in all Apple eco-system. I could not find anything about bitrate quality though.

If it is not higher than 320k (monthly payment somehow suggests so) I do not see any reason for spotify or rhapsody to get afraid of..

I don’t know why but was expecting a little more as they have the ability and financial sources. Maybe they are holding off mass rollout for lossless streaming and in one year time we would see HD service at a premium price ala Tidal.

In the meanwhile Qobuz and Tidal seem way to go.

Never understood the point of hating or loving a company. Apple sells stuff.  You want the stuff, buy it. You don't, don't. Why all the emotion (either way)?

True enough a single subscription is $9.99 a month, but they're also offering a family subscription for up to six people for $14.99 a month, which is $2.50 each. Nothing stopping folk getting together with their friends and forming a music "family" if their real one isn't big enough or interested. Apple aren't going to DNA test you - it is widely known they wanted to have a cheaper service but the record companies wouldn't play, so I suspect the family price is a way round this.  Spotify have already announced that they will compete with this pricing, perhaps Tidal will too.

The family subscription is a great idea and one that long term Spotify users have been asking for for years.  Hopefully Spotify will feel pressured to follow suit.  At less than full fat though I won't be moving from Spotify to Apple

They wanted a cheaper service to get a little closer to Spotify's freemium model, but unlike spotify they weren't prepared to subsidise this and make a loss. They wanted to make their same margins and for the record companies to take a cut in theirs. 

I qualify this by saying that at this stage I don't know who is going to be subsidising the three months free trial, I know they were trying to get the record co's to cover this cost as well.

Spotify already has a family subscription. They have had one for about a year

I remember the Amigas, excellent computers, as were the Atari St range.  Had a lot of fun with both.

Where are you based?  Spotify have a family plan in NZ so would assume they have this elsewhere too?