Apple Streaming: Too little too late?

Some might say you're as thick as a brick

I am not an Apple fan, far from it, I hate to see mega corps with world domination.   

I guess its wait & see & it'll probably be a year or two: consumer markets are all about convenience over substance - Apple have inserted their iOS linked software in more or less everything.  Car's for e.g. play most sorts of "MP3" type players via AUX & USB, but plug in an Apple & its so much better & is all set with dashboard displays & steering wheel button control.  Doesn't take much to see were that's going.

.........  and here we all go, updating the just released iOS 8.4 & the Apple Music software

It goes well. No problems for me. Actually Apple Music is growing on me. Its really not too bad(wish it was lossless)

Funny, about the mid 90's I was purchasing PC's from a one local shop for for our company for price, customization and avoid bloatware. I was Apple Computer at home and my best friend easily ran his business (and still does) 100% Apple linked with AppleTalk... piece of cake. The dude at the local shop despised Apple and said they would be out if business soon. He's gone and I should have purchased Apple stock...Damn!

M

+1 mackb3

I think how they hope to make money n this is the difficulty in cancelling the auto-renewing subscription, intuitive it certainly isn't.

for those who are slow like me

settings>itunes and app store> click your apple ID, select view apple ID> subscriptions - manage> click apple music membership and cancel autorenew.

it just works!

SJB

Thanks. Good to know. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Anti-Trust.

I do wonder how long it will be before we see some legal cases similar to what Microsoft went through where they now have to give browser choice. Should Apple be allowed to abuse their market position to drive others out of business or should they have to give streaming service choice?

Good grief! 

In a way if Apple remains lossless, this underpins the differentiation and strength of lossless services such as Qobuz that only seem to market themselves to the music lover rather than the masses in general. Also I think the lossy streaming service market is too large to succumb to a single dominant provider now. The market is maturing. We are in second or third generation of streaming services now. So yes to the OP, I feel too little, too late.

I can't get over how good the new BMW/Napster Premium streaming service in built in my car. Wherever I am in several western European countries (where there is 3G) I get access to the 24million track service, including my own playlists that I have compiled off line streamed to my car's online media player using the car's inbuilt 3G data service... and I don't need any special mobile roaming contract for this to work... other than an annual music streaming service fee.

Simon

Simon - I assume you mean lossy rather than lossless. That BMW/Napster service sounds just brilliant, especially as you are not paying for the 3G roaming, which otherwise would be prohibitively expensive. I had no idea that such services existed. But then I'm a humble Skoda Octavia driver rather than a BMW-driving grand fromage!

I'm sure the Apple service will be hugely successful, if only for the fact that it integrates seamlessly with the iPhone, even though it seems very much like a me-too Spotify. 

HH, yes sorry I meant lossy.. All these losses get confusing..

Yes the BMW service is very good, and you don't pay for data usage or roaming...  if you look under the cover it uses a Vodaphone flat rate data service package as part of the annual music streaming package.. and I read that BMW subsidises the roaming.. But that sounds a bit too benevolent to me.. But one thing for sure the end customer doesn't pay for it.  

Re BMW - I was very pleasantly surprised with the USB (memory stick) with 24 bit .wav, really good (for a car)  although navigating around a USB folder tree is best not done whilst on the move.   

But getting back to the thread subject,  plug in the Apple iPod & its extremely user friendly with the display & navigation controls.  The nav controls don't work with a non-apple MP3 player though;  another Apple "initiative" maybe (?)

Getting back to BMW,  the USB port input does not handle FLAC,  its limited to MP3, AAC, WAV & WMA - plus M3U-format playlists. 

Whatever 24 bit WAV is a bit academic when on the move & MP3 or AAC @ 320kbs is probably more suitable for both SQ differences that are audible & memory file space

Doesn't handle FLAC, that sounds weird in today's market, I wonder if that is a 'political' rather than technical decision?

All this talk of car stereo is quite interesting.  My brother has a B&W system in his Jag and it sounds pretty good.  When I bought my Porsche I had a factory upgrade on the stereo and it sounds good if you are standing still and the engine is off, but going along is a waste of space in a car like this.  Especially with the hood down!

My Tesla handles flac, but not gapless.  And it comes with 3G and a 'free' subscription to Slacker radio, which also sounds pretty good in the car; way better than satellite radio.  I've been using Slacker a lot more than the little 64 gb usb drive I permanently keep in the car.

None of this is "free;" it's built into the price of the car, n'est pas?

Actually Apple will take a bigger chunk of this pie than anyone thinks. Firstly they have a family membership at 15 quid a month. Secondly, all your ripped CDs will be available to stream. And of-course across multiple devices. Thirdly their app is apparently very user-friendly. And some seem to think the sound quality is as good as Spotify.

Apple Music will take its chunk from Spotify - there's no doubt about it.

And don't let's forget Amazon.. If you subscribe to Prime then all your bought CDs are available to stream at 320kbps MP3 and, subject to location, theyre is much video content including some films that iare available to stream for no cost. Amazon have had this for a couple of years now, and is useful when one is out and about and works very well with iOS.

AlsoPrime allows you to rent from an extensive book library for your Kindle and you also get free better post service or £1 credit if you use the ordinary post service.

Not tried it for movies on my iPad, when me and the missus are away in our van we tend to watch DVDs on the TV or read our KIndles.

I for one wont be switching from Spotify. If you're using cellular data, it automatically switches to a lower bitrate (sounds like 128kbs). I have done several side-by-sides with spotify and it sounds absolutely terrible. What's the point in having good headphones and having the sound spoilt by crappy bitrates?

Also, Airplay isn't a match for Connect. It's laggy, buggy, drops-out and you need to have your laptop open and running the whole time.

No thanks, Apple, and I'm an Apple fanboy!

Surely this is heresy from an Apple fanboy!  The rest of the World knows all this stuff already but for an Apple fanboy to say it?????

I was initially not too enthusiastic about Spotify, in SQ terms that is, I suppose because my main interest in music is classical and 320k mp3 doesn't really cut it for classical.  For an example of what does I was listening to BBC Radio 3 in concert last night and it made my socks wiggle, it was that good.  The bass from that organ was astonishing!

But Spotify does allow me to explore classical composers without laying out a load of dosh.  I recently downloaded the BIS recording of "Steven Isserlis – reVisions", a musician who I saw at The Barbican a few years back and who also made my socks wiggle.  He really is that good.  Now on this album is a piece by the composer Ernest Bloch called "From Jewish Life" and it is so beautiful and it is played so beautifully it brings tears to your eyes - it really does.  Now Spotify gives me the chance to explore the music of Bloch.

For popular music it is really very good though.  I have a number of huge playlists on it - 60s,70s & 80s music and it's just great to bang it on to 70s music (say) and not know what you are going to hear next but you will hear something you selected.

Talking of which I have recently been playing stuff by the New York punk(ish) band Television who are fab.  Now has anyone downloaded any of the albums from any download site?  Please let me know if you have.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot I love about Apple, but not this! 

Here's another thing, Im streaming to my muso via airplay on my iphone, and a call comes in so the music cuts out. Ok, not bad, so I finish my call - music doesn't start again automatically, bahh. I hunt around on my phone, press play....the music starts coming out of my phone speaker. I have to try and connect to airplay again.

Also, you play a track on the phone, put it down and jump on your laptop. You want to control whats playing, so you go to itunes on the mac. Nope, they're not synced, you have to pick up your phone and do everything from there (or close that, and start a stream from your laptop).

First world problems, but hey, it makes choosing a service all the easier. 

Ok, it's off topic from the thread, but yes Big Bill, get yourself a copy of Marquee Moon (their first album) it's an absolute classic.

Adventure ( their second album) is really good too, but MM is my favourite.

Get the CD or  vinyl if you can, it's just easier than trying to find a download of them.

Now then, back to the thread....