just imagine you've just treated yourself to a pair of really good headphones.
For example, the AirPods Max from Apple.
After testing them last December, my conclusion was: "The sound is excellent, the controls are simple and the look refreshingly new." But as it turns out, the 612 euro Apple headphones are apparently not new enough to do that to be able to play back new audio format with particularly good sound quality, which Apple announced on Monday for its streaming service Apple Music.
The presentation sounded promising. On the one hand, there will be thousands of songs in the future that can be heard spatially with Dolby Atmos, according to Apple. Above all, however, all 75 million songs on Apple Music should in future be available in high-resolution music formats at no extra charge. Futuresource analyst Alexandre Jornod describes this as a turning point for the entire industry. Because until now, providers such as Qobuz, Tidal and Amazon have sometimes charged double-digit surcharges per month for HD audio. Apple's move will force the competition to adjust their prices "if they want to remain competitive," said Jornod.
What was lost in all the excitement about the announcement on Monday was a subtlety in Apple's wording. Because the press release only said that Dolby Atmos would “automatically be played on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as on the built-in speakers in the latest versions of iPhone, iPad and Mac”. There is no mention of the new audio format lossless. We now also know why.
An Apple spokesman said the magazine “The Verge”: “Lossless audio is not supported by AirPods, by any model”.
This is conclusive with the AirPods and AirPods Pro, they are controlled via Bluetooth and this wireless technology simply does not offer enough data throughput to transmit high-resolution audio streams.
But for the AirPods Max there is an alternative adapter cable for analog music sources, for example on the plane.
However, this does not work with Apple's high-resolution music data because it is delivered digitally.
The following also applies to Apple's Smartspeaker Homepod and HomePod Mini: surround sound yes, lossless audio no.
So in order to really enjoy the full sound quality of Apple's new, losslessly transmitted music offering, there is no getting around buying new hardware.
Of course, the company also discreetly points this out when it writes in the small print "that external equipment such as a USB digital-to-analog converter is required for Hi-Res Lossless."
I'm fine because I already have an audio interface that supports the maximum sampling rate of Apple Music - 192 kilohertz - and has analog connections for headphones and speakers.
But with that I should be the exception.
External links: three tips from other media
"Cyber insurance: Axa no longer wants to pay ransomware ransom" (three minutes to read)
The waves of ransomware in recent months and years are fueling interest in so-called cyber insurance. But who steps in when companies pay criminals a ransom to get encrypted data again? The subject is apparently getting too hot for the insurer Axa, writes "Heise Online", in France he is now adapting his offers.
"The REAL Reason McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken" (English, 30-minute video)
McDonald's ice cream machines have a reputation in the USA for being broken whenever you feel like having an ice cream. But how often are they really out of order and why? And how is it that other fast food chains seem to be using more reliable equipment? Video maker Johnny Harris explores this question in this YouTube documentary.
"Elon Musk's Bitcoin Fun Continues" (English, ten minutes to read)
It's like rubbing against a
magic lamp every
now and then: As soon as Elon Musk tweets something about Bitcoin or Dogecoin, this often affects the rate of the two digital currencies.
Matt Levine at Bloomberg sums up how the Tesla boss keeps the market in suspense - maybe for fun, maybe out of cool consideration.
I wish you a nice week
Matthias Kremp