After a rumor on Friday claimed Apple would be releasing a new high-fidelity tier for Apple Music, a teaser in the app basically confirms it. In the Browse tab, which normally shows new and trending songs and playlists, Apple has posted a simple teaser telling subscribers to “Get ready—Music is about to change forever.”
A series of rumors on Friday pointed to a Tuesday release for the new Apple Music+ service, which will reportedly arrive alongside 3rd-generation AirPods. The service will presumably allow users to stream at a bitrate higher than the current 256Kbps. Apple wouldn’t be the first to offer high-fidelity streaming. Tidal and other services already offer lossless streaming at a higher price, while Spotify has announced a new HiFi tier at a higher price. Apple Music+ will reportedly cost the same $10/month as the current plan.
The Apple Music app teaser is accompanied by a video of a spinning Apple Music logo but curiously doesn’t include any audio.
The launch of Apple Music+ would be a surprise during the same week that the new 24-inch iMac and iPad Pro are beginning to ship. It’s also just three weeks until the WWDC keynote, usually a very quiet time for Apple releases.
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He’s still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.
