> HIGH-RES RIVALS

Apple really is Johnny–come–lately when it comes to lossless/high–res audio. One of the first streaming services to offer lossless and high-res music was the Paris-based Qobuz in 2007. Qobuz is very much aimed at well–heeled hi–fi buffs, with subscriptions starting at $14.99 compared to $9.99 for Apple Music. However, it boasts an unrivalled library of 70 million high–res tracks — compared to Apple Music’s now 20 million in lossless format, and number of high–res tracks.

Another popular high–res service is Tidal, which starts at $9.99 per month but charges a hefty $19.99 for its top– quality HiFi subscription. However, Tidal also has a small selection of songs using Dolby Atmos and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, which are rivals to Apple’s spatial audio technology.

Even Amazon beat Apple to it, launching Amazon Music HD in 2019. Amazon offers 75 million lossless tracks with CD–quality, and 7 million high–res tracks, and also cut its prices in response to Apple’s announcement of lossless music, down to $14.99 per month (or $12.99 for Amazon Prime subscribers).