Wall St Journal recently wrote that Apple is in “exploratory” talks with Tidal, the high bit-rate streaming service I personally rate the highest in streaming music.
I rate them highest, because of their “high fidelity” downloads. I can stream their music in low fidelity so that I don’t burn through my data plan, and download my favorites, or playlists in high bitrate format when I get home using my broadband connection without data caps. I download them onto my iPod touch, which allows me to connect to any stereo system I own with a very high dynamic range.
Music compression typically (at least to my ears) is very muddy when turned up, and are very bass heavy. This is because all the high frequency tones are “clipped” due to the low bit-rate compression. All the cymbals, high octave notes are noticeably reduced. And when I plug in a DAC to the iPod, all the music nuances are crisp and clear, unlike its compressed counterpart, that gives me a headache after prolonged listening.
This might explain why Apple is looking to discontinue the headphone jack in its next generation of iPhones. A portable DAC is being produced smaller than a pack of gum these days, with a lightning jack on one end, and a headphone jack on the other. This hardware setup, along with Apple using Tidal’s high bitrate, and Tidal’s close ties with the artists (something Spotify and Google play can’t offer) will put Apple ahead of the game. If Tidal is acquired by Apple, I would hope they keep Tidal’s slick user interface. The Apple user interface is a Frankenstein mashup of elaborate proportions, which is the main reason I cancelled my Apple membership. Just too much trouble to use!
Maybe this is just talks with no action, but I certainly hope Apple puts it’s clout behind Tidal if it is acquired, and introduces it into the masses. Jay Z does have some bargaining power now that its subscriber base has moved from its paltry 750,000 to 4.2 million now. There’s a reason for its recent success in my opinion. Tidal offers a high end music service that the press balked at, and Tidal didn’t change in spite of other services success, which now puts it in a position to pull out into the lead and show everyone else how it’s supposed to be done.