Today Apple announced several new items for part of its music platform.
Apple Music
There are new ways to experience music with updates to their Apple Music plans and more.
Headlines are…
Deeper integration with Siri
There are new playlists on Apple Music
New Apple subscription service Apple Music for $4.99 available in 17 countries later this fall.
Apple has released a brand-new subscription plan for Apple Music Voice Plan.
$4.99 per month.
It will be available in 17 countries
Everything available only via voice.
HomePod Updates
HomePod mini is now in yellow or orange as well as white and Space Grey and they have added deep integration with Siri.
Audio Technology
Full-range driver and dual passive radiators for deep bass and crisp high frequencies
Custom acoustic waveguide for a 360º sound field
Acoustically transparent fabric
Computational audio for real-time tuning
Four-microphone design for far-field Siri
Multiroom audio with AirPlay 22
Stereo pair capable
Audio Sources
Apple Music (A subscription may be required for music streaming services)
iTunes music purchases
iCloud Music Library with an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription
Third-party music services (A subscription may be required for music streaming services)
Apple Music Radio or episodes on demand
Radio stations from TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Audacy
Apple Podcasts
News briefings
AirPlay other content to HomePod mini from iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac
Wireless
802.11n Wi-Fi (Peer-to-peer AirPlay requires a Mac (2012 or later) with OS X Yosemite or later, or an iOS or iPadOS device (late 2012 or later) with iOS 8 or later or iPadOS.)
Direct guest access
Bluetooth 5.0
Thread (Not compatible with non-HomeKit Thread devices)
Ultra Wideband chip for device proximity (Requires a U1-equipped iPhone. Ultra Wideband availability varies by region)
System Requirements
HomePod mini with the latest version of software
iPhone SE, iPhone 6s or later, or iPod touch (7th generation) with the latest iOS; or iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad Air 2 or later, or iPad mini 4 or later with the latest iPadOS
802.11n Wi-Fi internet access
Price $99
AirPods 3rd Generation with Spatial Audio
Apple have released 3rd Gen AirPods so even more people can enjoy Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. The new Airpods are sweat and water resistant so you can enjoy audio on the move up to IPX4 rating.
Audio Technology
Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking1
Adaptive EQ
Custom high-excursion Apple driver
Custom high dynamic range amplifier
H1 headphone chip
Sensors
Dual beamforming microphones
Inward-facing microphone
Skin-detect sensor
Motion-detecting accelerometer
Speech-detecting accelerometer
Force sensor
Bluetooth 5.0
Battery
AirPods
Up to 6 hours of listening time with a single charge (up to 5 hours with spatial audio enabled)
Up to 4 hours of talk time with a single charge
AirPods with MagSafe Charging Case
Up to 30 hours of listening time
Up to 20 hours of talk time
5 minutes in the case provides around 1 hour of listening time or around 1 hour of talk time
System Requirements
iPhone and iPod touch models with the latest version of iOS
iPad models with the latest version of iPadOS
Apple Watch models with the latest version of watchOS
Mac models with the latest version of macOS
Apple TV models with the latest version of tvOS
Priced at $179 with ordering possible today and shipping soon.