Using an iPod, Bob Lane takes a video of a tire with little tread at Direct Tire and Auto Service in Watertown, Mass. on February 18, 2015. (Photo : Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Apple is said to be developing higher-quality audio streams and might be available in 2016. The rumor came about during the weekends Portable Audio Festival in Tokyo.
According to experts in the said field, the Cupertino-based tech giant is currently developing a Hi-Res audio format that is capable of having sampling rates of up to 96kHz, 24bit. It is also said that it will be utilizing its own Lightning, taken out in context from a Japanese website Mac Otakara.
Currently, the audio quality for most mp3 music way below what Apple is developing and is of CD quality. Apple's version is about Blu-ray disc quality. High quality means the music is crispier and will be close to the quality of a studio recording.
Several audio equipment companies who have already developed their own Lightning-equipped headphones, like Philips and JBL. Several more are expected to follow soon as Apple's audio quality moves up the notch.
News of Apple's hi-res audio has been in the rumor mill for quite a time now. There was this instance back in 2012 that Neil Young and Steve Jobs has discussed the idea of an improved audio quality, Mac Rumors reported. Robert Hutton, a renowned music blogger, also claimed back in 2014, that Apple was developing higher-quality audio for the iTunes Store.
The Lightning Port and iOS 9 is said to be able to produce audio quality up to 192kHz/24bit. It is also used to connect to other peripheral such as computers, external monitors, cameras and battery chargers.
