Apple Music classical has long been in the pipeline and is something that the Apple Music faithful have been waiting for for some time. Now, the company has finally announced the service is on its way as part of Apple Music at the end of this month. This is the first we've seen of the service for some time and is exciting news for those of us who like classical music.
Apple Music Classical is finally here
Ever since Apple bought the classical music streaming app PrimePhonic in 2021, we've been eagerly awaiting news of Apple Music Classical. There is now an App store page (opens in new tab), and it brings to light some interesting points that are worth looking at.
For one, it looks like the app is only coming to iPhones running 15.4 or later, with could mean no support for the Mac versions or for iPad. On Twitter, Chance Miller confirmed that iPad would not get support:
I've confirmed with Apple that Apple Music Classical will be iOS-only when it launches. No iPad app.March 9, 2023
There is other news on the App store page as well. Streaming bit rates are up to par with the current Apple Lossless streaming on Apple Music, with up to 24bit/192kHz lossless bitrates. Like Apple Lossless, this doesn't mean that all tracks will have bitrates that high, but some will.
Importantly, the excellent search parameters of PrimePhonic will be making a return. You'll be able to search by "composer, work, conductor or even catalogue number, and find specific recordings instantly" according to the app store page, making it a lot easier to find different recordings without having to sort through pages upon pages of results. This is important to classical music, as the same composition may be played by many different orchestras or ensembles, with many different recordings, unlike just a band or artist and an album or song.
Spatial Audio is also coming along, making the music sound like it's all around you. That could be amazing for classical music, with the orchestra surrounding you. This feature, like Apple Music, is only going to be available to supported headphones and speakers, like the AirPods Max and HomePod 2.
Apple seems to have launched a new Twitter page for the service, that's coming as a separate app rather than a panel or window within Apple Music.
Introducing Apple Music Classical, the new app designed specifically for classical music. Pre-order today on the @AppStore. https://t.co/lwnF4Dx4ua pic.twitter.com/F8uMKMVm2iMarch 9, 2023
The App looks to be coming on March 28, and again only for iPhone devices. Hopefully, support for other Apple devices is coming soon, but until then we'll have to make do with iPhone only.
