Apple - Audiophile friend or foe?
I use a lot of Apple products. Anyone involved in publishing gets to spend a great deal of time in the Cupertino eco-system, in part because programs like QuarkXPress and PageMaker and later InDesign are so strongly tied to the Mac platform. I have PC products, but my home WiFi network, my desktop, laptop, cellphone and now tablet are all Apple products. As is my music computer, a pre-unibody MacMini, run headless. It all works very well and seamlessly.
It's not just those of us in publishing. Chances are if you walk into a room at a show demonstrating a system using computer audio, it will be using something Maccy, perhaps with Pure Music, Amarra or Decibel supplementing or even replacing iTunes. Generally, the exceptions are those who have their own music server solution. There are a lot of iPads in audio demonstrations as well, using Remote or a proprietary app to navigate the music held on the computer. And it's not hard to see why; for good or ill, the 'halo effect' of associating that new DAC with Apple's latest wonder works. Some take that halo a stage further and end up with products that almost have a symbiotic relationship with the iPad; arguably, Linn, Naim and Sonos products work so much better with an iPad it is almost inconceivable today to consider one without a tablet in the mix
On the other hand...
Apple's domination of the 21st Century music market through iPods and iTunes helped create what audio companies consider to be a 'lost generation' of listeners who seldom experience music beyond the white earphones supplied in the box, although recent In-Ear Monitor developments demonstrate the audiophile spirit prevails. In fairness, if it hadn't been Apple it would have been someone else, but the effect the iPod had on the audio industry was marked, quick and irreversible. Apple's short-lived iPod Hi-Fi wasn't the game changer Steve Jobs expected it to be in 2006, but his "I'm an audiophile and I'm getting rid of my stereo" comment rubbed salt into an open wound.
Fast forward to 2011. Sales of iPods are falling, because that market is now buying iPhones and iPads. This means that what was once the Soundtrack to your Life became just another App, something to do between replying to an email and playing more Angry Birds. Worse, Apple's mid-year product roll-out includes a MacMini without an optical drive, "Because these days, you don't need one." The company has discontinued many of its retail box versions of its software at the same time, and the plan is to move software sales to the App Store.
Effectively, this means Apple is calling time on the optical disc. The optical disc market is so heavily built on the games and computer market today that if the big players in those markets begin to move away from the format, it begins to unravel. Remember that although it wasn't the first to drop the floppy disk, the floppy-free 1998 iMac caused a huge stir, and yet less than a decade later the floppy was all but dead. Apple has set its sights on pulling the same trick on CD.
I think the death of the optical drive is greatly exaggerated. Even many audiophiles who have migrated to a computer audio solution still recognize the need for the optical drive, because they use their CDs as one-time data carriers, instead of relying on iTunes as Apple would like you to do. But now if you want to rip those discs on a new MacMini, you are going to need an external drive, or another Mac that will rip the files and beam them to your shiny new computer.
Is this a step too far, too soon?
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1999 - 2011 NextScreen. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Comments
What nobody ever seems to talk about is the effect Apple's dominanace has had on the quality of music itself. Many great sound engineers can no longer find work despite the fact that we find ourrselves swimming in music. Legendary recording studios like Olympic in London shut down with barely a murmur, and no limit budget pop/rock recordings - like say Bryan Ferry's Boys and Girls - are simply a thing of the past (and yup, I'm also well aware this isn't all down to Cupertino.)
I can see if you're 18 and enjoying attending the summers' big music festivals none of this will matter too much; but for me the Apple mafia has damaged many creative parts of the industry. I don't deny the ipod/itunes experience succeeds because it simply works (in a way no 'competitor' can muster) but I think the fact that music is increasingly mere sonic wallpaper is at least in part down to the fact that the Apple experience lacks satisfaction on a deeper level.
Imagine if record stores and vinyl had just been invented. Imagine going to buy Sergeant Pepper; feeling the rarefied atmosphere, waiting in line, chatting to the owner, then getting home and opening up that gatefold sleeve. Suddenly in comparison the itunes experience might seem just a little dry & disconnected - no?
Adapt or die.... I don't have anything against Apple (I have long owned an ipod) but it represents just a small element of my music-listening life. The Apple world order, at the expense of everything & everyone else, holds little appeal for me at least.
I like the flexibility of a Windows pc and Android phone.
Well, I wouldn't blame Apple for this as it was the creation of the MP3 that caused the demise of the music world. Apple just took advantage of the situation. The problem with the masses, especially the younger generation is they don't care about quality and would rather have quantiy. Frankly Apple needs to step up the game and allow CD quality downloads if they went to play fair, as most of there down loads at their bitrate is junk. I agree with the author, I still prefer Optical Media as I can choose my quality. If we keep on going the download every thing route, we are going to put a whole lot of people out of business, paper industry, Optical Media Industry, hard wares etc... We will all become fat/lazy and diabetic, reminds me of the movie WallE. ;)
You can't just blame Apple. An entire generation now believes they are entitled to music without paying for it. No wonder sound engineers are out of work and studios are shutting down. No wonder there are few recordings like Boys and Girls. Who's going to pay for them when the potential audience has GROWN UP getting music for free and not recognizing that as stealing?
Sugith: Very good point, as downloads are still easy to steal. I still like the idea of Optical Blu-Ray personally and or better optical media instead of going streaming.
Some valid comments, but I disagree with several: I still get excited when I know a favourite artist has a new album out. Having never waited in line at a record shop, I don't miss that (And yes I am old enough to have a record collection!). I can still talk about upcoming releases with friends, so that hasn't changed. I also find iTunes is a great place to find music that is no longer available on CD (or vinyl) and for filling holes in my collection. Being able to buy music from different countries is also useful (though not strictly what Apple want us to do). Quality of music I don't believe is due to iPods/iTunes/MP3s. When I was younger we recorded our LPs onto cassette, usually cheap cassettes (remember "Chrome" and "Metal" tapes?? We thought they were too expensive!) and often the quality was poor. But it was a way to share music and often led to sales of albums. And there will always be artists who want to record at high quality. Note: I have ripped all my CDs to lossless and play them back through a Mac Mini. This is for both space and convenience as I no longer have the room to properly store several hundred CDs so that they are easily accessible. One day I will :-)