Apple offer hi-res 24-bit tracks on iTunes

Apple’s Major Overhaul of iTunes

Following a report, Apple is considering a major overhaul of iTunes and the company is making plans to enter into the high definition music industry with 24-bit track. It was reported that Apple will be launching hi-res audio sales in two months to coincide with the release of the three Led Zeppelin remasters and would probably charge an additional dollar for high resolution tracks and the new features would be offered in line with the usual iTunes track with the option of album purchase.

Presently Apple needs publishers providing 24-bit ALAC tracks along with high sampling price to improve sound quality for transcoding to lossy AAC format which is currently available on iTunes. AAC cuts a good amount of data from the original mastered version like the MP3 codec, trading subtle nuances in dynamic range, detail, fidelity with other sound quality metrics for small sized files.

Supporting the rumor is Apple’s Mastered for iTunes initiative providing studios along with specialized software, especially AU Lab, helping in checking how AAC conversion could affect the uncompressed masters. The studios could then pass the original 24-bit masters to iTunes at a varying sampling rate, creating files without loss and encoding them into 16-bit AAC tracks. This would mean Apple would have a huge repository of lossless music.

Music in a 24-Bit Format

Apple had been working on providing music in a 24-bit format for some time and a report of 2011 stated that the company was in talks to increase the quality of iTunes Music. Presently Apple has been selling audio files on iTunes in a 16-bit lossy AAC format encoded at 256 kbs to a minimum file and high definition 24-bit downloads would offer better details with greater depth with deeper bass response when compared to traditional 16-bit music downloads and the file sizes would be much larger.

Apple has been offering16-bit audio files presently but the company is encouraging artist to submit music in a 24-bit 96 kHz resolution which can be used to create more accurate encodes. Since Apple has accepted 24-bit files for years, it has a large catalog of high quality audio files which could be offered for sales at a premium of $1 over the traditional iTunes tracks.

Better Digital Music

Moreover Hi-res audio has been getting popular with the present generation and music sites like HDtracks are gaining deals with multiple major record labels. Popular artist like Credence Clearwater Revival, Neil Young and many others are putting out high resolution audio with an audio platform called Orastream pointing that the artist are working with technologies making the digital music sound better.

If Apple choose to start selling 24-bit audio tracks it would dominate the competing sites based on its existing user base and boost its digital downloads by appealing to audiophiles presently unhappy with the quality of iTunes tracks. Apple is asking sound engineers for 96 kHz, 24-bit WAV files with the possibility to process its very own `mastered for iTunes’, versions and also to start selling music in `better than CD quality’ resolution and format. Do check out for more refreshing technology information at Macmyth. 

Apple Unlikely To Utilize Custom iPhone Baseband Chip

Apple’s in-house Baseband Processor Design & Production

It was revealed to investors from reports received by Appleinsider about the silicon firm Broadcom’s recent struggle in producing an LTE modem of its own against the uphill battle that awaits Apple. Broadcom is one of those companies that Apple had hired away a number of baseband hardware and software engineers recently and Apple all together had assembled around 30 mid and senior level baseband software as well as hardware engineers from the silicon firm together with the current iPhone baseband vendor Qualcomm in the last few years.

Moreover, Apple is also advertising over 50 more additional openings with regards to RF chip design which is still in process, an indication that the build-up is not yet complete. This move would probably fit in with Apple’s recent push to exert more control over the components which powers their most important products. If Apple decides to bring baseband processor design as well as production in-house as it has been indicated, analyst believe that the chips would not be likely to debut in new iPhone models before 2015 which could be the result faced by them due to the notorious difficult nature of their development.

Baseband Processor – Complex Process

The baseband chip is the brain of a handset’s wireless modem working in coordination with a transceiver that controls the receiving and sending of wireless signals via the antenna and the baseband processor enables a device to communicate through cellular networks. Building the baseband components is a complex process which is difficult and since Intel’s introduction of XMM 7160, only Qualcomm’s MDM9615M that is inside Apple’s iPhone and iPad had created a baseband processor which integrated support of 3G, LTE and EDGE networks within a single package.

Apple’s decision and choice of producing its own wireless modems could probably be motivated in part by a desire in improving power efficiency and according to Appleinsider, JP Morgan analyst Rod Hall, who believes that Apple’s current logic board designs uses a baseband chip which is separate from the A-series application processor of the company and that it may be looking out for ways to integrate the two chips into a single package.

Current Vendor – Qualcomm

Apple’s current baseband vendor, Qualcomm had done the same with Snapdragon processors and according to Rod Hall, he believes that the company would be opening a licensing arrangement which would enable Apple to integrate Qualcomm baseband IP on A-series cores wherein with this type of an arrangement it would be beneficial to Qualcomm.

This is due to Apple having accounted for approximately one quarter of Qualcomm’s 2012 revenues and losing business would mean significant financial losses. Inspite of the challenges faced, Hall is of the opinion that Apple does have the ability as well as internal knowledge on how to attract the talents that are necessary for successful developments of its own modem technology, from its successor of the A-series processors. Apple seems to be way ahead of Qualcomm from its desktop class A7 chip which powers the iPhone 5s, iPad Mini and iPad Air along with Retina display.

Apple’s New Generation Headphone

Apple has applied for patent for new pair of headphones with enhanced technology inside and is once again looking to advance the design of its bundled iPhone EarPods by implanting accelerometer in the ear bud area loaded with on-board sensors with two microphones which could recognize voice activity as well as activate and tune beamforming microphone arrays.

As per patent application by the US Patent and Trademark Office, Apple has been investigating to enhance headphone device which can recognize the user’s voice along with multiple on board microphones, turning on noise suppression systems besides directing beam forming mics towards a user’s head. These new generation headphones will come with microphones to automatically record voice output when the user starts talking which will also come with noise cancellation feature by default to subdue the background noise due to the second microphone on the headphones.

Headphone featuring built-in Accelerometer

It will also have microphones on the wires just as a standard handset and the earphones can automatically judge when the user begins talking due to the beamforming microphones. Besides this, the headphone featuring the built-in accelerometer will also judge when the user begins talking with the vibration created through the vocal chords which means that the microphone will be active to pick up voice from the user at any point of time.

Moreover the user will also get access to the device with the help of the Siri features which could be very helpful while driving or performing other activities. Presently most of the users depend on headphones for voice calls as well as music and Apple has brought about a change with its enhanced pair of headphones.

Sensor, Voice Activity Detector

Its system of working begins with the accelerometer and in some embodiment; the sensor is utilized as a voice activity detector – VAD to detect vibration generated by the user. The voice speech both generated by the user’s vocal chords as well as the unvoiced speech generated without the vocal chords are detected by the accelerometer through vibration of the tissue and bone.

The detected accelerometer vibration data is then joined by signals from the front and rare facing microphones which are embedded on one or both of the ear buds. The accelerometer in some embodiments is tuned to detect lower frequency vibration known as VADa system and alternatively, from the two microphones signals output could be used in determining voiced speech or a VADm arrangement.

Effective Beamforming Algorithm

The VAD system functions by scanning both voiced –VADv as well as unvoiced –VADu signals which are combined with the other signals for noise suppression circuit. Depending on the information gathered, noise from the area around the user could be estimated with an effective beamforming algorithm which can be applied to the system’s various microphone arrays.

Mics located in the headphones in some embodiments and along the unit’s wire were set to a general beamform focused at the user’s face. Besides this a more active beamformer is described which can be adaptively steered based on VAD output while alternatively a noise suppression system could also be made effective by steering microphones towards the ambient noise which may not be associated with voiced or unvoiced speech that is removed from the signal.

Apple’s iBeacon technology at forthcoming Coachella Music & Art Festival

From the latest app updates, it is reported that at the forthcoming Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival, the audience will have on-site iBeacons which will push notification with other information to users as they walk the grounds at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

The 2014 Coachella iOS app includes support for Apple’s iBeacon; Bluetooth enabled micro location technology capable of delivering proximity aware notification, information and navigation to the users. Beacons are a low cost hardware which is small enough to be attached to a wall or countertop which is battery operated, low energy Bluetooth connections to transmit messages directly to a Smartphone or tablet and can be used to transform how retailers, event organizers, educational institutions, transit system etc communicate with people indoors.

Coachella’s website states, ‘Use Bluetooth to interact with beacons placed around the grounds’, though it is unknown how the festival plans are likely to implement this technology. Recent deployments include the NFL’s Super Bowl installation at major events and an interactive scavenger hunt at CES. Apple launched iBeacon enabling it in their stores using Bluetooth and has been making great progress in implementing great products.

iBeacon for in-store help

Customers will find iBeacon a lot helpful while going around shopping and if a store has the system in place, finding in-store help and receiving information related to products, according to the location would be much easier and quicker since iBeacon has the potential of being an inherent part of a shopping activity.

After introducing iBeacon as a part of iOS 7 in the year 2013, third party implementation of the location aware tech are gradually moving out with Major League Baseball announcing plans in February to deploy beacons in over 20 ballparks by opening day.

The Apple Store App uses Bluetooth to gather location based information from iPhone users and while the technology has received mixed reviews, it seems to be a cool concept especially for retailers while others find privacy an issue. Retailers are getting in on the act like Macy’s stores and pilot programs at various grocery stores.

Download App for free at the Festival

Apple takes credit for the largest rollout so far after its installation of beacons last December in US Apple Store and customers using iBeacon have found it helpful with regards to in-store help, avail location aware product information and purchase items quickly with EasyPay.

Recently, the Dutch micro location firm, LabWek, launched mApp an iBeacon based platform which was designed for interactive museum exhibits. Those who will be attending Coachella which is likely to be held from April 11th to 18th can take the opportunity of downloading the app for free from the iOS App store.

Coachella organizer Goldenvoice together with the updated app has also released set time and added new acts to the latest list of performers. The organizers of the popular music and art festival Coachella are all out for iBeacon and the latest update is that the technology is likely to be used during this great event.

The official festival website also states that using the mobile app, attendees can also use Bluetooth to interact with beacons which may be placed all around the ground.

Adobe’s Mobile Version for its suite of Photography for iPad

Adobe will be introducing a mobile version of its Lightroom Raw editing program for iPad, touch friendly accompaniment for its suite of photography software bringing about powerful new tools to Apple’s iOS. Photographers had been asking Adobe for a mobile version of Lightroom for some time.

Adobe had demonstrated an early beta version of the application at a sneek peek session last year at the Photoshop World show in Las Vegas and it seems that Lightroom Mobile is now almost ready for its official launch. Adobe will make the iPad a more viable solution for the mobile version that would largely lineup with desktop version with regards to features.

 The app which is available at iOS Apple store offers users who have invested in Adobe’s ecosystem, a new way to organize and sync images within the prevailing Adobe mobile content creation leasing a version of Lightroom photo editing which is optimized for tablets. Its tagline for the product is `Take Lightroom anywhere’, and the representative indicated ecosystem with an impressive app of built-in RAW image editing functions.

Lightroom enables Tablets to edit remotely 

Adobe with its Lightroom Mobile for iPad has enabled tablets to edit remotely, large RAW image files, adding new dimension to photographer’s workflows but without any limitations from desktops and laptops. Lightroom 5 on Mac or PC with Adobe’s Smart previews technology can generate a DNG image from RAW image data and sync the file with Lightroom mobile. Moreover users can also edit this smaller file on the iPad with Lightroom’s RAW toolset and then sync the changes if any, back to the original RAW image on completion.

Users need to have Lightroom 5 running on the desktop or laptop, Lightroom’s mobile service and lightroom mobile for iPad in order to function which means that owners of non Creative Cloud Photoshop of Lightroom will need to subscribe in order to qualify for Adobe Creative Cloud product.

Various Amazing Features

Adobe had announced that the iPhone version is in the pipeline but has not disclosed the estimated release date. Some of the features include editing and organizing images from anywhere at any time, seamless sync between desktop, web and mobile, access and view photos on lightroom.

Edit everything from Smartphone photos to raw images from DSLRs with Smart Previews since Adobe Lightroom Mobile is capable of handling virtually any image format, Smart Preview creates smaller stand in files for efficient and quicker work, import images from iPhone or iPad camera roll direct into the Lightroom catalog and enhance them using familiar and powerful Lightroom tools while sharing them online easily and quickly.

Advanced Healing brush in removing unwanted flaws or objects, radial gradient tools enables to create off center vignette effects, Creating HD video slide shows with images, video clips and music, showcase images, present photos with built in slideshow and much more.

iPad 2 with running iOS 7

Lightroom Mobile for iPad from App Store is a free 41.6MB download but needs an iPad 2 running iOS 7 or later with also updated Lightroom 5.4 for Mac and a Creative Cloud Subscription.

Besides this, Adobe is also offering a 30 day free trial together with Photoshop Photography Program special which includes Photoshop CC, lightroom desktop, web and mobile, a 20GB cloud storage accompanied by Behance ProSite for $9.99 a month.