What does Apple adding HD and Dolby Atmos music to their service mean?

Apple has decided to challenge the mainstream with the idea of higher quality audio.  Sadly, it's at the expense of the labels, artists and engineers who created it by not adding another level tier.  Of course, Apple will sell their hardware to their advantage and increase the prices.

Is this really better for the consumer that the price doesn't increase?  It could lead to cheaper prices in the short run and in the long run... a bunch of crappy audio recordings upsampled to HD or Apple selling plugins for quick immersive sound experiences.  It also means that if you want an HD experience you'll need to get a set of headphones and a bunch of adapters for your iPhone if you really want to have the experience Apple suggests.

But hey, most of you reading this are audiophiles and have already got your gear in place.  You may or may not have experienced surround or binaural or Atmos sound.  You might be closing your eyes to what Apple is doing -- 12 years after the launch of HD digital audio to the public.

Here's a little something from Apple's press releases.  Use your own "filters" for the marketing.... and try not to roll your eyes too much.  Those of us committed to DSD wonder when is Apple going to put a real DSD DAC in their phones... as Samsung and Sony have done many years before.

Below is from Apple.

Apple Music's Lossless tier starts at CD quality, which is 16 bit at 44.1 kHz, and goes up to 24 bit at 48 kHz and is playable natively on Apple devices. ... For the true audiophile, Apple Music also offers Hi-Resolution Lossless all the way up to 24 bit at 192 kHz.

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced Apple Music is bringing industry-leading sound quality to subscribers with the addition of Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos. Spatial Audio gives artists the opportunity to create immersive audio experiences for their fans with true multidimensional sound and clarity. Apple Music subscribers will also be able to listen to more than 75 million songs in Lossless Audio — the way the artists created them in the studio. These new features will be available for Apple Music subscribers starting next month at no additional cost.

Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos is now available in Apple Music and you can play it directly on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K. You can also listen over the original HomePod, but only if they are connected to Apple TV 4K.