Apple Music sets itself apart from the other streaming services - not just in terms of features, but also in the price.

In a nutshell:

  • Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos is available on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip (AirPods, AirPods 2nd Gen, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max) as well as the built-in speakers in the latest iPhones, iPads and Macs.
  • According to Apple, “thousands of songs in Spatial Audio“ should be available at the start.
  • Apple Music subscribers also receive the entire music catalog in Lossless Audio (ALAC / up to 24 bit at 192 kHz).
  • All new functions are available to Apple Music subscribers starting next month (June 2021) at no additional cost.

To me the most interesting part is Spatial Audio (3D-Audio), lossless audio is a nice bonus.

"Without music, life would be a mistake."
Friedrich Nietzsche
Update 05/17/21: Amazon is moving fast. The company says that its streaming service Amazon Music HD will be made available to all eligible Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers at no extra cost.

Update 05/18/21: Apparently none of Apple's headphones will work with lossless audio, nor does the HomePod or the all new HomePod mini. The AirPods Family are limited to the Bluetooth AAC codec and simply cannot support the ALAC format. Even when connected by a physical lightning wire, the ‌AirPods Max‌ won't support true lossless audio.According to Apple, lossless audio on ‌Apple Music‌ can be listened to on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

Update 05/24/21: Since the above-mentioned announcement caused a good deal of confusion, Apple released a support document to clarify everything connected to lossless and spatial audio.