The new AirPods Pro, despite featuring an all-new H2 chip and improved audio quality, do not appear to include support for lossless Apple Music audio.
The H2 chip is the successor to the previous H1 chip and delivers new features like improved Active Noise Cancellation, an improved Transparency mode, and better sound overall. One rumored new capability of the new chip was that it would support lossless Apple Music, but Apple's press release and tech specs page for the new AirPods Pro do not mention any lossless audio support, which seemingly rules out the capability.
We've asked Apple for more information regarding lossless audio support for the new AirPods Pro and will update this story if we hear back.
The new AirPods Pro do support Bluetooth 5.3, and while that standard does not directly support lossless audio, chip companies like Qualcomm have been moving in that direction. As of now, though, there is no indication that Apple has adopted it yet.
Regardless, the new AirPods Pro feature several new features, including improved audio, longer battery life, and a redesigned charging case. Priced at $249, the new AirPods Pro will be available to order starting September 9 and launch September 23.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
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Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
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One thing worth...
Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future.
"I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
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Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta.
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Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre.
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Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
You don't need lossless audio in £170 in ear buds - you can't hear the difference. You can't hear the difference on a £10,000 mastering studio setup with golden ears, it's been proven time and time again by the worlds best ears. No one here has the worlds best ears, despite what placebo they think - the upgrades to the drivers and processing are much much much more important and impactful.
If they tell you otherwise, they're wrong.
Edit - click disagree all you want, you're wrong - scientifically proven to be wrong, no ifs, no buts, no opinions, you're wrong, end of.
You don't need lossless audio in £170 in ear buds - you can't hear the difference. You can't hear the difference on a £10,000 mastering studio setup with golden ears, it's been proven time and time again by the worlds best ears. No one here has the worlds best ears, despite what placebo they think - the upgrades to the drivers and processing are much much much more important and impactful.
If they tell you otherwise, they're wrong.
Edit - click disagree all you want, you're wrong - scientifically proven to be wrong, no ifs, no buts, no opinions, you're wrong, end of.
With all due respect; what kind of cut-rate mastering studio has a $10,000 setup? They wouldn’t be fit to master my iPhone voice memos, let alone a commercial release. I’ve had mastering sessions with some of the best engineers, at some of the best mastering studios on the planet, such as Sterling Sound and Abbey Road… they have singular pieces of equipment that surpass $10K (ever check what a VMS-80 goes for these days? Or for that matter, what they sold for 40 years ago? You don’t even have to account for inflation) let alone having an entire system that amounts to that much. And for what it’s worth, any professional I’ve ever worked with would strongly disagree with your assessment of lossless audio.
Not that any of this matters of course, because it doesn’t take a $10K setup to be able to distinguish between lossless and lossy compression. It just takes some listening acuity. Tin ears need not apply.
You seem to be very offended by people who strive for better. I’m not sure how anyone wanting lossless affects you, unless you’re on the Fraunhofer payroll? You’re more than free to continue enjoying all the lossy compression you like.
Hearing "lossless audio" from a tiny driver packed into a pinky sized device is physically impossible.
Tell me that you don’t even understand what lossless audio is without telling me that you don’t even understand what lossless audio is
Over 90% of people would not be able to distinguish lossless from iTunes Plus tracks with ideal equipment. Using earbuds? Probably even less.
100% of people no one has EVER done it, in any blind A/B study, EVER.
Yet Joe Blogs on the Mac Rumors forum and some nutty audiophile who were buying devices that shaved the edges of CDs back in the 90's thinks they can hear the difference, so make of that what you will ?
