On October 16, Apple and Mercedes-Benz announced that Apple Music’s 3D audio technology is now available in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. This is intended to create a “cinema-like listening experience”.
Oliver Schusser, Vice President of Apple Music, said of the partnership: “Sound quality is incredibly important to Apple Music, so we are excited to be working with Mercedes-Benz to bring 3D audio to Apple Music natively in-car for the first time make.[…]Together with Mercedes-Benz we now have even more opportunities to offer our subscribers around the world a completely new music experience.”
“We are proud that our vehicles will be the first non-Apple devices to feature immersive 3D audio with Dolby Atmos. This seamless experience shows how in-car entertainment can reach a whole new level through the perfect integration of hardware and software,” says Markus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
structure and availability
Apple writes that the Mercedes-Maybach by Virgil Abloh Edition is the first car in the Mercedes range to feature this technology. The sound system includes 31 speakers and will also be available in other models in the future. Apple Music with 3D audio is now integrated in the Mercedes-Maybach models EQS, EQS SUV, EQE and S-Class.
Apple Music curates playlists like “Driving in 3D Audio” and “Hip-Hop in 3D Audio” that are specially designed for the new technology in cars. In addition, you can listen to the entire Apple catalog with 100 million songs.