Interface Awards Winner of 2022

Apple Music

Music is a medium that defies barriers, whether it be languages, regions, or genres. For years we have composed and performed music for anyone to enjoy, and with the introduction of analog and eventually digital methods of storage and playback, the music industry has notable milestones throughout.

One such milestone was the introduction of iTunes during the Macworld Expo on January 9th, 2001. iTunes was pitched as “-the world’s best and easiest to use “jukebox” software-”. From there, physical CDs were compressed into the MP3 format for playback on personal devices, and on October 23, 2001, Apple introduced the iPod, their first dedicated MP3 player which could allow their users to take their songs with them & enjoy them regardless of the location.

Since then, Apple introduced additional iPod models, ranging from the Mini, to the Nano and Shuffle, and closed it out with the iPod Touch, which was discontinued on May 10th, 2022. Even with such a loss as perceived by many, Apple continues to enable effortless, beautiful music playback for their products via the Music app on iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, macOS, and Android, with the ability to seamlessly stream it to AirPlay enabled devices for playback on larger displays or high-fidelity audio equipment.

As the years passed on, many users around the world moved on from the iPod, with Apple’s iPhone assuming the role of their dedicated multimedia player after only a few years in regards to sales & overall usage. In time, other music platforms utilized the App Store to enable the playback of their content library on Apple devices, but as of now, none have yet to come close to the powerful, finely-tuned integration that the built-in Music app provides.

Beginning with iOS 13, Apple’s Music app introduced time-synced lyrics, which displays & highlights the lyrics of compatible songs in real-time, right when they’re being spoken. Plus, users could scroll to see what was coming next or to go back in time, with a single tap taking them to that specific point instantly.

On Android devices, users with an Apple Music subscription can also interact with the same user experience that’s delivered on Apple devices, from a player interface that adapts to the music in color and flow, to time-synced lyrics with compatible tracks. Plus, select tracks can also be played back in their highest possible quality, with spatial audio support for select tracks and compatible devices.

In late 2022, with iOS 16.2 on compatible devices, Apple introduced Apple Music Sing, which enables the user to “turn down” the vocals of select music they are listening to using on-device processing. This addition enables entertaining karaoke sessions with lyrics that are highlighted in real-time to match the pace of the music for select tracks.

The Apple Music experience is an epitome of innovation in music playback experiences. It fully utilizes the hardware it is running on, filling the display with colorful but modest graphics that move and flow with time, while adapting its layout to enable real-time lyrics playback for select tracks when requested. This experience is not just bound to Apple devices, but also extends to Android devices which deliver an equally as pleasant experience, regardless of the shape or size.

Because of this dedication to consistency across devices, with features and designs that fully embrace the spirit that music carries eternally, the Apple Music app has been selected as the Interface Awards Winner of 2022.

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