Apple is reportedly looking at developing a high quality audio format, according to Mac Otakaka.
The blog cites anonymous sources at a music industry event who claim Apple has been looking at developing a high resolution audio format.
The format will be available to Apple Music subscribers next year, according to the report.
Details about the project are unclear beyond the supposed frequency of 96kHz/24bit, which is higher quality than a CD at 44.1kHz/16 bit.
Bono, the lead singer of U2 who has appeared onstage at Apple events, has previously hinted that Apple is working on high quality music streaming.
Making high quality music files is problematic as they take up more space than an MP3, which is lower quality and, as such, smaller. The frequency Apple has chosen — 96kHz — would create a very large file, making it less than ideal for people with a 16GB iPhone.
Another issue could be music streaming: Some users' internet connections may not be fast enough for seamless streaming and playback of the larger files.
They come with one big advantage, however: They sound better because there is more digital information about the music.
The report notes that Apple's Lightning port, which comes with every iPhone above the 5, can support high quality audio transfers. This coincides with the unconfirmed rumour that Apple is looking to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone next year in favour of the Lightning port.