Apple Music

[marlonb]

Don’t misunderstand me, I love their products and I own several of them. And this is the first time I buy a SoundTouch system.I have found my favorite streaming provider (Apple Music) and I can't see the benefit of owning a Bose SoundTouch if I can't use it efficiently. I just bought the new 10 and 30, and using the preset without being dependent of a phone or computer is efficiently and simple, connect the phone to only one speaker every time i want to play a list is not. I'm all about simplicity and quality, and unfortunately this is a show stopper. I just wished they could announce that they are working on a solution. Other wise I could wait years and still don’t know if there are going to support it.

[Andy_K]

I am hoping that Apple Music support comes to the Soundtouch App before the end of 2015 - Shame that Sonos won the marketing battle on the announcement

[Angryofm]

It's fairly obvious what's going on here - Bose and Apple are not happy with each other - all probably due to Apple buying out Beats and stopping selling Bose in their stores.
I can see why Bose would be uspset about that too - Beats are rubbish, Apple lost that battle as far as audio quality but probably sell a lot more Beats rubbish than they did Bose...
So Bose stops using Airplay with it's products - adapts the common and license-free (well they don't pay Apple extortionate fees for Airplay) Bluetooth as a bit of retaliation to Apple.
So back to the present - Bose and Apple still not talking, hence no Apple Music for SoundTouch App.
Big deal, I can live without Apple Music - from what I hear it's a total mess. I have more than enough alternatives and my own huge music collection - all of which can be streamed on my Bose systems 
If I really want to play Apple music then I can - on an iPad/Mac/iPhone via Bluetooth  - try doing that with a Sonos system....
Had a play with a Sonos system today - not very impressed to be honest. The new Play5 sounded very good but not quite as good as my ST30.
Sonos: No Bluetooth, no Airplay (as with S2 models) no Aux input (without an adapter), network bridge required for full robustness, no direct play of iTunes playlists, no remote control or pre-sets - meaning that the App *has* to be used every time you wish to change anything
Sonos? No thanks! Bose has far more advantages plus better audio!

[sahilton]

What is surprising (shocking?) to me is that Bose refuses to tell us what the timeline is for integrating Apple Music into the Soundtouch series is.  Maybe if I keep it REAL simple we will get an actual answer?  So Bose reps on the forum, here you go:
a) Bose has no plans to integrate Apple Music.  Ever.  We just can't work with Apple.  So forget about it.
b) The head honcho is just about to sign the deal that will allow us to integrate Apple Music and our tech people have already done everything in the background. The service will be available before Christmas 2015.
c) Apple Music?  What is that?
d) While (a) through (c) are humourous, the truth is that Bose will have a solution for Apple Music before June 30, 2016.

[srb1970]

I updated both of my SoundTouch 10 systems this morning.  Sirius/XM has been added as a music service and the iHeart Radio My Stations once again is working.  Even though I cannot stream Apple Music with wi-fi (I use Bluetooth for that) I did add my iTunes music library as a service.  I downloaded the SoundTouch app to my iMac and synced my iTunes music library.  Of course your computer has to be on (if you turn it off and reboot, you have to re-sync) and it will not work if your computer goes to sleep.

[ldruken]

I originally started looking for Sonos speakers and bought Bose beacuse the sound was better - with the Apple Music integration for Sonos on the 15th of December I would have bought the Sonos. It is a little ironic actually that I then hunted for a Bose series II playform because of the Airplay integration - it works great for me.  I love the sound from my Soundtouch 30 speaker.  People comment on how excellent it is all the time. It is unfortunate that the choice was to move to Bluetooth - Bluetooth is inferior - sound is not as strong and doesn't have the distance of Airplay.  I look forward to the integreation but I'm not holding my breath.  

[aleisinger]

It is now overdue that Bose at least communicates its strategy towards Apple Music. All this politics is just annoying. I am still enthusiastic about my Bose speakers - but would appreciate Apple Music integration.

[Bernher]

Well, if Bose and Apple are still negotiating the terms then it doesn't make sense to communicate an timeline to the customers... I'd say, let's wait. So far, Bose has been quite good with customer support and new firmware (i.e. FLAC support)
As for Airplay. I initially wanted to buy a Sountouch 30 series II instead of the current series III for the sole purpose of getting Airplay. I quickly reconsidered. You can get Airplay very easily with an Airport Express station via the AUX input of the Soundtouch. Older generations of the Airport Express (single RJ45 and AC plug style vs. double RJ45 and AppleTV style) are sold for very little money on eBay. 
However, the big advantage of the series III is support of 5Ghz 802.11n networks. This may not be a huge issue if you live in suburban US, but if you live in an appartment building in a European city, you'll receive 20-30 WLAN hotspots on the 2.4Ghz band. This is one of the reasons, a Sonos over here (with or without the booster/bridge) is a soso solution IMHO.
 

[amymp]

I, too am very eager for Apple Music to be assessable on Bose SouthTouch.  It would be appreciated if the Bose customer/tech support staff could be more forthcoming with what exactly is the timeline for releasing (if at all).  I realize that we can AirPlay Apple Music through the system, but frankly - it cuts out and is not consistent, which is extremely frustrating.  I considered purchasing another 30, but am now holding off to see what happens and how long this will take to get up and running for all of us Bose owners who are Apple Music users.   
I saw the chart of what Bose users are most intersted in, and that is for you to integrate Apple Music into the system - so I hope you take this seriously and work towards a solution in the very near future.  It is too bad Sonos beat you to the punch. 

[marlonb]

Don't hold your breath. The information Bose presented about Apple Music to it's customers is non existing. And going by my experience (personal & professional), Bose is a slow adapter in adding services and features, comparing with other companies. In today's dynamic world I would stick to Sonos. The only thing keeping me from selling all my Bose system is the sound quality. But hey, the competitor is closing up and because of that, I'm considering changing my whole system soon.