iTunes 10.6 Allows for Higher Bitrate Transcoding

It seems that Apple snuck a nice feature for audiophiles into the latest version of iTunes. Previous versions allowed listeners with lossless libraries (like myself) to transcode their libraries to 128kbps AAC files so they would consume less space and battery life when syncing with any iPhone, iPad, or iPod.

Now, with iTunes 10.6, users now have a variety of bitrates to choose from when transcoding for their mobile listening. iTunes lets you select between 128, 192, and 256. I imagine this has to do with the growing storage capacities of their mobile devices, but hopefully also signals that maybe Apple will release more features for audiophiles, like lossless downloads from the iTunes store.