I can’t disagree more.
The fixed Spatial Audio just sounds like stereo with some imaging effects. It sounds nothing like my actual 7.1 Atmos speaker mix.
With head tracking turned on, I can place a violinist in the corner of the room, and the actual sound of the violinist becomes fixed in that location regardless of where my head is pointed, just like with my real speakers.
Your comment shares a common misconception that I think is due to a lack of detail in Apple’s marketing.
But the bottom line is that I’ve been mixing with Atmos for couple years now, and head tracking makes it seem like the objects are in the room with you much like an actual surround speaker system. Spatial Audio without head tracking makes the objects sound like they are in your head just like regular headphones, because the psychoacoustics do not react to your position in the room.
And most importantly, my clients understand that and are paying me specifically to deliver an Atmos mix with head tracking. I’m not quite sure why Apple is making that last part so difficult. Just let me bounce an MP4 and send it in an email direct from Logic.
Maybe Dolby is holding that back, not sure