It is official; Bose headphones and speakers have been finally removed from the Apple Online Store and the products will not be returning. If you’ve been following the tech news lately, then this move is hardly surprising, as it was revealed just last week that Apple will be removing all Bose products from its inventory.
In addition to the Apple Online Store, reports have come in – via 9to5Mac – that Apple Retail Stores have also fashioned the removal of Bose products from its shelves and well, the inventory too. Earlier, news broke out that Apple may be doing so, in light of Bose filing a patent lawsuit against Beats, soon after Apple had acquired Beats for $3 billion, back in May. Bose claimed that the noise-cancelation technology being used in one range of Beats headphones infringed upon the noise-cancelation tech. employed by Bose since 2000 in one of its products. However, that case was said to have been settled out of court.
It was partly believed that this move to remove Bose products from the Apple Store was also a result of Bose’s sponsorship deal with NFL. All NFL team members were barred from wearing Beats headphones in front of TV cameras, and NFL players have been fined for slipping up on that key point. The case of 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepermic – who was fined $10,000 – serves as once such example.
However, rational voices have claimed that the move comes with Apple’s realization of the fact that promoting and selling Bose products alongside Beats products, after having acquired the latter, poses a serious conflict of interest. Apple would want to promote Beats’ products, now that it has acquired it, but Dre’s audio equipment were already enjoying a prominent position in the Apple Retail Stores alongside Bose before all of this transpired.
Interestingly, Apple continues to sell, and place headphone brands such as Bowers & Wilkins, Urbanears, RHA, Sennheiser etc., which are all competing ones. This takes us back to our original speculated theory yet again, suggesting that the move to remove Bose, was more than just a conflict of interest.
What do you believe this move is all about, conflict of interest, or a case of some mildly bad blood between the two companies?
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