Last year, Apple acquired Beats Electronics for the sum of $3 billion, and since, the Cupertino company has overseen a handful of new hardware releases. Yet while the headphones and speakers have become an iconic part of popular culture, the future of the Beats Music streaming service has remained the subject of much speculation, particularly given the small matter of iTunes Radio. But now, some new information has come to light detailing Apple's plans in this regard, and it would appear that a concerted assault on Spotify et al is nigh.
Beats Electronics has risen to great prominence in a short space of time, combining fashion, popular culture and music into one very recognizable product line-up. Given that Apple has always had an eye for style, the Cupertino's acquisition of the Dr. Dre-founded company earlier this year wasn't particularly surprising, and since then, Dre and co-founder Jimmy Iovine have been working with Apple to move the brand into its next chapter. The Solo2 wireless headphones are next on the agenda, and whilst they're not yet available to order, one YouTuber has gotten hold of a pair early, and considerately, has shared a few photos and impressions as the world gets its first proper glimpse at this new bit of kit.
Apple's acquisition of Beats may be about to finally spawn the first set of headphones that are dual-branded by the two firms, with new FCC paperwork popping up that appears to show a new wireless version of the popular Beats by Dre Solo2 headphones.
Given the rise in streaming music services like Spotify, the traditional digital sales model is dying a slow death, and there's no question that Apple's iTunes has not only been a linchpin of the digital music world during the past decade, but still remains the most popular online retailer of songs and albums. The Cupertino's iTunes Radio streamer hasn't really hit the heights in its short lifespan, and recognizing that it may lose ground on the rest of the field if it doesn't adapt to the current market, it's looking probable that the newly-acquired Beats Music service may be integrated into iTunes.
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.
All Apple Stores will be removing retail and demo versions of all Bose products from the shelves as well as the demo versions coupled with iOS and Mac hardware, according to a report. Seems like the patent infringement suit filed by Bose against Beats has finally strained the longstanding retail partnership between Apple and Bose. If you weren't already aware, Apple had recently acquired Beats Electronics for $3 billion back in May, and this tussle between Bose and Beats has finally resulted in one of them ending this retail partnership. It is not clear whether it was Apple or Bose.
Sponsorship is a big deal when you're a technology brand, and aligning yourself with the right people can be a game changer in the long run. That's why Bose has signed a new marketing deal with the NFL, giving it access to the huge potential audience that could see its sales take off from where it’s already at presently. It's also a deal that damages Bose's competition, and that's never a bad side effect to have.
It's been the question on everyone's lips ever since its huge acquisition story a few months back, but the mystery around just what Apple will do with Beats Music may be about to come to an end. With Apple expected to make use of the streaming service in one way or another, the question has always surrounded whether it would keep Beats Music as is, or roll it into iTunes instead. Now, following a report that claims to cite multiple sources, it appears that Beats Music may be living on borrowed time.
Apple’s $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics and Beats Music wasn’t in vain at all. Earlier this week, the Cupertino tech giant started exposing first-time customers to Beats Music when they stepped into the App Store for the first time, and now, the company has included Beats Music app to the “Apps Made by Apple” list in the iTunes App Store, in order to guarantee not only just higher number of downloads for the app, but also cement its ownership of the company and its platform.
Apple's purchase of Beats Electronics a couple of months ago for $3 billion took everybody by surprise, especially given that the Cupertino company tends to avoid such extravagant buyouts of well-known companies. With the deal having just been given the rubber stamp of approval, the Beats product line-up already has its own little segment over on Apple's official site, but aside from a couple of new pairs of headphones, we've yet to really see the fruits of this fledgling collaboration. This could all change once Apple's current flurry of imminent product releases is done and dusted, though, and one designer has imagined what a pair of Apple-Beats headphones, or 'iBeats', might look like.