[Ruppin]

I wonder if the price being mentioned isn't just a teensy weensie bit high for all the talent and products at Beat put together. That whooshing noise is the sound of the average IQ of Apple's target customer plummeting. There might be enough bass in the sound that you might be able to hear it on Beat headphones.

 

[HiFiAudio]

I keep thinking of that other comment from AudioStream text above:
 

How does Apple differentiate its huge stockpile of Mastered for iTunes music downloads? By offering them in high res. And how do we enjoy these better quality versions? With a new pair of Beats headphones.

Apple has more or less painted themselves into a bleak business corner with iPod/iTunes marketplace, people have bought large amount of tunes in the past and are somewhat satisfied with what they presently own.  But just like the video industry turned everything around by going from SD to HD, its possible that the tandem of buying/marketing the Beats Music with higher resolution audio service and the sales of associated Beats headphones in their Apple Stores could jumpstart personal audio sales.   Everyone in this audio related business would benefit, regardless of what we think of Beats Headphones in general.  

 

[thievesarmy]

LOL - was just browsing Huffpost and saw this headline:
 
Face The Music: Beats By Dre Headphones Are 'Extraordinarily Bad'
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/09/beats-headphones-reviews_n_5294628.html
 
Tyll is quoted in the article. 

 

[Byronb]

If Apple had any desire to make a Head-Fi quality headphone they could afford to buy just about any of the existing highly regarded companies. This is a money play, plain and simple!

 

[scrypt]

Since I tend not to care about stock earphones, I'll feel even less sentimental about tossing cartoonish eighth notes back into the box with cellophane unopened, knowing their notation-inspired design was created by and for someone who probably can't read music.
 
What worries me more is the possibility that Apple's semi-flat but malleable sonic aesthetic will be overshadowed in every default setting and initial sound option by a fun signature consisting of a cavernous car radio soundstage, submarine-hits-bottom lows and drooping Claes-Oldenburg-butter-knife highs.  
 
Apple computers (and even iPads with the camera kit, external ADC and mic pres) are typically used by musicians for recording.  For that reason, a partnership with Sennheiser would have been ideal for consumers and pros, but I can't think of a less reference-unfriendly headphone than the Beats Studio.  You have to be able to hear the nude signal in all its unappetizing glory to begin to know what to fix.
 
I can see it now -- a mass migration to Cubase on PCs.
 
BTW:  I'm not questioning the intelligence or taste of people who like Beats. I'm merely frothing over the possibility of having my primary audio tool blunted (as it were -- hello, Fellini Satyricon).

 

[CantScareMe]

This is actually really big news for the audio world. Wow.
 
I guess you can say that both apple and beats support the 'style over substance' methodology, so in that sense it's not surprising. 
 
But yea, still surprised by this. 

 

[thievesarmy]

It's a money play regardless, but I'm sure they're more interested in the Beats streaming service than the headphones. 
 
Actually, I wonder if this had more to do with the licenses that Beats had already negotiated w/ the lables & publishers. It's not a secret in the music industry that the labels aren't happy with the deal they struck w/ Apple originally to have their music on the iTunes music store. At the time the labels had a very weak position and they struck a deal that is VERY favorable to Apple, that they have been trying to restructure for awhile (to little avail). For Apple to go to them to work out a new deal for their streaming service, they would certainly not give them such favorable terms this time, at least not without renegotiating the original iTunes store deal first. So this purchase may have been a way for Apple to circumvent a new negotiation w/ the labels and obtained more favorable licensing terms than they could have on their own, PLUS a ready-built streaming service that they can re-brand or tweak as needed (not to mention a very profitable headphone company) to boot.
 
Hmmmm…

 

[CantScareMe]

Maybe that then. The headphones or the brand just can't be the only factors not least as it's over $3billion.
 
Time will tell, but apple aren't stupid. Well, they're famously shrewd rather, so there's got to be solid reasons behind it. 
 
 
Looks like a headfier has had his say on the matter:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2014/05/09/why-apple-has-lost-the-plot-with-3-2-billion-purchase-of-beats-by-dre/ 

 

[styler]

definitely not a beats fan but the acquisition makes sense to me. it brings a huge demographic to apple and gives apple wireless headphones which will be a big selling point. headfiers know that beats suck but the masses like their products and they aren't necessarily apple customers... yet. apple also gets a streaming service that is already successful and taps into 12-17yo age segment in a big way. also, don't forget that beats were originally Monster and got most of the Monster intellectual property when they went out on their own. HOPEFULLY, apple ups the quality and though i won't be buying anything beats related, millions of others will.

 

[thievesarmy]

if by 'successful' you mean profitable, I don't think it is yet. In fact, I don't think any of the streaming services have yet turned a profit, including Spotify which is the big boy in the field. I always assumed the streaming service was a good loss-leader for Beats, something they could bundle / market w/ their headphones and through that could EVENTUALLY become profitable itself, but that's yet to be seen. 

 

[thievesarmy]

from Hypebot: http://hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/02/-spotify-pandora-and-other-streaming-music-services-will-never-be-profitable-says-study.html
 

Subscription music services like Spotify and Pandora are on track to double by 2017, according to a new study, but they will never turn a profit. The barrier to profitability for steaming music, according to the analysis, is the 60-70% of revenue each service pays to labels, publishers and artists.   

So to survive, says the study, music strreamers likely need to be sold to a deep pocketed partner…Brights spots include bundling with other services (like AT&T and Beats) and selling value added services to consumers. "Services like iTunes Match and Google and Amazon are already heading in this direction," the research stated.

 

[HiFiAudio]

Time has another thought:
 

One possible explanation for Apple’s interest in Beats might be the booming “wearable computing” space. After all, Beats’ signature product is the high-bass headphone unit. If Apple can incorporate the Beats product into its wearable computing system — think Internet connected headphones — then the deal could pose a threat to Google, Facebook, and other companies that are forging ahead on smart glasses and watches.

 
Then if one looks at a earlier article

Four Trends from CES 2014​

1. Connected Car (Apple)
2. Premium Audio  (Beats Electronics Headphones)
3. High Resolution Audio (Beat Music streaming, licenses, iTunes as another entry point for sales)
4. Wearables (Apple and possible Beats Electronics products merging)

 
Looks like a decent alignment.
 
From that article

A consistent bright spot in audio has been premium headphones, which accounts for 40% of the $2 billion U.S. headphones market. U.S. unit sales of headphones priced above $100 exploded 96% between Nov. 24 and Dec. 21, thanks to aggressive promotions by Beats Electronics and Bose, the two companies that dominate this segment, according to NPD Group. For the first 11 months of 2013, unit sales grew 37% versus the same period a year earlier.

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Read an article on this yesterday. Both Beats and Apple are the two most ludicrous companies in the entire world, and now they're looking to merge. We're looking at a catastrophe unlike anything we've ever seen. Hopefully Apple will do the right thing...but they haven't been doing anything right since Cook was on the throne. They're really changing it up this time:

1. Release date of the iPhone 6 moved back to August.
2. iPhone 6 has a 4.7" screen
3. Apple allegedly losing grip on the music industry

 
That just doesn't seem very orthodox for Apple. They look like they're beginning to crumble from the looks of it. Who knows, they might end up as a regular giant like Samsung and not the premium company with lavishly overpriced products.

 

[Mediahound]

Read an article on this yesterday. Both Beats and Apple are the two most ludicrous companies in the entire world, and now they're looking to merge. We're looking at a catastrophe unlike anything we've ever seen. Hopefully Apple will do the right thing...but they haven't been doing anything right since Cook was on the throne. They're really changing it up this time:

• Release date of the iPhone 6 moved back to August.
• iPhone 6 has a 4.7" screen
• Apple allegedly losing grip on the music industry

That just doesn't seem very orthodox for Apple. They look like they're beginning to crumble from the looks of it. Who knows, they might end up as a regular giant like Samsung and not the premium company with lavishly overpriced products.

Wrong thread, Lucacris headphones are called Soul.

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Wrong thread, Lucacris headphones are called Soul.

No, Ludacris headphones are called Soul.