Apple Reportedly Buying Beats Electronics For $3.2 Billion

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Apple Reportedly Buying Beats Electronics For $3.2 Billion

Posted by Soulskill on Friday May 9, 2014 @12:50AM from the making-it-rain dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Multiple publications report that Apple is undertaking its biggest acquisition ever, buying Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion. The deal would give Apple control over the popular 'Beats by Dre' headphones as well as a new music streaming service. Analysts suggest the headphones will open up a new series of product lines for Apple, while the streaming service will jumpstart its efforts to compete with Pandora and Spotify, as iTunes' growth slows. 'If Apple wanted to, it could certainly have built a streaming subscription service itself; the company had been floating the notion of one with label executives in recent months. But it's possible that Apple's most recent attempts to extend its music business beyond the iTunes store helped convince Cook that he was better off getting outside help.' The deal hasn't been completed yet, but a candid video of Dr. Dre was posted to Facebook in which he appeared to confirm it."

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Overpriced snake oil salesmen by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 00:51 · Score: 4, Insightful

Make a good match for each other.
1. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by Mr+D+from+63 · 2014-05-09 00:52 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The can buy Monster cables next.
2. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-05-09 01:07 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Haven't you ever watched Frankenstein? Nothing good ever comes of mixing lighting and monsters...
3. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by Charliemopps · 2014-05-09 02:39 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Right. I continue to be baffled by people that will buy crappy headphones with some random musicians name on them and think they'll in any way sound good.
  In speakers, size matters. Yes, you can get big crappy sounding speakers. But the one thing you'll never get small good sounding speakers. Laws of physics and all. This is also why Bose sucks and have been conning guys that watch infomercials for decades.
  If you want affordable, good sounding speakers, you have to build them yourself. Get one of versions of these:
  https://sites.google.com/site/...
  They don't have a huge amount of bass, but I'm betting they will be the best speaker most slashdotters have ever heard. And you can put them together with wood glue, scotch tape and a soldering iron.
4. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2014-05-09 02:44 · Score: 1
  
  But if the monsters stay in the darkness, won't you have a much harder time trying to dodge them?
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
5. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-05-09 03:14 · Score: 2
  
  One, admittedly limited, blip in the 'size matters' relationship is fully sealed in-ear "canalphone" type headphones. They tend not to be terribly comfortable; but they effectively create a sealed tube, and a small one, with your eardrum on one end, the speaker cone on the other, and a tiny amount of air with nowhere to go in between.
  
  Under those circumstances, a fairly teeny driver can beat up on your eardrum quite convincingly indeed, a great deal more effectively than a driver of similar size running in free air or partially free air conditions could.
6. Re: Overpriced snake oil salesmen by O('_')O_Bush · 2014-05-09 03:41 · Score: 2
  
  Shitty, overpriced headphone company that makes money only through hype and marketing, but still light years better of an investment than the billions Facebook paid for the Oculus Rift.
  
  --
  while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
7. Re: Overpriced snake oil salesmen by BosstonesOwn · 2014-05-09 04:02 · Score: 1
  
  And that is different from Apple how ?
  Ohhh thats right they are perfect for each other.
  
  --
  This package Does Not Contain a Winner
8. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by bitt3n · 2014-05-09 04:27 · Score: 1
  
  The can buy Monster cables next.
  Monster actually used to manufacture Beats.
  
  --
  how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
9. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by The+Grim+Reefer · 2014-05-09 04:48 · Score: 2
  
  Right. I continue to be baffled by people that will buy crappy headphones with some random musicians name on them and think they'll in any way sound good.
  Agreed.
  
  In speakers, size matters. Yes, you can get big crappy sounding speakers. But the one thing you'll never get small good sounding speakers. Laws of physics and all. This is also why Bose sucks and have been conning guys that watch infomercials for decades.
  Again, I agree. Bose takes it to a whole new level of suck though. They never post specs, and have sued enough reviewers over the years that most won't even mention them. There have been people who posted specs on their systems from time to time and they are astonishingly bad. I read somewhere that a replacement paper cone "woofer" in their satellite systems will set you back $12. Quality stuff that is.
  
  If you want affordable, good sounding speakers, you have to build them yourself. Get one of versions of these: https://sites.google.com/site/...
  I suppose it depends on your definition of affordable. But building the cabinets yourself is by no means a guarantee that they will sound good, or even better than commercially available loudspeakers. It doesn't take master carpenter skills, but you certainly need a decent tool set and be at least somewhat competent. I've built some pretty nice cabinets in the past. But they can take a lot of time to do correctly and I value my time a bit more than when I was younger. I've also heard some pretty awful sounding home built cabinets too.
  
  They don't have a huge amount of bass, but I'm betting they will be the best speaker most slashdotters have ever heard. And you can put them together with wood glue, scotch tape and a soldering iron.
  I needed a small 5.1 system for our living-room that needed to pass the wife approval factor. It's made by Martin Logan and I'd guess it would give your speakers run for their money. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but I needed a small foot print. and since I needed 5 speakers plus a sub,I was able to pick it up on clearance for $300. No assembly required.
  I don't consider myself an audiophile, but I do have good ears for my age. Probably (in part) from playing various instruments starting with the violin when I was five years old. Fortunately my wife had no say in what I put in my media room. Between the sub (HSU VTF3) and Infinity beta floor standers (50), center (360)and surrounds (ES250)I have in there my system goes from 16 Hz to 20Khz (+/-3) and 12Hz to 40Khz (-6). The upper limit of what I can hear at the high end has fallen off, but I can still clearly hear a little past 22KHz. My setup works very well for both 7.1 channel video and 2 channel music listening. I'd guess it would be considered a high end consumer grade system. Most audiophiles would probably not care for it as they are not boutique speakers. But it's also by no means the best sounding system I've ever heard. So no, I doubt those "overnight sensations" are anywhere near the best sounding speaker I've heard.
10. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by bill_mcgonigle · 2014-05-09 05:18 · Score: 2
  
  Personally, I feel you should just give up on headphones. You're never going to get good bass response
  I agree with everything you've said, but it's worth noting that if you need to use headphones, better is still better than not better. I recently picked up a Motorola S11 Flex HD bluetooth headset, to listen to podcasts while exercising and doing yardwork, and I found that it takes far less mental concentration to listen to voices when the bass is better (the last headset I had had awful bass). I don't know if the additional frequencies are activating more neurons or what, but listening feels very natural, vs. strained on my old headset.
  I'm also very impressed by the amount of bass that they can squeeze of of the little buggers, especially given its very modest power budget. I own a 15" subwoofer too, so I'm not pretending here, but that's harder to carry on the bike.
  
  --
  My God, it's Full of Source!
  OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
11. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by painandgreed · 2014-05-09 06:29 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  If you want affordable, good sounding speakers, you have to build them yourself. Get one of versions of these: https://sites.google.com/site/...
  I'm going to look really funny wearing those on the bus though.
12. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by BasilBrush · 2014-05-09 09:26 · Score: 1
  
  The 1970s called. They want their home-made speakers back.
  Whilst the size thing certainly has some truth in it, your thoughts on which speakers sound better are worthless unless you've tried them in double blind trials.
13. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by EkriirkE · 2014-05-09 09:49 · Score: 1
  
  I use and love this style. It in its own way is also noise-cancelling... Personally I find them very comfortable (mine use a 3-tier sealing plug)
  
  --
  from 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 to 45 2F 6E 40 3C DF 10 71 4E 41 DF AA 25 7D 31 3F
14. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by sudon't · 2014-05-10 06:31 · Score: 1
  
  What are they gonna do with big speakers? I doubt one in fifty slash-dotters owns a proper stereo to begin with, (put down the keyboard, I'm not talking about you). Few people understand what "flat bass" means, let alone care about it. They just want to hear low-end of some sort. For them, Bose sounds great. In fact, I would venture to say many people actually like boomy bass. People buy these Dre's to connect an iPod. How good do they have to be? Isn't it the name printed on them that really counts?
  
  --
  -- sudon't
  Air-ride Equipped
15. Re:Overpriced snake oil salesmen by cthulhu11 · 2014-05-10 16:58 · Score: 1
  
  But this isn't a musician, this is a rapper.
3.2 B by silas_moeckel · 2014-05-09 00:53 · Score: 5, Insightful

For overpriced technically inferior headphones to listen to compressed to hell music.
Wake me when apple gets a quality pair of headphones and at least cd quality loss-less without DRM.

--
No sir I dont like it.
1. Re:3.2 B by JenovaSynthesis · 2014-05-09 00:59 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Amen! I finally had a chance to listen to music using Beats. To be fair I gave it a minute or two of listening and came to the conclusion the Sennheiser headphones I bought from Best Buy were much better and 75% cheaper.
  
  --
  Anonymous Cowards generally receive no replies because you're a coward and I'm a bitch :)
2. Re:3.2 B by Sockatume · 2014-05-09 01:08 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  If you think that 256 kbps AAC is "compressed to hell" you probably have a place at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters as some sort of bat-themed superhero.
  
  --
  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
3. Re:3.2 B by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-05-09 01:09 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Look on the bright side! if Apple starts pushing 'Beats' headphones, odds are good that the number of assholes wandering around in public with their cellphone's shitty little speaker emitting a tinny (but surprisingly loud and penetrating) generic crunk rap noise, like some lilliputan boombox from hell, should be reduced by at least 30% as those same people decide that horrendously inferior headphones are now cooler than inflicting their taste on everyone in the vicinity!
4. Re:3.2 B by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 01:09 · Score: 1
  
  For overpriced technically inferior headphones to listen to compressed to hell music.
  #1: Consider their target market, and their ability to even ascertain quality after exposing the entire generation to "premium" ear buds/pods for years.
  
  Wake me when apple gets a quality pair of headphones and at least cd quality loss-less without DRM.
  #2: After considering #1, let me know when the hell Apple should give a rats ass about providing anything more than what they do today.
  95% of the time the quality of the recording was fucked before Apple ever touched it. It's kind of what happens when the guy with a masters degree in recording and mastering is replaced by DJ Fuzzy Fucktard and his sidekick, Autotoon, rollin' in to master mix the shizit outta anythang...
5. Re:3.2 B by SuricouRaven · 2014-05-09 01:12 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Different meaning. In audio circles, compression is a technique used during mastering to make the sound louder without inducing clipping artifacts by selectively amplifying the quieter portions of the audio.
6. Re:3.2 B by seven+of+five · 2014-05-09 01:14 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  Bit rate != compression ratio. You can use 256kbps to carry well-engineered sound or over-compressed pop crap. The bits don't care.
7. Re:3.2 B by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 01:15 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Wake me when apple gets a quality pair of headphones and at least cd quality loss-less without DRM.
  Why? This is perfectly in line with the rest of Apples products.
  If you want quality products that aren't overpriced there are other brands already available.
8. Re:3.2 B by telchine · 2014-05-09 01:22 · Score: 1
  
  [quote]You can use 256kbps to carry well-engineered sound or over-compressed pop crap. The bits don't care.[/quote]
  Yeah, but if you use "clear-o-shine" and polish it into the surface of the bits then the audio quality will be far superior! /me ducks and runs for cover
9. Re:3.2 B by CRCulver · 2014-05-09 01:29 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  It's kind of what happens when the guy with a masters degree in recording and mastering is replaced by DJ Fuzzy Fucktard and his sidekick, Autotoon, rollin' in to master mix the shizit outta anythang...
  
  There are a lot of well-trained veteran engineers with good ears who have stated that they feel forced to jack the levels up, because that is what the record label demands, and if you go with your audiophile instincts instead of what the label demands, you find yourself out of work.
10. Re:3.2 B by Noah+Haders · 2014-05-09 01:38 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  loudness war ftw!
11. Re:3.2 B by Noah+Haders · 2014-05-09 01:47 · Score: 2
  
  That sounds like a perfect fit for technically inferior "free" (goog | fb) products with fake security that spy on you and report everything back to (goog | fb) .
  ftfy
12. Re:3.2 B by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 02:00 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. That's how you keep your job.
  If your job isn't killing people, and instead it is manufacturing entertainment for the consumption of the masses, "I was just following orders" is a fine excuse.
13. Re:3.2 B by carou · 2014-05-09 02:03 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Different meaning. In audio circles, compression is a technique used during mastering to make the sound louder without inducing clipping artifacts by selectively amplifying the quieter portions of the audio.
  You're right about the ambiguity of the phrase "compressed to hell", but since the GGP then stated talking about "at least cd quality loss-less" I think he really was talking about the lossy file-size compression.
  To the GGP: Try testing yourself at mp3ornot.com if you think you can hear the difference.
14. Re:3.2 B by watcher-rv4 · 2014-05-09 02:06 · Score: 2
  
  DRM? Last time I bought an album on iTunes (last Dream Theater album), I could easily extract mp3 320kbps version from all it and do whatever I want with the files. Quality? 320kbps. Enough for my non-monitors headphones.
15. Re:3.2 B by silas_moeckel · 2014-05-09 02:09 · Score: 1
  
  My favorite is the cell phone speaker and it tucked into there baseball cap.
  
  --
  No sir I dont like it.
16. Re:3.2 B by coastwalker · 2014-05-09 02:09 · Score: 1
  
  yeah, bring back the small black patches you attach to your equipment to make it sound better, and oxygen free cables that only work in one direction.
  The Dre stuff is about a lifestyle, a lifestyle that does not include musical appreciation it seems from the shit reproduction quality of the headphones. They look quite nice though.
  Reminds me of when ghetto blasters changed from portable boxes that could play music to funfair theme ride decorated light boxes, funny as heck.
  Keeps the youth entertained though and boy have they got purchasing power these days. Bored suburban youths love aping the product that Dre and similar market to them. Disaffected poor people are just what rich suburban youth want to pretend they are. Its hilariously funny. I am sure Mr Dre works very hard providing his fans with the product they want and richly deserves his 3 billion payout from Apple.
  Apple though are dorks and will never pull off keeping this brand surely. It would be like replacing the interface paradigm that has worked for the last thirty years with one that suits third world farmers on low resolution cheap phones. Oh a big tech company already did that.
  Maybe your next Apple product will randomly invite the entire population of earth to your house for a party. All television channels from now on will be devoted to watching the resulting carnage. It will be great!
  
  --
  Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
17. Re:3.2 B by silas_moeckel · 2014-05-09 02:23 · Score: 1
  
  mp3ornet tests if you can hear the difference between 128 and 320 not lossy and lossless. They do not specify what the source was to start out with either. I was talking about lossy vs lossless, the pop music that is compressed to hell I put as a choice by the sound engineer. Consider that you can get 24 bit 96k audio even in 5.1 and 7.1 uncompressed or loss-less why buy an inferior product it's not like storage or bandwidth are an issue for audio.
  Are you the guy that is ok with compressed to hell cable TV because your TV / eyesight does not let you tell the difference? I want a quality product, not the bare minimum people will accept.
  
  --
  No sir I dont like it.
18. Re:3.2 B by Richy_T · 2014-05-09 02:24 · Score: 2
  
  He who pays the piper calls the tune.
19. Re: 3.2 B by Richy_T · 2014-05-09 02:26 · Score: 1
  
  It doesn't even require that level of sophistication. Within a mix, if you aren't using some kind of normalization, older music often just sounds quieter and requires increasing the level.
20. Re:3.2 B by sh00z · 2014-05-09 03:10 · Score: 1
  
  yeah, bring back the small black patches you attach to your equipment to make it sound better, and oxygen free cables that only work in one direction.
  And how do you use a green marker on MP3/AAC files?
21. Re:3.2 B by Nemyst · 2014-05-09 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  The problem is that Beats' phones seem to leak a fairly high amount of sound. I've seen so many in the subway (the red wires are a dead giveaway) and I constantly hear faint music.
22. Re:3.2 B by UnknownSoldier · 2014-05-09 03:56 · Score: 1
  
  Agreed ! I love my Senn's 380Pros (and Sony MDR 7506s); there are LOTS of GOOD choices under $200 these days.
  1. Audio Technica ATH-M50
  2. Jaybird Bluebuds X
  3. V-Moda Crossfade LP
  4. Grado SR80i
  5. Beyerdynamic Custom Pro One
  * https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  Here is one review of the: Beats Pro vs Audio Technica ATH-M50
  * https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
  IMHO Beats is like Bose. Overpriced, and blows.
  --
  First Contact is coming 2024. Are you ready to handle the next paradigm shift and evolution in consciousness?
23. Re:3.2 B by turgid · 2014-05-09 04:10 · Score: 1
  
  I haven't been able to listen to a CD all the way through since 2005. My ears give up on the second or third track, or I end up having to turn the volume way down. The sound quality is almost as bad as the analogue tapes we used to suffer in the 80s. Those watery cymbals...
  
  --
  Stick Men
24. Re:3.2 B by danomac · 2014-05-09 04:15 · Score: 1
  
  I have an open Sennheisers that sound great, but by design others in the room can hear the music. Now if the Beats' phones are supposed to be closed and this happens, that's bad. Never heard of Beats and have no desire to try listening to a pair.
25. Re:3.2 B by Kaenneth · 2014-05-09 06:03 · Score: 1
  
  But you have no place calling yourself an 'engineer' if you don't have the will and ability to stand up to the boss/client and say 'No.'
26. Re:3.2 B by radarskiy · 2014-05-09 06:42 · Score: 2
  
  Yo dawg, I heard you hate compression, so I put some compression in your compression so you can hear artifacts in your artifacts.
27. Re:3.2 B by BasilBrush · 2014-05-09 09:28 · Score: 1
  
  No. 3.2 Billion for a pre-made streaming service, with record company agreements already in place.
28. Re:3.2 B by mattack2 · 2014-05-09 11:01 · Score: 1
  
  Listen to a CD of music made before 2005 then... Most of my music is.
  (But we're both just being "the kids these days" people.)
29. Re:3.2 B by quenda · 2014-05-09 11:58 · Score: 1
  
  It's not the headphones they want. Jonathan Ive is retiring and they are recruiting Dr Dre to take his place.
30. Re:3.2 B by turgid · 2014-05-09 20:39 · Score: 1
  
  I do, but all the new Megadeth stuff, and Mastodon is particularly badly clipped :-(. I go to gigs when I can, but I'm a busy parent these days. I don't want to "steal music" off the internet,so I buy CDs. I want my full dynamic-range, uncompressed 44.1kHz stereo audio. I'm not an audiophile and I don't claim to have golden ears, but I can hear the difference. I want my 441.kHz PCM stereo audio so that I can transcode it (without artifacts) as I see fit. I transcode to FLAC and ogg/vorbis.
  .Is that too much to ask for?
  
  --
  Stick Men
31. Re:3.2 B by semiotec · 2014-05-09 21:14 · Score: 2
  
  iTunes downloads are 256 kbps AAC. Just because you converted them to 320 kbps doesn't mean you've increased the quality to 320 kbps. If anything, the lossy conversion means you've actually decreased the quality again.
32. Re:3.2 B by RazorSharp · 2014-05-12 03:56 · Score: 1
  
  But you have no place calling yourself an 'engineer' if you don't have the will and ability to stand up to the boss/client and say 'No.'
  Perhaps we have a different understanding of the word 'engineer,' but I don't think that's true.
  
  --
  "From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
33. Re:3.2 B by turgid · 2014-05-12 07:03 · Score: 1
  
  Because it isn't crap. It's high-quality technical music made by people who have put a lifetime's effort into learning how to do it well. Not like the rubbish they play on BBC Radio 1 and 2.
  
  --
  Stick Men
Beats sound like garbage by PeeAitchPee · 2014-05-09 00:55 · Score: 5, Informative

Artificially-inflated bass crap. Do yourself a favor a get yourself a pair of real studio reference headphones like the venerable Sony MDR-7509s (for a lot less money too) if you want to hear what your music really sounds like. There's a reason that studios around the globe use these and not fuckin' Beats. Beats are a fashion accessory, not a critical listening device.
1. Re:Beats sound like garbage by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-05-09 01:06 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  In fairness to 'Beats Audio', and the good 'Dr.' Dre, the 'Beats' brand is so shamelessly pimped that it even makes it onto products that aren't capable of artificially inflated bass. HP put out a 7 inch tablet allegedly with the sonic goodness of Beats, and something that size wouldn't know what 'bass' is, much less produce any, unless its battery exploded.
2. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Sockatume · 2014-05-09 01:10 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Reference audio isn't for everyone, and can be a bit flat when you have a lot of background noise. I'd suggest something like £20 on a pair of nice Sennheiser PX100s. Entry level price, but pleasingly and enthusiastically overcooked sound.
  
  --
  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
3. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Megane · 2014-05-09 01:22 · Score: 1
  
  Beats isn't just headphones. And that's probably what Apple was really after. Now they can stream with artificially inflated bass!
  
  --
  #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
4. Re:Beats sound like garbage by CRCulver · 2014-05-09 01:27 · Score: 2
  
  For home audiophile headphones at an affordable price, I've been pretty happy with my AKG K701. Maybe it's just prejudice, but I'd much rather go with a company that has a reputation for doing one thing (decent headphones) and doing it well, as opposed to Sony whose headphone offerings include plenty of bottom-end Chinese-contracted crap.
  However, while reference headphones are good for listening at home in a quiet environment, they aren't so good for walking around, when is when a lot of people consume their music these days. I couldn't walk down the street wearing my AKG K701 headphones, it would look bloody ridiculous, as they are very bulky, and besides they offer no protection against ambient noise. Beats may have comparatively bad sound quality, but they have a form factor that makes them fashionable when you are on the go, and they protect from ambient noise somewhat more. (You can also get those same mobile advantages with better sound quality with some cheaper entries in the AKG and Sennheiser catalogues.)
5. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 01:32 · Score: 1
  
  No my guess is they are after the word 'beats' as a brand name.
  Apple sells computers. So do many others. They differentiate themselves by putting on a thin coat of 'better'.
  This is not buying a hardware partner out to get better prices. This is to get the name 'beats'.
6. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 01:41 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  First: studio headphones are optimized for different environments than consumer headphones. This often includes sensitivity and impedance designed for professional audio levels and drivers, something that standard consumer electronics commonly will not drive properly. Try driving a 600 ohm headphone with 90dB/mW sensitivity on a common smartphone.
  Second: studio headphones aren't designed to listen to _music_, they are designed for listening to _sound_. It may be a surprise to many so called "audiophiles" and other elitists that that isn't the same thing - a sound engineer have to be able to hear things clearly in order to adjust mixing and levels for the desired result. Real people listening to real music doesn't need this level of analytic detail and often don't want it. That's the reason one can buy headphones optimized for different listeners and genres - some want a balanced sound, some want voices to be somewhat clearer and many want bass to enhanced. This also includes the "audiophile" gear BTW, not that the fanatics would ever admit to that.
  Third: studio headphones are most of the time overpriced for consumer uses. This is partly because the manufacturers can price them higher given the target market and partly because they are designed to tolerate abuse. Also they often are looking quite shitty.
  That said Beats are at least generally overpriced shit. There are many better alternatives for much less, just go to "non-audiophile" forums and learn.
7. Re:Beats sound like garbage by mishehu · 2014-05-09 01:48 · Score: 1
  
  Now with more cowbell! *clang* *clang* *clang*
8. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Ksevio · 2014-05-09 01:54 · Score: 1
  
  Beats are a fashion accessory, not a critical listening device.
  That's what confuses me about this - Apple is sure to like fashion accessories, but people buy it for the brand, so how likely would they change if they became iHeadphones. I don't know if Apple makes headphones already, so this might be just them trying to get that market.
  
  By the way, studio headphones are great when you need to hear the details of audio like when you're mixing sound, but they don't necessarily give the best listening experience. Sometimes headphones or a good sound system can improve a song.
9. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Richy_T · 2014-05-09 02:28 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Apple and beats? Sounds like a badly conceived pie.
10. Re:Beats sound like garbage by MadKeithV · 2014-05-09 02:33 · Score: 1
  
  For home audiophile headphones at an affordable price, I've been pretty happy with my AKG K701. Maybe it's just prejudice, but I'd much rather go with a company that has a reputation for doing one thing (decent headphones) and doing it well, as opposed to Sony whose headphone offerings include plenty of bottom-end Chinese-contracted crap.
  The Sony MDR's are highly regarded in pro audio circles. I hate Sony-the-company with a vengeance, but I have a pair of ancient MDR-V900s that are incredible. I've used them for tracking, monitoring, live sound (where they really shine, because they lock out a LOT of external noise), and occasional mix reference. They were recommended to me by a person who tracks some of the biggest Belgian rock bands, and runs live sound at festivals of up to 60.000 people.
  
  Downside: they fit so well around the ear that they aren't very comfortable for long periods of time (hot, sweaty ears), they are a professional, specialist tool. My day-to-day portable music headphones are Pioneer in-ears - where it doesn't really matter all that much because I want to *hear* what's going on around me when I'm hiking/jogging/commuting, so my audiophile experience is severely compromised anyway. When I'm really listening to music, I do it on speakers (Adam A5x).
11. Re:Beats sound like garbage by jbeaupre · 2014-05-09 02:35 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Hey, easy there. They must be good. They were developed by a Dr.
  Pardon me while I put on my Doc Martens to go get a Dr. Pepper.
  
  --
  The world is made by those who show up for the job.
12. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Sporkinum · 2014-05-09 03:09 · Score: 1
  
  I really don't know what they are touting, but the HP Touchpad that died at birth, had beats audio. It has surprising good quality speaker sound for a tablet. I am guessing that may be a portion of what they bought.
  
  --
  "He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
13. Re:Beats sound like garbage by ganjadude · 2014-05-09 03:14 · Score: 1
  
  I couldn't walk down the street wearing my AKG K701 headphones, it would look bloody ridiculous
  just like beats!
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
14. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Stele · 2014-05-09 03:20 · Score: 1
  
  Now THAT I would pay extra for.
15. Re:Beats sound like garbage by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-05-09 03:21 · Score: 1
  
  It would actually be rather interesting if Apple were after the brand: conventional wisdom is that Apple is downright godlike in terms of brand recognition (and positive recognition). There are the gamer-kiddies who (correctly for their demographic) see Apple as overpriced and focused on the wrong features, and Corporate/Institutional buyers want cheap boxes, support contracts, image stability, and other stuff Apple doesn't really give a damn about; but they consistently wipe the floor with other computer and consumer electronics brands, have a sky-high wife-acceptance-factor, and so on.
  
  If we hypothesize that they want the 'beats' brand, who is it that they feel they aren't currently getting through to, and why not? Are those people simply apathetic, or are they actively identifying with a different brand?
16. Re:Beats sound like garbage by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-05-09 03:24 · Score: 1
  
  The poor HP Touchpad actually had surprisingly good almost everything (except the plastic back, it creaked a bit).
  
  It's sad that Palm died; but it's downright tragic that Android, rather than WebOS, is the de-facto alternative to iOS. WebOS is a howling wasteland devoid of apps, and the builds that actually run on much of anything are too old to use really safely; but (especially for tablet-size UIs) it was embarassingly superior to Android.
17. Re:Beats sound like garbage by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-05-09 03:26 · Score: 1
  
  Second: studio headphones aren't designed to listen to _music_, they are designed for listening to _sound_. It may be a surprise to many so called "audiophiles" and other elitists that that isn't the same thing
  "An audiophile is someone who listens to his stereo rather than his music."
18. Re:Beats sound like garbage by Sporkinum · 2014-05-09 03:58 · Score: 1
  
  I agree with that. My wife still uses hers, with cynogenmod though. It has a few cracks in the plastic, but covered that up with a cheap silicone case. WebOS was awesome, and much more friendly than Android or IOS. Shame it was not allowed to keep going.
  
  --
  "He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
19. Re:Beats sound like garbage by UnknownSoldier · 2014-05-09 03:59 · Score: 1
  
  Agreed 100%.
  I wore out my MDR 7506s using them over 10 years; I finally upgraded to the Senns 380 Pro.
  These Velour Earpads breathed new life into my MDR 7506s. Soft, smooth, and ultra comfortable:
  * http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/...
20. Re:Beats sound like garbage by UnknownSoldier · 2014-05-09 04:04 · Score: 1
  
  LOL. That's a fantastic joke! Here's another one:
  "When I die I hope my wife sells my speakers for what they're worth rather than what I told her I paid for them." :-)
21. Re:Beats sound like garbage by bill_mcgonigle · 2014-05-09 04:55 · Score: 1
  
  like the venerable Sony MDR-7509s
  Looks like the '09's aren't in production now. The 7506 appears to be the most popular, accurately reproduces 20-20, can fold, and has decent sound isolation. From what I'm reading on a bunch of reviews, if you need a half dozen studio headsets, you go buy a box of these and scatter them around and everybody is happy. I put a 7510 on my wishlist, though - better sound isolation, more comfort, 5-40 response, and - and this is something you learn over time - the word "Professional" is much smaller on the 7510 than on the 7506 - the bigger such labels, the less true it tends to be. It should be noted that I'm just looking for good sound, either for sound editing at home or to drown out the noise while traveling. 7510 fits my needs, but the 7506 is probably better for a kid who wants to have good headphones (now that Beats has made that popular again apparently) without spending a fortune. Speaking of fortunes, everybody thinks that the 7520 is better than the 7510 if you have $379 to drop on headphones, but from the specs, that makes the 7510 a fantastic deal as they're nearly as good for a third of the price.
  Beats are a fashion accessory, not a critical listening device.
  Which is why iPods became so popular. The trouble here is that Apple is spending $3 biiilion dollars chasing somebody else's fashion, trying to relive their past, rather than spending $3B inventing the future. The iPod's stature stemmed from its merit (and certainly a lot of advertising). The phrase "out of ideas" comes to mind.
  
  --
  My God, it's Full of Source!
  OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
22. Re:Beats sound like garbage by PeeAitchPee · 2014-05-09 05:24 · Score: 1
  
  20 years ago, I had a pair of the 7506's predecessor . . . the MDR-V6. I used them until one of the drivers died in the late 1990s. They were wonderfully accurate, and sounded just as good as my (now-discontinued) 7509s. Sony has been making great reference headphones for a long time, and it shows.
23. Re:Beats sound like garbage by triffid_98 · 2014-05-09 06:30 · Score: 1
  
  Dr. Dre can suck my dick,
  that bitch got no PHD,
  I lost count of mine,
  I got stupid whack degrees.
  
  -Stephen Hawking
Long way from Compton by wiredog · 2014-05-09 00:57 · Score: 5, Funny

Dre's gonna be the first hip-hop billionaire.

--

Best Slashdot Co
1. Re:Long way from Compton by Kenja · 2014-05-09 03:03 · Score: 2
  
  Now he can finally afford to go back to school and finish his doctorate. No more living a lie!
  
  --
  
  "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
2. Re:Long way from Compton by BonThomme · 2014-05-09 03:40 · Score: 1
  
  All About the Salmon P Chase's
3. Re:Long way from Compton by wjcofkc · 2014-05-09 03:41 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Don't know why you got scored funny, it's actually true:
  
  He's a billionaire straight outta Compton -- or so Dr. Dre says, anyway.
  
  --
  Brought to you by Carl's Junior.
4. Re:Long way from Compton by wiredog · 2014-05-09 03:53 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, that is odd. Mods here are an odd bunch.
  </hipster> I remember listening to NWA when I was in the Army in the mid 80's. Never thought any of those guys would end up anywhere other than San Quentin. And now Dre's a billionaire.
  
  --
  
  Best Slashdot Co
5. Re:Long way from Compton by RazorSharp · 2014-05-12 04:25 · Score: 1
  
  Dre's gonna be the first hip-hop billionaire.
  if he wants to be smarter than the notirious B.I.G. and 2Pac then here's a tip: once you make your millions, get the fuck out of the ghetto. how hard to understand is that?
  Yeah, I'm sure he still lives in the ghetto. Perhaps you should at least check out the guy on Wikipedia before you make some ignorant comment about him. For the past decade+ he's been more of a producer/businessman than rapper and he was the first to leave Death Row Records in the 90s because he didn't want to participate in the stupid gangster shit they were involved in. Dre left the ghetto twenty years ago.
  
  --
  "From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
Good fit by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 00:57 · Score: 2, Insightful

2 fashion companies disguised as electronics companies.
1. Re:Good fit by MightyYar · 2014-05-09 02:09 · Score: 1
  
  In general iPods, iPhones, and iPads are also better-than-average quality, with some famous exceptions.
  
  --
  W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
2. Re:Good fit by polyp2000 · 2014-05-09 02:43 · Score: 1
  
  Great if your looking for something held together with glue and having limited expansion capability.
  
  --
  Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
3. Re:Good fit by MightyYar · 2014-05-09 03:08 · Score: 1
  
  That's true, but I can hardly blame them. So long as the product is decent, what do I care? I'm just glad that people are buying nicer stuff - it forces the whole market to up the quality game. It's not just Apple - remember how many nicer flip phones became available got once Motorola showed that people would pay a little extra for the Razor? And of course look at how Toyota and Honda changed the small car game. Prius is now doing the same for hybrids, and perhaps Tesla for electrics.
  
  --
  W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Thing Thugs Will Beat You For by drainbramage · 2014-05-09 01:02 · Score: 5, Funny

"Thing Thugs Will Beat You For" for $200 Alex.
---
1> Apple products are the what the thugs want around here, most only threaten or beat you, some use hand guns.
2> Those beats headphones got popular and are now being targeted by thugs.
3> Apple see's another market for repeat (re-beat?) customers.
4> Profit!

--
No brain, no pain.
1. Re:Thing Thugs Will Beat You For by NetFusion · 2014-05-09 03:49 · Score: 1
  
  And now with the new builtin health sensors in your Beats headphones your iPhone's M7 sensor processor will be able to detect your beat down and summon an ambulance while the thugs snatch your person possessions and leave you bleeding on the curb.
Waste of money by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 01:14 · Score: 1

Ghetto headphones used by thugs and "gangsta" wannabes now owned by maker of tech gear for the 1% hipsters. BSD and old THinkPads never looked so good.
1. Re:Waste of money by RazorSharp · 2014-05-12 05:02 · Score: 1
  
  If you want to run BSD just get a Macbook, since OSX is basically stolen BSD code anyway.
  You can't steal what's free.
  
  --
  "From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
Just goes to show... by Type44Q · 2014-05-09 01:15 · Score: 4, Informative

No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
-H.L. Mencken (paraphrased)
1. Re:Just goes to show... by Ol+Olsoc · 2014-05-09 01:43 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
  Which is why most smartphones run Android. No denyin' I ain't lyin'
  That was what you meant, right Sparky?
  
  --
  The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
2. Re:Just goes to show... by Type44Q · 2014-05-09 02:16 · Score: 2
  
  Which is why most smartphones run Android.
  What, an operating system that exists solely to gather data for the largest player in the advertising world? :p
Oh come on! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2014-05-09 01:28 · Score: 2

"Ok, sign here...and here...and...here. Well, Congratulations! You bought yourself a 3 billion dollar company!"
"Thanks! Ok, where's the girl?"
"Pardon me?"
"The girl. That Emilly Ratsomehing"
"Sir, she is a supermodel and did not get sold as part of the deal."
"WHERE'S MY ACCOUNTANT?!?!?"

--
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
how much is a name worth? by nimbius · 2014-05-09 01:28 · Score: 3, Insightful

Because thats all Beats has ever been. The problem apple faces is that Dr. Dre is fast becoming Dr. Grey. in his last 5-10 years hes only made small guest vocal appearances on the behalf of his label members. his most famous songs, 'nuthin but a g thang' for example came out 20 years ago. so while the turtlenecks running apple might remember him from their kegger days in college it has yet to be seen if anyone born after 2000 will even care. Beats in cellular technology and tablets is powered, from what i can guess, by Cowon (a taiwanese manufacturer of high regard for their sound chips and DSP at a very competitive price.) The headphone line originally came from Monster Cable, but now is cranked off the same assembly in mainland china that produces most every other headphone in existence.

FWIW, If i were apple, i would have marketed a competing brand based on someone like Deadmau5 or Skrillex or Knife Party or any other band actual kids listen to. As an added benefit, these artists already heavily plug and leverage Apple as a brand.

--
Good people go to bed earlier.
1. Re:how much is a name worth? by CRCulver · 2014-05-09 01:39 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I always assumed that, in making a studio monitor-looking headphone, Beats was using Dr. Dre's name not for his artist reputation, but for his producer reputation. In recent years, Dr. Dre has produced a number of records even if his own hip-hop albums have slacked off. So, Dr. Dre is to Beats what Quincy Jones is to AKG.
2. Re:how much is a name worth? by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2014-05-09 02:17 · Score: 1
  
  Beats also owns rights to a lot of music for streaming. That's probably the killer part of the deal.
  
  --
  Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
3. Re:how much is a name worth? by meta-monkey · 2014-05-09 02:54 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Hey man, when you dis Dre you just dis yourself.
  
  --
  We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
4. Re:how much is a name worth? by Jahoda · 2014-05-09 03:56 · Score: 2
  
  Look, I'm not really a fan or anything, so I don't have an emotional investment beyond my general caring for music - but even a quick look at allmusic will show you what Dr. Dre's current credits are, and if you somehow think that kids born after 2000 who are interested in Hip Hop (that is to say all of them) don't know who he is/will even care, then my friend, you're the one who is out of touch. He is a black entertainer of legendary stature, "The Chronic" (again, I say this dispassionately) is to hip hop what Led Zeppelin 4 is to rock.
5. Re:how much is a name worth? by nbritton · 2014-05-09 12:15 · Score: 1
  
  Apple couldn't care less about headphones, they want the digital streaming rights that Beats Music has so they can integrate a subscription service into iTunes. I wouldn't be surprised if apple spins off headphone business after it incorporates their marketing and sales staff into the apple fold. There is no way I see a beats logo showing up on apple hardware.
Don't understand it. by nine-times · 2014-05-09 01:31 · Score: 4, Interesting

I don't understand this deal yet, but my problem isn't with Beats headphones being a "rip off". That's not the issue for me. The larger issue for me is, I don't see why Apple couldn't have simply produced their own rip-off headphones if they wanted to, or their own music streaming service. They have the technical ability. They have the design and marketing talent. So what are they getting out of the deal?
I would imagine that this is either a waste of money, or there's some other calculation. Like maybe record labels have been trying to bend Apple over a barrel when they ask for streaming rights, and in this deal, Apple acquires the streaming rights that Beats had, thereby side-stepping the deal. Or maybe Apple looked at the organization and thought it was a good team as a whole, and rather than trying to steal the employees away one-by-one, they thought it was better to purchase them outright. There's always the explanation that they were buying the customer base, but I'm not sure that'll hold once they rebrand and integrate-- and I would be surprised if they didn't rebrand and integrate it into their existing products/services.
I don't know. Does anyone have info here that would shed light on the real motivation? Or has Apple just started buying random businesses because they're profitable, without a larger strategic plan?
1. Re:Don't understand it. by cdrudge · 2014-05-09 01:47 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  So what are they getting out of the deal?
  
  An existing very well recognized brand, existing supply chains and contracts for producing "premium" headphones, and existing streaming service with deals with all major record labels and many independent labels.
  Could Apple have reached the same point cheaper if they did it all themselves? Probably. Would it have been as fast? No.
2. Re:Don't understand it. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-05-09 02:33 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Buzzfeed, (The Beats Audio of blogspam) has a great article on how it's about hiring Jimmy Iovine.
  http://www.buzzfeed.com/peterlauria/apples-beats-deal-is-all-about-bringing-music-mogul-jimmy-io
  "As part of the $3.2 billion deal to acquire Beats, legendary music executive Jimmy Iovine is expected to join Apple in a “creative role.” The deal is essentially the biggest music industry acqui-hire."
  Also here:
  http://www.macrumors.com/2014/05/08/beats-jimmy-iovine-join-apple/
  "Beats Electronics boss and veteran music industry executive Jimmy Iovine is in talks to join Apple as a “special adviser” to Tim Cook on creative matters, two sources close to talks tell The Post."
3. Re:Don't understand it. by rhsanborn · 2014-05-09 02:40 · Score: 1
  
  It sounds like Beats has streaming music deals. I'm speculating here, but the record labels aren't happy about how iTunes worked out for them. Read the Steve Jobs bio and you'll find that they were over a barrel and Apple took advantage of that. I suspect the labels were trying to get their pound of flesh back from Apple with streaming contracts. Perhaps Apple went around the labels and is buying less expensive streaming deals via Beats, depending on how long the term is on those Beats contracts with the labels.
4. Re:Don't understand it. by AmiMoJo · 2014-05-09 02:47 · Score: 1
  
  I don't understand this deal yet, but my problem isn't with Beats headphones being a "rip off". That's not the issue for me. The larger issue for me is, I don't see why Apple couldn't have simply produced their own rip-off headphones if they wanted to, or their own music streaming service. They have the technical ability. They have the design and marketing talent. So what are they getting out of the deal?
  Apple doesn't develop tech from scratch, they buy it in or just buy the company that makes it, and then add their own design on top. They bought the company that makes their ARM CPUs. They bought in the click wheel and 1.8" hard drives for the iPod. They use off-the-shelf radios in their phones. Their PCs are based on standard hardware but come in a fancy case.
  Apple does design and software. When they need hardware, they buy it. They obviously want Beats audio hardware. To me the interesting question is why choose Beats. They sound terrible. Generally Apple likes to pick good hardware and put the marketing spin on themselves, but in this case they chose crap hardware which is already hyped to hell.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
5. Re:Don't understand it. by DerekLyons · 2014-05-09 03:21 · Score: 1
  
  Could Apple have reached the same point cheaper if they did it all themselves? Probably. Would it have been as fast? No.
  True. And no doubt Apple learned from the Apple Maps fiasco - if you're going to compete out of the gate with existing, popular, feature complete installations... you need to be as close to feature complete as possible out of the gate yourself.
6. Re:Don't understand it. by SpinyNorman · 2014-05-09 03:38 · Score: 1
  
  The deal doesn't make sense to me, but presumably it would involve Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine being contracted to stay for some minimum amount of time, which brings a lot of clout (esp. Iovine) in the music biz.
  The $3.2B price if true seems insane though. Between 2012 and 2013 Beats bought out HTC's 50% ownership for a total of $415M (25% in 2012 for $150M, 25% in 2013 for $265). So, if half the company is worth $415M, the whole thing should be worth closer to $430M, not $3.2B!
7. Re: Don't understand it. by nbritton · 2014-05-09 03:54 · Score: 1
  
  Like maybe record labels have been trying to bend Apple over a barrel when they ask for streaming rights, and in this deal, Apple acquires the streaming rights that Beats had, thereby side-stepping the deal.
  Yes. You hit the nail on its head. Beats music is a direct derivative of MOG, and they had a 16 million track music catalog. Apple is already in the music on demand business and subscription music service is the next logical evolution. This subscription service will be wholly incorporated into iTunes, and $10/mo will get you access to 16 million iTunes tracks. You'll of course still have the option to buy the track, but who would what to do that? The record label's royalties are going to be significantly impacted. This was a smart move by Apple, they've just cornered the online music market for the next decade.
8. Re:Don't understand it. by nine-times · 2014-05-09 04:06 · Score: 1
  
  Apple does design and software. When they need hardware, they buy it.
  That's not entirely true. It's sort of true, in the sense that many hardware vendors don't create all their own components, but Apple does develop their own hardware (and related technology) to some extent. For example, yes, they bought the ARM manufacturer, but now they have continued to advance that in-house. They developed methods for building better Aluminum cases, and now apparently are doing the same thing for sapphire screens. Many of the components for laptop, desktops, iPods, iPads, and iPhones may all be outsourced to be produced by other companies, but the overall device was developed by Apple.
  And honestly, headphones aren't as hard to build up from scratch as ARM processors.
9. Re:Don't understand it. by fermion · 2014-05-09 04:13 · Score: 1
  
  This deal is likely a large waste of money, but given the money that Apple has the money is not the issue. It is less of an an issue than upper middle class family paying cash for used car for their kid to take to college. It is literally less than 3% of cash on hand.
  What Apple is getting, as you noted, is access to a streaming music catalog. The labels has no incentive to cut Apple a reasonable deal if Apple wanted to create such a service. While the bulk of the deal is officially for the headphones, it is really a matter of the music service.
  As far as the headphones, it is really a matter of taste. Music production and composition changes in response to technology. Music written for small room with no electric amplification, is different from music written for large halls with no electric amplification, is different from music written to be recorded and played over the hi-fi or in large halls with amplification where the sound is purposely distorted, is different from music written to be recorded and played over tiny computer speakers. Not everyone moves with the change in technology, we still have people writing music for large 500 people halls with no electronic amplification, but overall the trend happens.
  So as far as the headphones are concerned, they are made to listen to music that was produced to be compressed and listened to though headphones or small speakers that can only move limited quantities of air. For people who are looking for a different experience, they of course are going to be horrible. The same is true for people who do not like the Apple earbuds, which I find ok in certain situations. I myself are thinking of pulling out my IC based amplifier or buying a vacuum tube amplifier and a good set of big speakers to listen to old stuff that really sounds dreadful on my current set of audio devices, none of which is dedicated. I can't imagine even spending $100 on a pair of speakers when I can get decent ones for $50.
  
  --
  "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
10. Re:Don't understand it. by maccodemonkey · 2014-05-09 05:46 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  So what are they getting out of the deal?
  An existing very well recognized brand, existing supply chains and contracts for producing "premium" headphones, and existing streaming service with deals with all major record labels and many independent labels.
  Could Apple have reached the same point cheaper if they did it all themselves? Probably. Would it have been as fast? No.
  I think (and from all the up voted comments, I think a lot of people here don't really get this deal) Apple doesn't care about the headphones.
  Beats has a subscription audio service, and a bunch of engineers who are good at making those services work. They have existing contracts for that service, which saves Apple a lot of time they could have spent negotiating and dealing with music labels who want to see Apple brought down a peg.
  The headphones are a nice added bonus for Apple (think of the profit margin on those things), and they probably inflated the buyout price, but they really have nothing to do with the big reasons for this deal.
  Pandora would have been a reasonable alternative as well, but Pandora is a much more expensive buyout than Beats.
11. Re:Don't understand it. by breeze95 · 2014-05-09 10:47 · Score: 1
  
  I don't understand this deal yet, but my problem isn't with Beats headphones being a "rip off". That's not the issue for me. The larger issue for me is, I don't see why Apple couldn't have simply produced their own rip-off headphones if they wanted to, or their own music streaming service. They have the technical ability. They have the design and marketing talent. So what are they getting out of the deal?
  I would imagine that this is either a waste of money, or there's some other calculation. Like maybe record labels have been trying to bend Apple over a barrel when they ask for streaming rights, and in this deal, Apple acquires the streaming rights that Beats had, thereby side-stepping the deal. Or maybe Apple looked at the organization and thought it was a good team as a whole, and rather than trying to steal the employees away one-by-one, they thought it was better to purchase them outright. There's always the explanation that they were buying the customer base, but I'm not sure that'll hold once they rebrand and integrate-- and I would be surprised if they didn't rebrand and integrate it into their existing products/services.
  I don't know. Does anyone have info here that would shed light on the real motivation? Or has Apple just started buying random businesses because they're profitable, without a larger strategic plan?
  I don't expect many here to know that Beats Headphones are very popular. Apple needs to branch out from phones and tablets. Beats headphones and speakers are popular, cool, stylish, high-end and expensive. It's the perfect match for Apple. A few weeks ago there was talk of Apple purchasing another cool company (Tesla Motors). Apple is looking to diversify, and they will only buy companies whose products are seen as popular, cool, stylish and expensive.
12. Re:Don't understand it. by cdrudge · 2014-05-13 03:19 · Score: 1
  
  If it's for streaming music, what company should they have purchased that has better quality, more subscribers, and/or larger catalog for the same price? Pandora has a market cap of over $5b and is publicly traded so it could be a messy and/or drawn out process. Spotify is privately held, but has been valued at over $4b. Google and Sony's streaming services are probably both ruled out just on principal of helping out a competitor. Rdio is slowly failing/dying. Last.fm just closed down their subscription service. There's a smattering of other services but they are has-beens and will-never-bes.
  They definitely aren't buying it just for quality headphones or any other Beats products/technologies, although buying medium quality items at high end markups is right up Apple's alley. But there are better, cheaper alternatives if they really were looking to go that route.
  Personally, I think it's a combination of both plus the brand name plus the marketing power/connections that Apple would get with bringing Dre and Iovine into the fold.
your music sucks, and you're stoooopid by Thud457 · 2014-05-09 01:32 · Score: 1

Idiocracy is real, there's a page documenting this on Wikipedia.

Exactly like what happened when we got cable news channels, with 24-hour coverage allowing us to delve more deeply into the important issues of the day.
fsck, my sarcasm meter just broke.

--
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Innovation? No, marketing.. by h8sg8s · 2014-05-09 02:11 · Score: 2

Innovative marketing move. Expect a set of Apple-branded cans with builtin iPod/WiFi and voice control. Not rocket science.

--
Organization? You must be joking..
So what? by watcher-rv4 · 2014-05-09 02:29 · Score: 1

Where is your God now, Samsung?
Brand by DarthVain · 2014-05-09 02:36 · Score: 1

They get a trendy well established brand name. They get the Dr. Dre. They get the perceived quality (200$ headphones? rly?). They get to reinforce their dominance as a music production company (ipods, iphones).
Is it worth 3+ BILLION? Hell no! However A) Beats is pretty uniquely placed right now. They are at their peak and no one is like them. B) News! Tech company overpays for another company! OMG! When you have a bazillion dollars, you likely have to prove as a CEO you are doing something with it other than polishing your boat with it.
Most of their headphones are crap. by aristotle-dude · 2014-05-09 02:38 · Score: 1

The Dr. Dre headphones are crap. They have a plastic headband that will crack at random intervals of use. The executive ones have a metal band but it takes disposable batteries and only work when you have the noise cancelling turned on.
If Apple does buy them, they should replace the plastic bands on the other models with metal with leather cushion like what you find on the Executive. For the price they share, they should not break during normal use within a year.
I had a pair of Dr. Dre Wireless break on me after a 4 months of normal use after returning from a business trip to DC. The headband snapped on me.

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Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
1. Re:Most of their headphones are crap. by PhrostyMcByte · 2014-05-09 03:44 · Score: 1
  
  For the price they share, they should not break during normal use within a year.
  Check out Beyerdynamic's Pro line. They look good and are built like a tank. The Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro are around $150-200, comfortable for long use, have an excellent sound signature, good isolation, and can pump out an enormous, gorgeously detailed bass if your music asks them for it.
Does This Mean Apple Will Spam My Blog? by Nova+Express · 2014-05-09 02:44 · Score: 1

There was a time when I got more Beats By Dre comment spam on my blog than any other single spam subject...

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http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
Beets! by connor4312 · 2014-05-09 03:25 · Score: 3, Funny

With Apple buying Beets, they're set to dominate the produce market!
message to the studios... by schlachter · 2014-05-09 03:34 · Score: 2

buying beats is also a bit of a threat/warning to the studios.
they are making money from the on demand model, but they aren't allowing apple to play in the space because they want to break itune's monopoly.
by buying beats, apple is saying, look, now we own beats. you want to keep fucking with us, we'll own spotify and pandora too. fuck you.
now sit down with us and let's make this on demand music thing work and stop trying to erode itunes dominance.
that's how i see it.
plus they get an solid brand with a solid music streaming service, a serious cool factor to have dre on board, and a deeper connection to the music industry.

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My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
Re:Cool. by ganjadude · 2014-05-09 03:56 · Score: 1

wait, you mean you had a pair of apple earbuds that sounded good?

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have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
Tax Benefits/Profit Taking? by Kaenneth · 2014-05-09 06:08 · Score: 1

Anyone care to enlighten us on which international subs will be forking over the money, and how the transaction will be structured to avoid paying any taxes?
Best Buy Beats DJ booth by freeze128 · 2014-05-09 06:52 · Score: 1

A few years ago, our local Best Buy bought into the whole Beats by Dr. Dre fad and installed a DJ booth in the store. There was a lot of promotion posters and banners indicating that there would be a "live" DJ at the premiere. When I stopped in, there was one guy in the booth wearing the headphones and diddling about with a turntable, and NOBODY else in the area. All you could hear was the over-loud televisions nearby.

I kinda wanted to walk up to the guy and say "What's the matter mr. DJ? Doesn't anyone want to hear your music?"... but the poor fellow looked too pathetic. I don't think he could have handled that kind of rejection.
Overpriced Fluff by WhoBeDaPlaya · 2014-05-09 17:01 · Score: 1

I'd rather (and did) spend money on genuinely good stuff like MrSpeakers Mad Dogs and Sennheiser Momentums (over ears). For $50, a timeless favorite is still the Koss KSC-75 and PortaPro.