Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
If Steve Jobs were alive he would've smacked Tim for even thinking of buying Beats
- Thread starter Zellio
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
As has been mentioned many times before:
Apples Jobs Told Cook Not to Ask What Would Steve Do?
However, if we are to open this hypothetical can of worms I suspect Jobs would be opposed to the deal as he took exception to lousy products.
Beats make headphones which don't sound very good and run a streaming music service that no one uses.
I think Jobs would now seriously consider pursuing Sony. Does this product (High-Resolution Audio Walkman) not look a much better fit with Apple's philosophies than anything Beats produces (i.e. the evolution of iPod):
![5334480388ae9492654c79ab805d0b1c]()
![f34dca18eda05e650f794c324f2a2237]()
Apples Jobs Told Cook Not to Ask What Would Steve Do?
However, if we are to open this hypothetical can of worms I suspect Jobs would be opposed to the deal as he took exception to lousy products.
Beats make headphones which don't sound very good and run a streaming music service that no one uses.
I think Jobs would now seriously consider pursuing Sony. Does this product (High-Resolution Audio Walkman) not look a much better fit with Apple's philosophies than anything Beats produces (i.e. the evolution of iPod):
Hideous. Weird bulges all over, excessive physical buttons when there is a touch display.
Looks clunky and bulky. IPod > that.
I agree.
I guess it says a lot about Apple that it can (hypothetically) afford to throw more than three billion dollars down the toilet in an attempt to stay at the bleeding edge of "cool." And realistically, it wouldn't even really miss the money.
But I think the deal is a mistake from many, many perspectives.
As you rightly point out, Beats physical products are seriously lacking in technical prowess. They are artfully packaged and marketed, but from an audio perspective they horribly boost the bass, while muddling the midrange tones. Beats headphones are to superior listening the way a cold Big Mac is to fine dining. Good enough to satisfy people who've never experienced adequate - let alone excellent.
More troubling is the personnel aspect of this transaction. I just don't think Dr Dre - or Jimmy Iovine - will make a good fit for Apple. I don't honestly think their knowledge or insight or endorsement will make a significant contribution to Apple's success in either the hardware or content business.
Angela Ahrendt may very well be able to drive Apple's retail experience to even higher levels. But Dr Dre and Jimmy I just don't have the kind of skills needed to persuade more people to pay for 99 cent downloads.
Apple isn't Facebook - a company that can presumably waste several billion dollars on a transaction that makes zero financial sense without suffering on Wall Street. If Apple goes through with this (doomed) deal, I expect its stock to be punished many, many times more than that proposed deal price.
It's kind of funny how since the Apple-Beats deal was announced, everybody has an opinion of how the headphones sound. Sales must be phenomenal!
If.....
the rationale after the buying of Beat is REALLY get Iovine and Dre for applying their knowledge and prowess in the music industry....I can say Steve could be so-so with that. But I see the point in this discussion: Steve would no buy anything if not 100% sure the buying gets Apple value and resources later needed.
But anyways, the man is dead and we all are ESPECULATING......
the rationale after the buying of Beat is REALLY get Iovine and Dre for applying their knowledge and prowess in the music industry....I can say Steve could be so-so with that. But I see the point in this discussion: Steve would no buy anything if not 100% sure the buying gets Apple value and resources later needed.
But anyways, the man is dead and we all are ESPECULATING......
One week before the first rumour, most people would have told you that Beats headphone don't provide nearly enough sound quality for what they cost. Guess what, after these rumours, people tell you exactly the same thing.
Ever gone into a Best Buy and tried them out?
Yeah.. not that great. Especially for the $300 price. My friend picked up a bluetooth set for $80 that sound better.
I disagree, maybe there are some industrial design elements which could be refined, but overall I think it is quite striking. From a technical perspective it has some very impressive points and it represents a premium product which raises the bar. Here's what a review says:
Regardless on the details of that particular product I still think Sony are a better culture and philosophical fit with Apple than Beats.
As pointed out by others, the price/performance of Beats products been a question mark a long time before this rumoured acquisition.
If Steve Jobs were alive he would've smacked Tim for even thinking of buying Beats
Steve should have smacked himself for this.
If Steve Jobs were alive he would've smacked Tim for even thinking of buying Beats
Said no one ever.
Yeah okay, just because he's pictured with Iovine doesn't mean he would consider buying his company a 'smart business decision'.
There's lots of other people Jobs is pictured with. Does it mean he'd agree to buy their businesses too?
There's lots of other people Jobs is pictured with. Does it mean he'd agree to buy their businesses too?
Last edited:
If you think the guy in the picture with Steve Jobs is Dr. Dre, than you really don't have any basis for making the comment in the OP.
I think it's all about the people behind Dre Beats and not just the product. Apple lost some important people and is looking for new blood to keep the company healthy and up front. Look at it as a sports team. It's important to invest in people to play at the top.
Imo Iovine is a true visionaire and could help Tim expand the companies vision to stay ahead of the rest.
One more thing. Headphones can be the next thing now mobile is booming. If they find a way to make a headphone more functional, it could be more important as a device controller. More than a watch or glasses.
Imo Iovine is a true visionaire and could help Tim expand the companies vision to stay ahead of the rest.
One more thing. Headphones can be the next thing now mobile is booming. If they find a way to make a headphone more functional, it could be more important as a device controller. More than a watch or glasses.
Last edited:
Jimmy Iovine
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXsI7DqgHyM&feature=youtu.be
I enjoyed this four year old interview. The last part of his quote is happening right now and should answer some questions here on MacRumors.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXsI7DqgHyM&feature=youtu.be
I enjoyed this four year old interview. The last part of his quote is happening right now and should answer some questions here on MacRumors.
Last edited:
In no way shape or form could Apple even approach Sony.
Maybe one of the many many many departments Sony has but not just Sony.
Given what they did with Final Cut Pro, Apple wouldn't know the first thing to do with Vegas, let alone the NXCAM series or HDCAM SR series of cameras or broadcast switchers or broadcast monitors or digital cinema or CineAlta or . . . . .
Maybe they can just buy the Walkman brand for $3 billion, I am sure Sony could use the spare change for R&D.
Like any of us would know what Steve would do. Give it up.
Agreed and please do folks.
We get it already, you don't want to buy products from a company that owns a company that was loosely related to the hip hop culture that your kids adopted.
If you think the guy in the picture with Steve Jobs is Dr. Dre, than you really don't have any basis for making the comment in the OP.
I couldn't stop myself from laughing when i read that comment!
It does really tell us what we all need to know doesn't it.
Excessive physical buttons? For music playback I'll take physical buttons for volume and basic controls over a touch screen any day of the week.
In no way shape or form could Apple even approach Sony.
Maybe one of the many many many departments Sony has but not just Sony.
Given what they did with Final Cut Pro, Apple wouldn't know the first thing to do with Vegas, let alone the NXCAM series or HDCAM SR series of cameras or broadcast switchers or broadcast monitors or digital cinema or CineAlta or . . . . .
Maybe they can just buy the Walkman brand for $3 billion, I am sure Sony could use the spare change for R&D.
Agreed and please do folks.
We get it already, you don't want to buy products from a company that owns a company that was loosely related to the hip hop culture that your kids adopted.
I couldn't stop myself from laughing when i read that comment!
It does really tell us what we all need to know doesn't it.
Congrats, you caught me making a mistake. I'm editing my reply to Iovine. I know who Dre is, I even listened to quite a few of his stuff when he was in NWA with Easy E. I don't have kids.
Just because you like hip hop doesn't mean you need to have a sorry taste in headphones. My sennheiser hd 595's kill beats, and I got them 4 years ago and at $119! And my sennheisers may not be as bass heavy, but still has excellent bass, as well as highs, mids, and lows, and can play any type of music!
Beats is nothing but $30 headphones with a $170 price tag for 'style'. It's like buying Bose or Monster Cables, it's meant to be sold to idiots.
No, I agree, I think Beats are mediocre headphones, and a joke for the price.
In the end Apple paid the money, we wouldn't know what Steve would have done, and we'll have to wait and see what Apple/Cook does with this purchase of his.
Mediocre or not Beats headphones has 40% of all US headphone sales and close to 70 per cent of premium priced headphones.
I don't recall a time before Beats where people walked around with big headphones on their heads or around their necks.
This company made an impact.