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Apple Announces Beats Pill+ Speaker Available in November for $229
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Do we think there is going to be a Beats Pill+ XL? I've been waiting to send in my Pill XL until they refresh.
My comment was in regards to the copious amount of groupthink and hive-mind exhibited here in the forums by the MacRumors' users. 5 people come to a consensus on something and everyone else ends up parroting the consensus with no real insight of their own. Statements like "Best Buy sucks at this service" (when they've never been to a Best Buy to try out said service) get repeated ad infinitum, true or untrue. While I'm sure there are many, many audiophiles out there that can discern the quality from a Beats device to whatever audio-head device they're using, I decrease my benefit of doubt when browsing articles posted here.
It's because the weights they put in these are made of high quality materials that exceed industry standards.
The $200 price range is basically the standard for this class of speaker.
See ue boom or Bose sound link.
Thanks for clarifying.
I think this is pretty much the successor. I would hope so. It's like the bridge between the Pill and the original Pill XL.
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Apple today announced a new Beats Pill+ Bluetooth wireless speaker with a simplistic design, stereo active 2-way crossover system and 12-hour battery life. The speaker will be available for $229.95 in black or white through the Apple Online Store and authorized Beats retailers beginning next month.
![beats-pill-plus.jpg]()
Beats Pill+ Bluetooth Wireless Speaker will retail for $229.95 (Image: The Verge)
The new Beats Pill+ companion app will enable users to control the speaker using a smartphone, with features including the ability to control music from two Bluetooth sources and sync two Beats Pill+ speakers together for either simultaneous or dedicated right and left playback.The new Beats Pill+ replaces the original Beats Pill unveiled in October 2012, and is the company's first new speaker since being acquired by Apple for $3 billion in May 2014. The new Beats Pill+ is larger than the original Pill speaker, but smaller than the recalled Beats XL speaker, and weighs 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg).
![Beats-Pill-Plus-App.jpg]()
Beats Pill+ companion app for iOS and Android
The Verge went hands-on with the new Beats Pill+ speaker, calling it "the most attractive looking and sounding speaker that Beats has ever made" after listening to a brief demo of songs from various genres, including tracks by The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Tom Petty and punk rock band PUP.The Beats Pill+ is equipped with both Lightning and USB ports on the back for charging your iPhone or other devices. The speaker has a rubberized power button and volume controls and a metallic Beats logo that doubles as a play/pause button. There is also a line in audio port.
Article Link: Apple Announces Beats Pill+ Speaker Available in November for $229
Well, if the Pill plus sounds "awful" then 99% of ALL the speakers on the market sound awful! Good God. As long as it does not sound like a ****** Jaw Bone, we are all good! 
LOL
LOL
Ummm, you mean the SMALL pill right? I was in the store just the other day and the Beats Pill LARGE sounded the best of all the speakers on display... now granted I was at Target, but still. The LARGE beast sounds fine, the small Beats sounds like a cows ass tossed down a tin hall. So, yes when I compared the JBLs that were there they are better than the small Beats, but NOT the BIG ONE, which this article is about.
This is actually an attractive product. It gives us an insight into what Apple is doing with Beats' hardware division.
I like the it has a Lightning connector but it's a missed opportunity that Apple left out AirPlay. Apple doesn't have to pay itself licensing fees so they could've made quite an affordable AirPlay speaker. I would've bought a couple of these to add a bathroom and the patio to my AirPlay network.
By now, Beats should be well on its way to integrating into Apple's product line and culture but it seems late on this. They still have far too many products, a mistake that John Sculley made and Steve Jobs corrected when he returned to Apple. Steve always said that he was proud that Apple's entire product line could fit on one table.
I mean, what the hell is this thing?
![the-pills-red-accessory-O.png]()
There are way too many products in the Beats brand alone. There should be 1 wireless speaker, 1 set each of bluetooth headphones and plug in pro headphones, 1 set each of bluetooth earphones and wired and that's it. Sell each line in different colours but keep the product line simple. As it is now, I have no clue how many things Beats sells and what makes them different from one another.
Apple has a lot of work to do in simplifying the Beats line. The Apple line up itself is getting too complex with older products remaining as a cheap alternative and some remaining for no apparent reason.[/QUOTE
Is that really the answer this time around? I agree there could be some simplification, but the "one per" is a very naïve implication. One simple example, people have different sized ears, heads, and taste (on hear vs. over ear headphones) Just look at the ideology behind the Watch variations, and all the new cases for iPhone. People like color and options in their accessories.
Yes they need focus, but that doesn't always mean fewer products.
(On a side note, It's a small Bluetooth speaker so it's not even in the AirPlay category really. Now if they don't include AirPlay into a "Pill+ XL" of sorts [or a variation of it] I'll be sad and surprised.)
That's weird because I have a pair of gold wireless solos and on the box there is the Cupertino branding
Yup, I wonder what else that lightning port is capable of with a firmware update? Lightning and wireless on an audio device with a 57% growth in Bluetooth headphone and speakers over the last year, I'd say the the days of the headphone jack on Apple products is numbered.
No AirPlay??
I think that's coming. Apple Music was and still is the priority I think. No need to invest in a complete home delivery system until they get the kinks worked out of it ... And there are quite a few kinks. Compared to my Sonos system which is very easy to use, and gives me easy access to any streaming service I want.
But reading about the capabilities of these Beats speakers, I noticed many similarities between them, and Sonos, that I don't think were there before. So this could potentially be a test run to see whether consumers will utilize them in that fashion with Bluetooth technology, before they roll out the big guns down the line -- a complete wireless sound system for the home that connects to all of your Apple devices, anywhere anytime, all controlled by Siri. When Apple builds that car, it's gonna need a sound system too. So it makes sense that Apple would continue to expand in areas they're gonna need for that car if nothing else ... ;-)
I'll echo everyone else and say no AirPlay? Has Apple given up on it?
AirPlay operates over WiFi.
WiFi uses a whole lot more power than Bluetooth.
This is a portable, battery-powered device that people expect to have decent battery life.
Also, some sort of ad-hoc WiFi network would have to be setup for use outside of the home, making things more complicated than Bluetooth, where you just pair and go.
If you really want a portable airplay speaker check this out:
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Wireless-Speakers/A3+XW-SMA3-K
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Wireless-Speakers/A3+XW-SMA3-K
I get the battery life issues as I have a portable AirPlay enabled speaker that only gets about 4 hours of battery life before needing to be charged.
It would be nice to have a decent option with both Bluetooth and AirPlay, especially one with Apple's influence.
Like 3 years ago, i went to best buy, was looking for a small portable speaker, i was curious to hear the beats pill, I sample them in the store, sounded weak, I sampled jbl flips, sounded better, and were half the price, and bought them.
I bump them on basketball games playing street ball, now i seen like 4 other people bump jbl flips, they definite give more bang for your buck.