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Apple Removes Beats Landing Page From Website Ahead of Tuesday's Launch Event [Update: Restored]

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Apple has quietly removed the "Beats by Dre" webpage from its website ahead of its Apple event on Tuesday, as it prepares to launch a new, lower-cost HomePod and AirPods Studio headphones.

beats-by-dre-landing-page.jpg

As noted by Apple Terminal, the landing page for Beats products can no longer be found on Apple's website. The Wayback Machine has a snapshot of the page in its original form from October 2, while the most recent snapshot from October 9 shows the page as down, suggesting Apple removed it sometime between these two dates.

Over the last couple of weeks, MacRumors has independently observed a gradual removal of all links to Beats' support website from Apple's own support pages. Apple also quietly retired its Beats Updater utility that lets users update the firmware of their Beats Wireless headphones, earphones, and speakers.

Apple still sells Beats-branded products on the headphones and speakers section of its online store. However, earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Apple is no longer selling headphones and wireless speakers from companies like Sonos, Bose, and Logitech. Apple did something similar in the past, eliminating stock of fitness trackers ahead of the launch Apple Watch.

These moves all point to Apple readying itself for new product launches in the audio category. Rumors indicate Apple is working on several new audio products, including a smaller, lower-cost HomePod and high-end over-ear Apple-branded headphones that could be called "‌AirPods Studio‌," to be sold alongside the ‌AirPods‌ and AirPods Pro.

Both of these new products are expected to launch before the end of the year, and the removal of the third-party audio products from the online store suggests we could be seeing Apple's new audio devices soon, perhaps as soon as this week at Apple's "Hi, Speed" event on Tuesday, October 13, when it is also expected to announce the new iPhone 12 lineup.

Update 10:50 a.m.: The Beats by Dre landing page has returned to the store section of Apple's website.

Article Link: Apple Removes Beats Landing Page From Website Ahead of Tuesday's Launch Event [Update: Restored]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/12/apple-removes-beats-landing-page/
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Exit beats. Hopeuylly the studio does not look like the renders... Also hope these headphones are not bass-heavy or at least it it possible to change setting for different music types.
 
iPadified said:
Exit beats. Hopeuylly the studio does not look like the renders... Also hope these headphones are not bass-heavy or at least it it possible to change setting for different music types.
Click to expand...

It seems this will be proper studio/producer headphones, so not headphones to listen to music but to produce it; they won't be bass-heave for sure, but they will probably be very neutral so not really suited for casual listening anyway.
 
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Apple itself is such a strong brand it didn’t make too much sense for it to have another brand to manage.

I guess they were always waiting for the time when they had an Apple family branded set of headphone and earbuds products to replace them (ie tomorrow!).

Although I’ll be interested to see if Powerbeats pro are kept on sale.

There’s been no rumour of an Apple sports over ear set (though with Apple Workouts on the way you’d have to imagine that they’ve been working on this...)
 
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I really hope this isn’t the end for Beats because I love my Studio 3s of which are getting a little long in the tooth.

I mean, bar the fact they’re still working for me absolutely fine. I’m kind of hoping to see what the next gen of Beats over ears are before looking to possibly upgrade when my current ones finally bite the dust.

However, this post is making me worry.

Hopefully, they’re removing the beats links to just update the site around them and or to add the next gen of Beats in.

Fingers crossed but worst case, I would happily go for Airpod Studios.

In fact, the only reason i’m not a Airpod user is due to the lack of an over ear varient. But still, I love the style of my Beats too...
 
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Roscorito said:
Man that 1 billion for Beats CAN’T have been worth it. Remains the weirdest thing Tim Cook’s Apple have done.
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I don't know. I think all speakers in iPhones to iPads have gotten a lot better since that acquisition. Had to have bought so good patents and technology with that deal. I'd be surprised if they retired the beats name, but Apple's done crazier things. Can't wait to see. Oh, yeah and the streaming juggernaut they've became was because of the beats acquisition, also
 
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Roscorito said:
Man that 1 billion for Beats CAN’T have been worth it. Remains the weirdest thing Tim Cook’s Apple have done.
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Why? It's not as simple as paying $1bn for Beats and measuring the success of that in whether they sold $1bn worth of Beats headphones.

There were loads of layers to that deal. Beats Music; the Beats Radio platform; subsuming what would now have been a major rival brand; acquiring the R&D and technology patents of Beats; being able to fold what is an amazingly successful lifestyle brand (if an awful headphone) into the Apple ecosystem; getting all that free advertising for their products from NBA and Premier League players strolling around in their massive Beats headphones. There was also a load of endorsement deals that were a part of that which then makes it easier to transition those commercial relationships into Apple ones, so Neymar for instance now wears AirPods instead of Beats in public.

It was easily worth what Apple paid.
 
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Will there be a new version of AirPods Pro soon. I want to buy a pair so want to make sure there is less regret.
 
Roscorito said:
Man that 1 billion for Beats CAN’T have been worth it. Remains the weirdest thing Tim Cook’s Apple have done.
Click to expand...
Wasn't it 3 billion? And the acquisition immediately became Apple Music, which is massive. So it looks to have been well worth it.

otternonsense said:
I kinda sense monopolistic behaviour in slowly snuffing out a popular (rival) brand but that's just me.
Click to expand...
They own the brand.
 
Roscorito said:
Man that 1 billion for Beats CAN’T have been worth it. Remains the weirdest thing Tim Cook’s Apple have done.
Click to expand...
It was $3 billion and one of the best strategic things Tim Cook's Apple ever did imo. It laid the foundation for one of Apple's strongest services and still continues to pay dividends to this day. Beats is still one of the strongest audio brands around. Oh yeah, still profitable too. So if by can't have been worth it, you meant totally worth it, we are in agreement.
 
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nexusrule said:
It seems this will be proper studio/producer headphones, so not headphones to listen to music but to produce it; they won't be bass-heave for sure, but they will probably be very neutral so not really suited for casual listening anyway.
Click to expand...

Or, more simply, there will be a consumer version and a pro version of the headphones.
 
I'm quite curious about these AirPods Studio. Even more than the new iPhone, actually.

Speaking of sound quality, realistically I try to keep my expectations low, to avoid any disappointment. :)

My AirPods Pro sound good for casual listening – nothing spectacular though, IMO. Hope the Studio will be at least a step ahead.
 
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nexusrule said:
It seems this will be proper studio/producer headphones, so not headphones to listen to music but to produce it; they won't be bass-heave for sure, but they will probably be very neutral so not really suited for casual listening anyway.
Click to expand...

Like Beats studio? 🤣

I think Apple will make some decent sounding, good looking all rounder consumer/pro-sumer headphones with some technological bells and whistles that will appeal to the mid/high mid price point mass market.

e.g. something to match Beats solo and Studio lines with fairly dust that will work best with Apple devices.

Most studios I've ever worked in use "industry standard" headphones e.g. ATH-M50x, MDR-7506, DT-100/150/990/770, HD25's on occasion and not much else really springs to mind.

Point of note: All wired, under $200 and Robust as all hell.
 
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I’m guessing Apple is just separating the two brands to better differentiate Apple’s products. It doesn’t make sense that Apple is going kill the brand barely half a year after the release of the Powerbeats 4. When Apple kills something they usually let it fade away by not updating the product line for a few years and then retiring it quietly.
 
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