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Beats Co-Founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Expected to Take on Senior Roles at Apple Following Acquisition
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Send me a link to your sound quality report. You've clearly tested all of them in the industry.
July 2012:
HTC, the Taiwanese cellphone company that almost a year ago paid $300 million for a majority stake in the company behind the popular Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, has sold half its position, the company said on Sunday.
Beats Electronics, founded by Dr. Dre and the record impresario Jimmy Iovine, paid $150 million to buy back the HTC shares. The two now control 75 percent of the company, with HTC still holding 25 percent.
At the same time, HTC revealed that it had lent Beats $225 million.
It was not clear what prompted HTCs decision. The company said that the stock sale and loan provide Beats with more flexibility for global expansion while maintaining HTCs major stake and commercial exclusivity in mobile, as it shared the news in a brief note to investors on its Web site.
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Presumably these guys still don't own 75%. And probably this article wasn't entirely accurate. But they must own a lot. So yes they are going to be much much richer.
I guess I just see music/headphones as being so last decade. And I think Apple has bigger problems to deal with than if kids who listen to hip hop think Apple is cool. Other companies are investing in the future, Apple is investing in overpriced crappy headphones that could completely be out of fashion a year from now. And if it's about music streaming, why aren't they snapping up Spotify instead?
I don't know what people's problem with Beats is, they don't claim to be the best headphones nor do they claim to be for the audiophile. I own a pair of the Beats Solo HD's and a pair of the in ear iBeats, and personally I think there great. They sound great to my music, they look good and they are durable, I use then around home, university on the bus and out in public, I've not a bad a problem with my Beats. They have lasted longer than any other earphone and it headphones I have brought.
Some people have probably not even tried them and they are bashing the Beats brand. To them I would say, try before you criticise.
I'm sure Apple has its reasons to buying Beats and I'm sure they will continue to make great products, as they have been doing for so many years now. Just my two pennies worth
Some people have probably not even tried them and they are bashing the Beats brand. To them I would say, try before you criticise.
I'm sure Apple has its reasons to buying Beats and I'm sure they will continue to make great products, as they have been doing for so many years now. Just my two pennies worth
Nah plenty of white kids buy beats headphones too. I would prefer Apple have nothing to do with Dr Dre but it has f-all to do with his skin color. Replace Dr Dre with someone like Eminem and I'd feel the same way.
WOW!
This thread.
As a black man reading this thread I was like:
But as a human being from this earth, I read this thread like:
I really do not understand this hate for this move. It is obviously not just for Beats' headphone range, it is going to be everything else that comes with it. We are not on the exec board, we do not know anything about this POSSIBLE deal. So let's chill with all the FUD
It makes me chuckle, that we are on an Apple forum, complaining that Beats' are an overpriced, hyped up, advertisement only company. Sounds EXACTLY like what Android users say about us, and end up looking stupid.
But who am I to judge. Steve Jobs would be rolling around in his grave, wouldn't he?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11D7p8X6UgY
Think different
Woah, I had no idea that Dre appeared in an Apple keynote and I thought I'd seen them all post Jobs return. I got into Apple around the G4 iMac and 2nd generation iPod so I may have missed this one.
I stand humbly corrected at stating previously Jobs wouldn't have worked with Dre.
I've nothing against Dre as I stated previously, I'm a Beats customer and listener of hip hop & rap ... and I'm a white man. I agree that it is sad to see this defend into something racial for some people. My previous assumption was based on Jobs not wanting to associate Apple with the musical content and message that rap & hip hop can sometimes include.
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WOW!
This thread.
As a black man reading this thread I was like:
But as a human being from this earth, I read this thread like:
I really do not understand this hate for this move. It is obviously not just for Beats' headphone range, it is going to be everything else that comes with it. We are not on the exec board, we do not know anything about this POSSIBLE deal. So let's chill with all the FUD
It makes me chuckle, that we are on an Apple forum, complaining that Beats' are an overpriced, hyped up, advertisement only company. Sounds EXACTLY like what Android users say about us, and end up looking stupid.
But who am I to judge. Steve Jobs would be rolling around in his grave, wouldn't he?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11D7p8X6UgY
Think different
Can you sense the GIGANTIC CLASH between these two videos:
http://youtu.be/2ygl7xSFn2M
http://youtu.be/_ynXKHC9Wo4
Clean, Crisp, Calm, Quality, Precision, Tastefulness, Detail, etc etc, all the things people have admired and loved Apple for, for many years now.
And this:
http://youtu.be/s2e5ZibypDk
And can you not understand how this screams OMG HORRIFIC to many ?
To myself the top two video's would make me think, yes, I love that, I wish to go now and view some Apple products and perhaps buy one. I love that message.
The other video makes me think, Oh god, horrid, never would I consider any product in any way associated with people that have that way of expressing themselves in that fashion, esp in a publicity viewable video.
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Acquiring Bose would make more sense. If you're going to buy an audio company built around sham marketing and advertising, why not one that at least shares an image with Apple?
That was first thought post reading this rumor, Bose has comparable image with AAPL.
But in these circumstances of cash pilling, I would make rather than buy. Jony Ive could do much better things than Beats and AAPL marketing would do the rest. Net net it would be a good story to tell to analysts though I am not sold about future growth, this looks like products from yesterday with low barrier to entry
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Apple was lost in the weeds and near death. Several failed attempts at a next gen OS and completely lost product wise. Its computers were a confused mess of outdated beige with an antiquated OS. There was no iPod yet, no iMac yet, no iTunes yet. OSX really was the beginning of the turnaround.
Ok.. so Iovine is the brains of the operation? He must of nearly had an aneurism when He saw the video of Dr Dre surrounded by his entourage cursing, sippn Heinekin and bragging about the deal thats not even official yet. Throw in some slick dance moves from whoever that actor is and you have some serious entertainment.
watch the video, you cant put out a video of yourself drinking and swearing and expect to be taken serious in the corporate world.
So is this Apple basically saying they have no one in house that can get a Spotify competitor off the ground? In my mind it doesn't make Eddy Cue look that great. Apple maps is still inferior to Google's offering, Siri is no Google now, AppStore curation needs work and iCloud could be a lot better (pretty sad when you have someone like John Gruber pimping Microsoft's cloud offering because Apple's doesn't work for him). Maybe Tim Cook is taking iTunes away from Cue so he can focus on this other stuff.
I just don't know how Tim could manage Apple without all of the members of MacRumors and their opinions.
There is obviously a good reason for this acquisition or it wouldn't be happening.
There is obviously a good reason for this acquisition or it wouldn't be happening.
as a black man, would you make a youtube video like he did, after you just closed a 3 billion dollar deal?WOW!
This thread.
As a black man reading this thread I was like:
But as a human being from this earth, I read this thread like:
I really do not understand this hate for this move. It is obviously not just for Beats' headphone range, it is going to be everything else that comes with it. We are not on the exec board, we do not know anything about this POSSIBLE deal. So let's chill with all the FUD
It makes me chuckle, that we are on an Apple forum, complaining that Beats' are an overpriced, hyped up, advertisement only company. Sounds EXACTLY like what Android users say about us, and end up looking stupid.
But who am I to judge. Steve Jobs would be rolling around in his grave, wouldn't he?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11D7p8X6UgY
Think different