That was over in September:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4776318/beats-ends-htc-partnership-buys-back-stake
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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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That was over in September:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4776318/beats-ends-htc-partnership-buys-back-stake
A musician (especially a violinist) should turn their nose up at using fake controls to enhance sound which completely takes a away from the natural sound. A great pair of quality headphones don't cost an arm and a leg. And if the lack of a graphic equalizer on a PHONE is going to be a dealbreaker and cause you to switch over to Android then why wait? Go ahead and switch now sir.
BTW, since you're just trying to enhance crappy sound you do realize that iOS has preset equalization controls.
I had a huge reply to this and just backspaced over it. Look, we could argue this over this at a bar or around a campfire 'till the cows come home, 'till the end of time, 'till Jobs rises from the dead. Musical taste is subjective.
But my main point on this whole EQ thing is that no one has to use it that doesn't want to. In fact it doesn't have to be in iOS at all.
All that I want is for Apple to stop blocking the hook into the iOS that keeps third party developers from making a *global* graphic EQ, so that those of us who really need it can have it if we want. I can understand how back in the day restrictions on iOS were useful in the first few iPhone iterations, but this one is silly.
I'm starting to feel like I was back in the 90's when I dumped my Mac and got my first Windows machine because I could do SO MUCH MORE with it. I didn't get another Mac until Apple came up with bootcamp, more than 15 years later, which effectively made my MBA the most versatile machine I could buy.
Certainly many millions of iPhone users are getting pretty sick of these arbitrary restrictions and are ready to jump ship; certainly many already have. I came to iOS for stability and polish, but that only goes so far. I'm yearning for versatility again.
Android has never had a Graphic EQ baked in, it simply allows developers to make them. I know Apple loves to block all low level access to hardware, but there isn't any security risk in this, there's no risk at all!
There's probably a global EQ out there for Jailbroken phones, but I don't want to Jailbreak (may as well just go back to Android then), and can't anyway now since I'm at 7.1.1
Oh and most importantly, the iOS preset EQ IS NOT GLOBAL, it only works for iTunes! Except for one setting, I forget which one, "nighttime" or something, which is global. So the ability is already baked into iOS, they're just not letting us use it.
On point or on your personal opinion point? It seems to me to be an absurd position.
1) The Apple brand is the #1 most admired (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/). Beats isn't even on Fortune's list so how does Beats make Apple cooler? How are you more cool than #1?
2) Apple's execs are well known for their arrogance (perhaps deserved, but the reputation exists). Are we to believe a Samsung ad humbled and scared them into submission? Samsung BTW is #21 on the same Fortune list. We know Apple was pissed at the Samsung ads, but pissed is far different from scared.
3) If Apple execs were scared into this purchase then the mercurial stock market should reflect it because "big picture" it would mean Apple is officially out of ideas after the wisper is already that Apple's board is tiring of Cook and he needs to push out novel products soon or he's gone. If this was the desperation move you think it is would the board approve the most expensive acquisition in Apple history or just take it as confirmation that Cook is a manager, not a leader, and is completely clueless how to move Apple forward.
Stocks have tanked on much more flimsier and evidence bare theories. And while the stock did get punished after the deal it was by 2.5%, not even close to double digits.
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Doubt it. You're just dreaming up numbers of people that you think sound good to you because I highly doubt MANY MILLIONS are ready to jump ship, especially for your reasons. (this forum is so funny). The average joe which I'm sure represents more than just the amount of people on MacRumors or frequent forum visitors doesn't give a rats behind about Apple's restrictions as much as you think. If that were the case the iPhone would've been discontinued long ago.
To each his own, but you're getting quite worked up over something that can be easily handled with a pair of good quality and affordable headphones which is relatively easy to acquire. And as I said earlier, I would like to think a "Violinist" would be more picky about natural sound.
Does that include the millions that bought iPhones last quarter to give Apple is best 2Q in history? Or how about the tens of millions that have made the iPhone 5 the most popular iPhone ever? If your theory were true we'd see decline in iPhone sales but at worst they are flat, but that is usually the quarter before a new model launch.
Reality is 99% of the population are not tech savvy geeks and are not affected by iPhone limitations. They don't even realize what they are. The biggest iPhone limitation to them is battery life.
No I don't think its absurd. And Apple can financially justify it because Beats makes money. Wall Street is all about margins. The margins on these headphones have to be huge. Wall Street will love that. I heard on CNBC the other week that J Crew is going down market creating stores with cheaper products. Maybe. Mickey Drexler looks at this as a way for Apple to create a downmarket product line that appeals to young people. I know Tim Cook says Apple doesn't make junk. Keeping Beats as it's own brand would be a way for Apple to profit off junk without having the Apple logo on the product. I still think it's about trying to buy cool, nostalgia for the days when iPods and those white earbuds were all the rage.
they're not junk though.. it's good sound.
have you listened to them before?
maybe overpriced as you can get similar quality for less but that doesn't mean beats is a junk product.
in what world are cool and admired (what does this even mean?) interchangeable?
berkshire hathwaway and southwest airlines are cool?
this is a desperate move in anyway you look at it. dosent mean it cant be a successful one though
I don't care a whit about iOS "restrictions" and don't understand people that are obsessed over this nonissue.
I see your point and I agree, but I still cannot fathom at all why this restriction is there? Why won't apple let an app developer write a global EQ? I'd code the app myself if apple would just lift this completely arbitrary restriction.
I wanted to stop reading after this sentence because Beats is a privately held company and it doesn't report full financial data like a public one. Therefore no one not connected to Beats or Apple has any idea if it's a profitable company. You're rationale why Apple can justify the purchase isn't verifiable so it's a tenuous position to make.
But reading further down the whole "cool" argument fails because it demonstrates Apple execs ability to show leadership. You don't get to be # 1 with failed leadership; just a golden parachute. Beats headphones are a fad. I'm not a huge Cook fan, but I don't think either he or the board is so ignorant of the market to pay 3x revenue for a fad. That just tarnishes Apple's rep.
This purchase, if it happens, will go as all other Apple acquisitions have gone in the past -- Apple will consume the IP, the deals, & some of the staff (mostly s/w here, and throw away the rest, including the Beats name. Apple isn't getting into the headphone business any deeper than it already is in. It will then kill off the free standing Beats apps (Android, WP, and iOS) and incorporate into the next version of iTunes. They will make iTunes into the next killer app and reason to buy an iPhone. In the end its all about the iPhone, not headphones.
Yes I've owned two pairs. Not recently though, so maybe they've improved their sound.
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Why on earth would Apple throw away the Beats name when by all indications that's the only thing worth anything? CNBC's Courtney Reagan said on Friday that her sources told her it was "all about the headphones". That tells me two things: 1)Apple execs think Apple has lost some of its cool and think the Beats brand can bring some of that back, 2)Beats headphones are highly profitable; they'll be a boon to Apple's top and bottom line as well as margins. Wall Street will love that.
Seriously doubt Samsung had anything to do with this. iTunes' lagging music downloads was most likely the cause. Spotify is the reason Apple is doing this. It's not about coolness,, its about recognizing the reality of the situation. Before you respond with "then why doest Apple just build their own service? " take the time to re - read (cause I know you've read them) the dozen or so answers that have already be posted in the thread alone.
Then why not purchase Spotify? Or why didn't they purchase Mog (which Beats got for a lot less than $3B).
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Also according to Fortune's website the most admired list is determined by "executives, directors, and analysts" not the general public.
I agree that Apple will likely keep the Beats branding. We've heard from multiple "insider" that this is more about music streaming than headphones. Anonymous sources and insiders have a long history of being wrong and/or being fictitious.
The Beats headphones are in fact junk. Have you seen the abundance of Beats Studios with broken hand bands. They snap very easily. The Solos are even worse. The reason why there are more kids out there seen in the wild wearing beats is because many of them listen to hip hop and that's what the beats are tailored to. They have heavy bass, period. No real natural sound to the original recording. For the price Beats by Dre charges you can get a pair of the Bowers & Wilkins P5's or even the new P7's. Amazing quality, they don't clip or distort and they are made of 3 high quality materials. Metal, Sheep's leather and wood. Beats is made much of plastic and vinyl.
Spotify would likely be a better choice, but would certainly cost more and is yet to turn a profit. Beats is cheaper and already makes money off its headphone line. If the music streaming thing doesn't work Apple will still have the incoming from the headphones to virtually guarantee this will be a profitable venture.
Depends. Cook would tell you that Apple dominates the marketshare they care about: the high end market.
Is any streaming service making money? Yes of course streaming is leading to less paid music downloading, but that's just because the overall long term trend is that cost of listening to music will eventually be zero. All the money men are still trying to rape people over music like its 1985, and people are collectively giving the industry the finger whenever given the opportunity. Napster was the first giant blow, which required draconian measures to shut down. Here we are again. Will the industry try to pass more legislation to shut down free streaming? Arguing it "harms artists?"
I don't even like Apple or Beats, but this acquisition is no big deal. I grew up mostly from the SoCal area so Dr. Dre is iconic to me. If his image is un-Apple like, then what then? Apple haa gone through an identity crisis since Jobs passed. The Apple of old will never be the same again. People need to grasp that or just move onto something else. Beats is a popular brand among teenagers. Slap a Beats logo on there and kids without any real tech knowledge run off to buy their overpriced products. How is that any different than Apple? This is chump change to Apple.
Dr. Dre is a hip hop legend and influential producer. He rarely samples anymore since Aftermath and tries to come up with his own beats. He likes using live instruments and has even worked with song writer/composer Burt Bacharach. One cool thing about Dr. Dre is he listens to Nirvana. One of his listens is Kraftwerk. The guy helped launched Snoop Dogg & Eminem's career. The latter being the best and popular rapper alive. Dre is a genius. Apple looks to diversify and have a stranglehold on the young. Same old mentality wasnt working. Younger generation is the future.
Dr. Dre is a hip hop legend and influential producer. He rarely samples anymore since Aftermath and tries to come up with his own beats. He likes using live instruments and has even worked with song writer/composer Burt Bacharach. One cool thing about Dr. Dre is he listens to Nirvana. One of his listens is Kraftwerk. The guy helped launched Snoop Dogg & Eminem's career. The latter being the best and popular rapper alive. Dre is a genius. Apple looks to diversify and have a stranglehold on the young. Same old mentality wasnt working. Younger generation is the future.