New Beats Products to Debut Alongside iPhone 7 on September 7

[Chupa Chupa]

They may not have a 3.5mm headphone cable but TC will announce that AW bands have proven to be so popular Apple has re-engineered the headphone headband and it's now interchangable with other Beats designer "headliner bands": Heavy Metal (all steel), Ron Wood (hand carved oak), & Fake Plastic Trees (a plastic band for your radio head).

 

[MICHAELSD]

GET RID OF THE BEATS BRANDING AND JUST MAKE THEM LOGOLESS APPLE PRODUCTS!

That little Beats logo didn't come cheap.

 

[danielwsmithee]

My problem the wired version will have a proprietary connector making them useless for anything but idevices . No thanks

Many headphones come with both a lightning connector cable and a standard 3.5mm. I'm hoping that is what they choose to do for the higher end wired versions.

 

[MICHAELSD]

If apple includes bragi style wireless earbuds in box i will be amazed. I haven't used the standard earbuds that come in the box since iPhone 3g. Unopened iPhone 4(i think i tested them but never used them), unopened iPhone 5 and 6.
It will be a great way to shut up all the complainers if they have these in the box. Ill still use my jaybird freedoms though

Bragi style earbuds would be more expensive than standard Bluetooth 'buds. I'd expect those before AirPods to be included but at the end of the day all I expect are Lightning EarPods.

 

[Kabeyun]

Even though it's become vogue to post complaints wrapped in thin wit, I just want to say that grousing about everything doesn't translate to either intelligence or insight.

 

[flat five]

Owwww look..... Here is a set of new heaphones that will work great with the new iphone that comes without a 3.5mm jack.

My problem the wired version will have a proprietary connector making them useless for anything but idevices . No thanks.

heh, if you're in the market for some headphones today, get wireless..
not because of the iPhone or whether-or-not such&such has 3.5mm.
they're just better to use.
i'm pretty positive if you tried some wireless headphones for a while, you be like "oh, duh.. why'd i wait this long to get wireless ??"

 

[belltree]

So going by this I believe we can fully expect MacOS devices to lose their 3.5mm jacks in their coming iterations.

If so, what will be your opinion?

 

[CarlJ]

So going by this I believe we can fully expect MacOS devices to lose their 3.5mm jacks in their coming iterations.

If so, what will be your opinion?

Nope, next up for macOS devices is losing that pesky physical keyboard.

 

[Mac 128]

My problem the wired version will have a proprietary connector making them useless for anything but idevices . No thanks

Many headphones come with both a lightning connector cable and a standard 3.5mm. I'm hoping that is what they choose to do for the higher end wired versions.

After Apple drops the headphone jack, no manufacturer would make quality headphones without an interchangeable cable. They'll make headphones that can be used with anything, by simply replacing the cable. And they will likely make cables with hybrid plugs so that a person doesn't even need to carry around an adapter.

Anybody who would buy a set headphones without an interchangeable cable is as foolish as the manufacturer who made them. So nobody's locked into anything proprietary. This is the biggest non-issue I've seen raised on these forums (second only to not being able to charge and listen at the same time). These are just idiotic attempts to push a pro 3.5mm jack agenda.

The only headphones I would expect to see with fixed proprietary cables are the cheap disposable ones they sell at convenience stores, and who cares in that case? Heck, they might even come with an adapter for the same price.

 

[3568378]

While Beats are generally overpriced garbage, if Apple poured some legitimate research and development into either making Bluetooth audio better or lightning audio clearly superior to the analog headphone jack - and released the resulting products under the Beats brand - I could picture myself CONSIDERING buying a set of Beats headphones.

I was about to say, is the Beats stuff even decent audio quality? I have a pair of Sony MDR-7506 studio monitors that are just fantastic and have been an industry standard of sorts for a long time and I've always wondered if Beats could come anywhere close to even touching these things--and they are way cheaper than the Beats! $99 I think I paid?

 

[RickInHouston]

Pretty excited about this...my wife's cat just chewed up my last pair. Although they're no "hi-fi" grade cans they are quite good for the morning jog.

This is going to be a lot of announcements...Beats, iPhone, iOS 10, Apple Watch 2, watchOS, macOS

Try a pair of Koss Porta Pro's. They are quite good. It's what I run with.

 

[ipedro]

It's interesting how the people who complain about the removal of the headphone jack are the same ones who complained about the removal of the MagSafe connector because it brought back tripping on MacBook power cords.

I've flung more iPhones across the sidewalk because of wired headphones than anything else.

Bring on the era of AirPods!

 

[Ankaa]

Bragi style earbuds would be more expensive than standard Bluetooth 'buds. I'd expect those before AirPods to be included but at the end of the day all I expect are Lightning EarPods.

Bragi's Dash sells at $300, the equivalent Samsung ear buds sell at $200. There is no reason whatsoever to believe that if Apple announces their own AirPods they'd sell for anything less than anything between the two, depending on functionality.

There's no way in hell they will be included.

 

[danielwsmithee]

I was about to say, is the Beats stuff even decent audio quality? I have a pair of Sony MDR-7506 studio monitors that are just fantastic and have been an industry standard of sorts for a long time and I've always wondered if Beats could come anywhere close to even touching these things--and they are way cheaper than the Beats! $99 I think I paid?

My $15 monoprice head phones I bought for my kids sound better in my opinion than the Beats Solos. I've loved the sound of my Focal Spirit Ones, but the build quality is crap... Looking for something that both sounds great, and is comfortable and durable now. My last pair that really fit that were my older Seinheissers.

 

[Black Magic]

"We've removed the headphone jack from the iPhone, and now we've revolutionized Beats by removing their headphones. You can now have the high-profile look of Beats, all without the sound. We call them 'BeatsAir'."

No. They just made the new Beats THINNER.

 

[Ankaa]

That little Beats logo didn't come cheap.

Getting rid of the branding/logo doesn't make the headphones themselves any prettier... I know, it all comes down to personal taste, but in my opinion Beats headphones are on the lower end of the appealing design scale...

 

[ipedro]

I hope that they announce a streamlined Beats lineup. There are way too many Beats products.

• Beats (AirPlay wireless headphones)
• Beats Pro (Pro headphones. Lightning cable and 3.5 jack audio cable in the box)
• PowerBeats earphones (Lightning w/ 3.5 jack adapter in the box)
• PowerBeats AirPlay wireless earphones

That's it. That's all they need. Keep the choices simple.

 

[Abazigal]

It's getting more and more confusing.

Apple buys Beats, now rumored to offer new wireless (and lightning-wired) headphones when the new iPhone comes out.

Apple has been rumored to work on their own completely wireless ear pods (AirPods) for quite some time now, at least a year or more. There is pretty good evidence re the name etc. And those ain't gonna be cheap.

Bragi, a German company btw., has a BIG announcement scheduled for the 5th, in Cupertino. Rumor has it they are being acquired by Apple. Maybe, maybe not, but something is strange about the timing and place of the announcement.

Just some thoughts:

Why would Apple buy a headphone company when working on their own premium head phones. They'd cannibalize their own sales.

Are the rumored AirPods indeed Beats ear pods?

Why would Apple buy yet another headphone company (if they indeed were to buy Bragi), and in particular the one with the first truly wireless ear pods (that have been in production for quite some time and been sold since the beginning of the year), when they already HAVE one headphone company? Wouldn't two different brands (or even three, including the Apple one), get way too confusing? Why would they buy them when they were working on their own AirPods? Do they try to take out the competition? Did they never really work on their own ones?

Questions, so many questions. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to next week's event. I've been in the market for the Dash for quite some time now, but did want to wait to see what Apple comes up with ... don't like the idea that the AirPods might be Beats stuff, at all, though ...

My guess is that Bragi is working on something similar to Apple, caught wind of this, and are now scrambling to announce their product before Apple's keynote. Because you know that Apple is going to suck all the air out of the news cycle for the weeks after the iPhone keynote.

 

[Ankaa]

My guess is that Bragi is working on something similar to Apple, caught wind of this, and are now scrambling to announce their product before Apple's keynote. Because you know that Apple is going to suck all the air out of the news cycle for the weeks after the iPhone keynote.

Wait, that doesn't make sense. If anything, Apple has been working on something similar to what Bragi already HAS had out for over half a year ... or at least if you base it on any of the AirPod rumors ...

 

[JPSaltzman]

Beats.... bleh. What about the MacPro ? Or is it just DOA? I guess Apple only cares about Dr. Dre and his minions. Steve Jobs is spinning in his grave.

 

[danielwsmithee]

I hope that they announce a streamlined Beats lineup. There are way too many Beats products.

• Beats (AirPlay wireless headphones)
• Beats Pro (Pro headphones. Lightning cable and 3.5 jack audio cable in the box)
• PowerBeats earphones (Lightning w/ 3.5 jack adapter in the box)
• PowerBeats AirPlay wireless earphones

That's it. That's all they need. Keep the choices simple.

AirPlay? I assume you mean Bluetooth? Otherwise the battery will last like 1/4 of 1 song.

 

[Ankaa]

Oh come on, it's getting sooooo old. Why has there be a Mac comment in every single thread??? Apple is more than just Macs, get over it. (and yes, I too am waiting for new Macs...but I'm also looking forward to next week's IPHONE event)

 

[BornAgainMac]

How do you know they're not?
Isn't that what the article says?
They are coming out with *NEW* Beats?

I don't know if the quality is better or not. But this is what I have noticed with people. 99% of the time, people will complain that Beats headphones are garbage but rarely will ever recommend what is better. Sometimes someone will ask if Bose is better. But the response is always the same... Bose is terrible too. Maybe the people that have a drawer full of different headphones that is able to compare each vendor are the ones complaining because the headphone jack is gone. I got the Beats headphones due to the wireless feature and I like the comfort compared to the Apple default in-ear kind. They sound fine to me.

Now that Apple has a chance to control the quality of Beats headphones, will someone be brave enough to purchase or try them and see if the quality is better. Or is the image of Beats headphones being terrible going to last forever? I would like to think that Apple would improve the product over time.

 

[Ankaa]

I don't even know whether or not the sound quality of Beats is better than other headphones or not. First, I do think they're pricey, but so are Bose. But, I can't even wear them for a few minutes in store...besides a good to decent sound, for me comfort is one of THE MAIN criteria when choosing headphones, and Beats just don't work out ...Bose do. (and I tried many other brands and neither of them came close to the comfort of my Bose headphones)

 

[Abazigal]

Wait, that doesn't make sense. If anything, Apple has been working on something similar to what Bragi already HAS had out for over half a year ... or at least if you base it on any of the AirPod rumors ...

This assumes that Apple is going to be content with just releasing a mirror copy of the Bragi dash earphones, without adding their own improvements and tweaks and refinements.

I am actually willing to bet on Apple coming up with their own wireless standard and implementing it in their own headphones. If you asked me to guess, it would allow for a low-powered form of AirPlay which would allow for better wireless sound quality over a greater range, without drawing too much power. It would pair with multiple Apple devices and allow you to seamlessly switch between all of them.

In short, it might allow Apple to circumvent many of the drawbacks and limitations of Bluetooth, but the drawback is that it might work only with Apple devices.

Trying to squeeze in an announcement just before the iPhone keynote just makes Bragi look desperate and panicked, and one can only wonder why.