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NFL Players Banned From Wearing Beats Headphones on Camera
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I agree with one rather large caveat... PRICE. Even though it has taken the "engineering" headphone companies some time to get the fashion piece, once they do, why pay $300 when a $150 pair both sounds AND looks just as good?
I see a lot of their QC's on flights; they are quite good a noise cancellation and personally I can't tell the difference between them and any other set of headphones around their price range. YMMV.
I must admit I do find the Audio Technica QuietPoints a better buy at half the price of the Bose QC's. The QP's sound fine and the noise reduction is as good as the Bose.
I now use Sennheiser's NC only because they have bluetooth but they still work as headphones with the battery dead using a cable.
Because creating a "culture" goes much beyond just the looks of the device. Secondly, when you do something and it pays off big time as it clearly has for Beats - its simply not a given that the competition can regain its share with just upping that aspect of its product that beats exploited to find its dominant position. A high school kid who trades off on spending 300 Dollars per year on sneakers for Beats headphones is not going to switch over to Sennheiser just because their designs look better now than the past. Beats is about marketing genius and selling a culture to a demographic that had absolutely zero interest in headphones that cost anywhere beyond 100+ Dollars. How to get that very demographic to shift from Beats to something better that may or may not be cheaper is going to be an interesting strategy to follow (what different OEMs are doing). Beats growth (and with that the growth of the premium/expensive headphones market in the US) has largely been fueled by a category of buyers that is brand new to headphones (at the premium end) so its not as much about " taking back" customers that once were loyal to these brands as it is about " having these ""new"" customers" appreciate and get to know your brand. It would be interesting to see how much Beats has sold outside of the Hip Hop music culture where it clearly had a marketing edge due to its association with Andre. Another aspect to consider is the influence of Apple and what plan it has for beats hardware. Apple also has a very loyal customer base which I suspect would shift towards beats after apple integrates its own design language into the brand. I won't be going into beats anytime soon until and unless they actually sound better then my current cans that are cheaper, but if apple can engineer these things for remarkable sound, and also bring out new technology in noise-cancelation or wireless etc I will not shy away from spending the extra 100 bucks despite of what beats has represented in terms of music quality for the price in the past.
Apple = NFLBose didn't attack Beats. They signed a deal with NFL, who told Beats to go home because they didn't pay up like Bose did. Does that warrant "retaliation"?
NFL = Apple
Commonality?
It's all about the money above all.
Both powerhouse organizations that are highly influential, profitable & in control of their devotees. Quite the accomplishments in each case. Two dominate forces that call the shots... Always.
Well that's a pretty narrow view point... I wonder how did you get your car.. Was it by hmm let me just walk into this dealership or was it by some sort of marketing?
Same for your .. Oh maybe your phone.
Marketing is huge because ANYONE can get an influence of something they otherwise wouldn't know about.
Gorilla Marketing is one strategy to try to out do a competitor that has got a firm hold on the market yet if one were to compare the air time Samsung phones get vs apple air time for the iPhone i would think samsung would have a lead by quite a bit of margin. Yet apple even before the larger phones came out, had an edge in the US of taking more customers away from samsung then loosing to it.
I don't think apple has a lot of problem in introducing great products (technically great) through the beats brand. They also don't have a problem in attracting the best engineering talent (that i am aware of anyhow). Beats to them was a strategic acquisition that had to do with the branding and the streaming service, in addition the value that the two co-founders provided in terms of selling something that is remotely "music". If apple wanted to introduce products at par or better than bose they could have simply done so by spending half of what they spent on beats into R&D over a year or 2.
No, Apple fanboys who became Beats fanboys the second the ink dried on the acquisition paperwork.
While I see the usual audio snobbery is in full force, some of you fail to realize that most people aren't audiophiles with exceptional ears. They don't spend thousands of dollars on high end equipment, only use lossless formats, etc. For them, a pair of Beats or Bose headphones are just fine.
This seems odd from a contractual standpoint with the players but im not sure how those work. Like if someone has a poweraide sponsorship and the nfl has a gatoraide sponsorship, does the player have to drink water on the field? If a player has a nike sponsorship and the nfl has an under-armor one, what can they wear on the bus to practice?
Nevermind that these differences are a bit mor essential than headphones for music.
Nevermind that these differences are a bit mor essential than headphones for music.
I have to admit...
If Apple/Beats come out with a headphone that connects via Lightning & pushes 24 bit audio, and reviews well- I may cave. =)
Subjectivity? Personal preference? Stop trying to make sense in these forums, sir. It's all about bashing here.
as i understand the report, the players can't have non-bose electronics on camera during interviews in those times.
Recode said:
The reports are confusing; some explicitly state 'during interviews' (including training camp media commitments), whereas others suggest the restriction applies to the whole matchday until 90 minutes post game.
Hmmm.... well, that is certainly AN opinion.
However, I would posit that those who honestly can't tell the difference between good headphones & garbage would better spend their money on a set of Skullcandy or the like for like $50-$60, rather than pay $300+ for a pair that, to them, sounds the same.
I am a bargain driven audiophile; I'm not offended by the quality of Beats headphones... they review well because that demographic has NEVER experienced headphones of any type of premium sound at all. Like Bose, if your only comparison is free ear buds, you're going to think you're wearing the Rolls Royce of headphones... that you died & went to headphone heaven. However, since I actually HAVE been exposed to good cans, I'm offended by Beats & Bose pricing. They are routinely compared unfavorably to sets half their cost.
they can drink whatever they want.. the cup or dispenser will say gatorade though.. most of the time, there seems to be water coming out of those gatorade dispensers.
..though in recent times, i think they make sure the gatorade dump has actual gatorade or colored liquid in there.
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yeah, i don't really know.. if bozzy's picture of cam newton(?) is recent though, i'll go ahead and assume he's following the new rules and won't be fined for wearing beats during warmup (if he is breaking the rules and it's a recent photo, i'm sure we'll hear about it by tomorrow)
Usually banning something has had the opposite effect. Fine the NFL inked a deal but to ban beats as part of this expresses the fear and the threat that Beats poses to Bose (the opinion about the equipment is another matter).
I think if anyone does anything because of fear it usually results in increasing the power and momentum of that which you attempt to stifle.
The NFL didn't ban Beats due to fear. They did it for $$$. Bose paid more. Plain and simple.
But you signed a contract with specific terms regarding NFL rules and protocol and your players union was heavily involved in all of this regarding rules and sponsors.
Yep. The 'banning Beats' angle is a ridiculous Applecentric slant on the deal, even if the Beats brand is the most high profile 'loser'.