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Report Claims Beats Acquisition to Bring "Culturally Aware" Managers to Apple...

$280 buck for wireless headphones? That's as much of a rip-off as the Nokie Purity Pro. No one should have to spend that much cash on friggen headphones![

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You don't have to. Nobody's forcing you to buy them. But there's obviously a lot of people who will and do buy them. Just like anything else. Like an iPhone, iPad, macs etc.

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and you separated African Americans from teenagers because....? So people of african descent can't be teenagers? You speak of them as if they are some separate species or so.


Because prejudice and stereotypes still exist
 
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Thanks for trying to give your opinion as fact. Spoiler: It's not fact.

Some of the strongest hip hop - and art in general - has come out in the last few years including Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, MAAD City,
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor II, Wale's "The Gifted" and Childish Gambino's "Because The Internet".

How did anything you said contradict my point?

If you consider Lupe Fiasco commercial hip-hop then we have nothing else to speak on, respectfully. he's FAR from commercial. Kendrick Lamar is the only commercial "success" out of the list you provided - an exception to a crappy rule. My point still stands: COMMERCIAL hip-hop (think Drake, Wayne, Future, I could go on...) is by and large, garbage.

And the fact still remains, hip hop is consumed, largely, by suburban white kids. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/edito...ce-and-the-misnomer-of-hip-hop-as-black-music (see the section entitled "Hip Hop’s Audience By The Numbers") for example.
 
How did anything you said contradict my point?

If you consider Lupe Fiasco commercial hip-hop then we have nothing else to speak on, respectfully. he's FAR from commercial. Kendrick Lamar is the only commercial "success" out of the list you provided - an exception to a crappy rule. My point still stands: COMMERCIAL hip-hop (think Drake, Wayne, Future, I could go on...) is by and large, garbage.

And the fact still remains, hip hop is consumed, largely, by suburban white kids. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/edito...ce-and-the-misnomer-of-hip-hop-as-black-music (see the section entitled "Hip Hop’s Audience By The Numbers") for example.

Drake and futures albums were good.Its all opinion.:cool:
 
I made that comment somewhat tongue in cheek, but honestly there are people who see racism in everything. I'd like to say it's a product of the current times, but it's always been true. Heck, it's routinely commented when people try to discuss problems with Obamacare. People that have issues with it are frequently regarded as being racially biased.

"If you are part of the large contingent of the American population that opposes Obamacare, it’s probably because you’re a racist." - Senator Rockefeller in a committee meeting on 5/21

No doubt he's saying this for political reasons, but it's still silly.

First of all, what one person says is not a trend. It's what one person says. That person is responsible for what they say, not some vaguely described group that it is convenient to associate together.

Second, that "quote" is isn't really very close to what Rockefeller actually said, it's the far more incendiary spun version of what he said.

This, sadly, is how "debate" takes place today.
 
Second, that "quote" is isn't really very close to what Rockefeller actually said, it's the far more incendiary spun version of what he said.

This, sadly, is how "debate" takes place today.

He said that critics of the plan have already decided that they don't want it to work. They don't like the the president because he is the wrong color. Then he says that he knows a lot of that goes on.

Seems pretty accurate to me..
 
He said that critics of the plan have already decided that they don't want it to work. They don't like the the president because he is the wrong color. Then he says that he knows a lot of that goes on.

Seems pretty accurate to me..

I remember the day before the 2008 election an old coot caught up with me and asked if I was a registered voter. I said yes. He was very concerned saying "I hope enough of the right people vote the right way".

I was surprised to hear that in '08.
 
He said that critics of the plan have already decided that they don't want it to work. They don't like the the president because he is the wrong color. Then he says that he knows a lot of that goes on.

Seems pretty accurate to me..

When quotes are put around words, as you did, this means it is a literal quote of what someone said, not something roughly paraphrased, to make it sound worse, or better. Being curious to find out what he actually said required picking through several pages of the misquote you posted here in a Google search. So today, it isn't so much what you say as much as what someone can make it look like you said, or believes is what you really meant. An awful lot of what passes for debate on these forums follows that very template.
 
Don't throw race into this.

Then don't write disgustingly racist comments like: "pandering to African-Americans and teenagers. #vomit"

You guys make me sick. This is a business deal, which will pay for itself in a few years just in profits alone.

Throw in the value that Iovine and Dr. Dre will bring by helping Apple make business deals that will enable them to strengthen their media offerings, and this deal is a bargain.

They don't even put an Apple logo on their keyboards anymore, do you think they are going to "bling up" the MacBook? Cover it with Beats logos? No. Don't be foolish. Jony Ive isn't going to change course over this, but Apple is going to gain significant value.

Your fears are culturally tone-deaf and inherently racist.
 
No one does have to spend that much cash on headphones. There are plenty of options out there.

$280 buck for wireless headphones? That's as much of a rip-off as the Nokie Purity Pro. No one should have to spend that much cash on friggen headphones!


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Um, Lupe's last album, Food & Liquor II, debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200. It was released by Atlantic Records, a division of Warner Brothers, the 2nd largest record label in the world. His album before that debuted at #1. He's had 6 Top 20 Rap Hit's in the last 6 years & 2 Top 40's on the Hot 100. You really can't get any more commercial than that.

How did anything you said contradict my point?

If you consider Lupe Fiasco commercial hip-hop then we have nothing else to speak on, respectfully. he's FAR from commercial. Kendrick Lamar is the only commercial "success" out of the list you provided - an exception to a crappy rule. My point still stands: COMMERCIAL hip-hop (think Drake, Wayne, Future, I could go on...) is by and large, garbage.

And the fact still remains, hip hop is consumed, largely, by suburban white kids. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/edito...ce-and-the-misnomer-of-hip-hop-as-black-music (see the section entitled "Hip Hop’s Audience By The Numbers") for example.
 
Then don't write disgustingly racist comments like: "pandering to African-Americans and teenagers. #vomit"

You guys make me sick. This is a business deal, which will pay for itself in a few years just in profits alone.

Throw in the value that Iovine and Dr. Dre will bring by helping Apple make business deals that will enable them to strengthen their media offerings, and this deal is a bargain.

They don't even put an Apple logo on their keyboards anymore, do you think they are going to "bling up" the MacBook? Cover it with Beats logos? No. Don't be foolish. Jony Ive isn't going to change course over this, but Apple is going to gain significant value.

Your fears are culturally tone-deaf and inherently racist.

How is using the phrase "pandering to African Americans" inherently racist? If I was African American I would be offended that Apple might believe buying Beats is a way to become more "culturally aware" of my race. Same thing if I was a teenager. As far as race goes, if I heard Apple was planning to hire some white country music star I'd feel the same way. My issue is Apple thinking it needs to spend billions on hiring celebrities for any reason. Google is spending money on AI, robotics, the connected home. Apple apparently is going to spend $3B on two celebrities and headphones that could be out of fashion as quickly as they were in fashion.

According to Billboard the deal hasn't been announced yet because Apple isn't sure how to value Beats music, they're not sure how Iovine and Dre would fit in at Apple and they were very upset with the leaked video Dre's friend put up on Facebook. I really hope Apple isn't feeling pressured into doing this. If they're not sure how to value the company or how Iovine and Dre would fit in culturally perhaps this isn't the right company for Apple.

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/6099227/five-things-apple-beats-deal
 
How is using the phrase "pandering to African Americans" inherently racist? If I was African American I would be offended that Apple might believe buying Beats is a way to become more "culturally aware" of my race. Same thing if I was a teenager. As far as race goes, if I heard Apple was planning to hire some white country music star I'd feel the same way. My issue is Apple thinking it needs to spend billions on hiring celebrities for any reason. Google is spending money on AI, robotics, the connected home. Apple apparently is going to spend $3B on two celebrities and headphones that could be out of fashion as quickly as they were in fashion.

I'm just going to quote myself back, since this question has already been addressed:

Assuming for the moment that the writers of this article possess some special insights into how Apple operates (and I don't know why we would assume that), no matter how they phrase it, the bottom line is all about marketing. We can be certain that Apple knows a lot more about their product demographics than we do. If they see themselves losing touch with any important demographic, then we should expect them to find ways to reposition their products and increase their appeal to that market. Call it what you like, but it's still all marketing.

The issue here is the use of hot button buzzwords. By just about everyone.
 
He was implying trailer trash. People who live in ghettos and have no money.

But you already knew that and are just trying to be smart. Well done.

Thanks!
You're really good at making wrong assumptions about people!
And next time I'll be sure to read your mind and not what you wrote.
 
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This whole thing sounds like a lot of hype intended to generate buzz in order to drive the price up.

The hype being not necessarily about the acquisition, but the 3 billion dollar price tag.
 
Then don't write disgustingly racist comments like: "pandering to African-Americans and teenagers. #vomit"

How is that sentence racist? Between the it's-all-your-fault-blacks and the god-I-feel-so-guilty-I'm-white-whites the word "racism" has ceased to have much meaning lately as demonstrated in this thread.
 
This is just difficult to understand spending $3 billion dollars for Beats when you could have bought Nest for that amount of money. You would get the driving company behind the 'Internet of Things" and gotten Tony Fadell back. Teaming Fadell and Ive back together would be as big a splash as getting Jobs back. But alas, Apple let Nest get bought by that up-start company that just passed them as the most valuable brand and your mortal enemy...Google.
 
This is just difficult to understand spending $3 billion dollars for Beats when you could have bought Nest for that amount of money. You would get the driving company behind the 'Internet of Things" and gotten Tony Fadell back. Teaming Fadell and Ive back together would be as big a splash as getting Jobs back. But alas, Apple let Nest get bought by that up-start company that just passed them as the most valuable brand and your mortal enemy...Google.

How many people know what Nest is? How many people know what Beats are?

The only thing that's difficult to understand is why anyone thinks it's difficult to understand. Seems pretty simple to me.
 
How is using the phrase "pandering to African Americans" inherently racist? If I was African American I would be offended that Apple might believe buying Beats is a way to become more "culturally aware" of my race. Same thing if I was a teenager. As far as race goes, if I heard Apple was planning to hire some white country music star I'd feel the same way. My issue is Apple thinking it needs to spend billions on hiring celebrities for any reason. Google is spending money on AI, robotics, the connected home. Apple apparently is going to spend $3B on two celebrities and headphones that could be out of fashion as quickly as they were in fashion.

According to Billboard the deal hasn't been announced yet because Apple isn't sure how to value Beats music, they're not sure how Iovine and Dre would fit in at Apple and they were very upset with the leaked video Dre's friend put up on Facebook. I really hope Apple isn't feeling pressured into doing this. If they're not sure how to value the company or how Iovine and Dre would fit in culturally perhaps this isn't the right company for Apple.

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/6099227/five-things-apple-beats-deal

except none of that happened and no that was said. You brought up African Americans before anyone else even the cheap shot allusions to race that other racists posted.

no I agree with you, Apple should not by a company merely to be culturally aware but no one mentioned being culturally aware being directly associated with African Americans and teenagers
 
And Windows Vista outsold Leopard. Must be something right about Vista...
:rolleyes:

I remember you as someone who can formulate a better response than resorting to a comparison that doesn't make sense. If you read my post carefully, I was responding sincerely and wasn't ridiculing your comment with rolling eyes. I find your response immature.

The point I was making is that although many here frown upon the quality of Beats headphones, it still caters to a very large segment and is very profitable.

But the "fit" of Beats to Apple should not be reduced to a discussion about the look and sound of the headphones. The other articles on this site show that there are many more facets to this.
 
BOSE (Better Off w/ Something Else) is more of a marketing company as well. The REAL companies that make the serious headphones are companies like Audeze, Sennheiser, Grado and a small handful of others. I put Beats and Bose on the same level of BS. They both cater to the "low fi" masses that don't place sound quality as a top priority when buying audio products. They both make VERY artificial sounding headphones. As the market is now starting to take sound quality more seriously with these high res formats coming out, Beats and Bose sound like crap.

The real high end headphones cost far more than what both Beats and Bose have to offer.

I think the headphone market is saturated with too many products as is. It's just that Beats and Bose know how to market their products to the masses.

Absolute right, it is only reserved for a handful of companies who can make headsets. However, they do not spend too much money on marketing and fancy stunts. Sadly as you say consumers value marketings stunts to make spending decision, instead of just go to a specialized Hi-fidelity dealer and listen to what they have to offer. Those companies and brands is not focused on how pretty the products looks, no need for Lady Gaga's styling. They just deliver a product there speaks for its self in sound quality to the high-fidelity marked, and real quality cost $$ and is not sold in Walmart.

If Apple picked one of those high end brands as partner for headsets it would be interesting, and then eventually Spotify as the music platform. Then there could be magical things happening in best Apple style. One could speculate Microsoft would do so as counter act to the the Beats thing.
 
How many people know what Nest is? How many people know what Beats are?

The only thing that's difficult to understand is why anyone thinks it's difficult to understand. Seems pretty simple to me.

Beats does not have a $3,000,000,000 name, if a name is what you want. Apple had the most valuable name going. How many people sleep overnight at a store for a Beats product launch? They don't need a name. They need innovation. Right or wrong, Apple is seen as an innovator that puts products out that change the world. The bad part about that is investors claim that they have not innovated since the introduction of the iPad. That was not that long ago. Apple has dipped their toes in many forays, but they are essentially a computer company that uses its software UI and ecosystem peripherals to push the sales of more computers. Along the way, they found out that some of those peripherals can be independently profitable (iPhone, iPad, iPod), but the underlying mission has not changed. That is why many people do not understand or question the purchase of Beats especially when they are paying 7 times more for it than any company that they have ever purchased. Oh, and by the way, no one knew what NeXT was before Apple purchased it, and the only thing they got out of that was OSX and Steve Jobs.
 
Lol I think everyone here likes apple products but that's a bit too much to say that people see apple "as an innovator that puts products out that change the world" :)
 
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