macformat.com @macformatWe look back at when the biggest name in consumer
tech bought the biggest name in headphones
N
ews that Apple was to acquire
Beats Electronics, the speaker
and headphone marketing
juggernaut helmed by Dr Dre, was
confirmed on 8 May 2014. Not in one of
Apple’s stage-managed keynotes, but in a
video posted to Instagram and Facebook of
Dr Dre and R&B artist Tyrese, who hailed
Dre as “rap’s first billionaire”.
While that may have slightly overstated
his share of the $3.2bn price tag, nobody could
deny that it was a big deal. Nor could analysts
figure out what a company known for its
restrained style and technical mastery saw
in a loudly hyped brand regularly panned
by audio reviewers.
A clue came four months later, when
Tim Cook told veteran PBS host Charlie Rose
that he’d been listening to Beats Music –
the company’s streaming service – at the
recommendation of Dre’s Beats co-founder
and legendary record producer Jimmy Iovine
when it struck him, and he felt “... completely
different. And the reason is that theyrecognised that human curation was
important.” In his WWDC keynote, Cook’s
‘one more thing’ announcement was Apple
Music, which would feature the Beats 1
internet radio station as well as curated
personal recommendations. Human-selected
highlights are now a feature of the App Store.
A slate of iPhone 6 ads promoting Beats
by Dre headphones followed, but few signs
of hardware synergy were to materialise.
Comparisons may even have focused Apple’s
and Beats’ designers on what separates them.
By late 2016, both brands offered their own
wireless earphones, differing in many ways.
BeatsX are joined by a cord, while
AirPods are separate. AirPods run for five
hours, but have a charging case, while the
eight-hour BeatsX should last all day. AirPods
are white; BeatsX are black. Yet both brands
continue to enjoy huge success, and even
where they have similar products –AirPods
and the newly announced, truly wireless
Powerbeats with charging case – arguably
they appeal to different people and activities.Apple buys Beats
106 | MACFORMAT | JUNE 2019
RANDOM APPLE MEMORY
NEXT ISSUE ON SALE
04 JUNE