Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American
consumer
A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...
audio
Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to:
Sound
* Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound
*Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum
* Digital audio, representation of sou ...
products manufacturer headquartered in
Culver City, California.
The company was founded by music producer
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
and record company executive
Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...
. Since 2014, it has been an
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
subsidiary.
The subsidiary's product line is primarily focused on
headphones
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an au ...
and
speakers
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
. The company's original product line was manufactured in partnership with the AV equipment company
Monster Cable Products
Monster Inc. is an American company that manufactures and markets about 6,000 products, but is best known for audio and video cables. It also produces speakers, headphones, power strips, mobile accessories and audio devices for automobiles. The c ...
. Following the end of its contract with the company, Beats took further development of its products in-house. In 2014, the company expanded into the online music market with the launch of a subscription-based streaming service,
Beats Music
Beats Music was a subscription-based online music streaming service owned by the Beats Electronics division of Apple Inc. The service combined algorithm-based personalization with expert music suggestions from a variety of sources.
Developmen ...
.
In 2011,
NPD Group
The NPD Group, Inc. (NPD; formerly National Purchase Diary Panel Inc. and NPD Research Inc.) is an American market research company founded on September 28, 1966, and based in Port Washington, New York. In 2017, NPD ranked as the 8th largest mar ...
reported that Beats' market share was 64% in the U.S. for headphones priced higher than $100, and the brand was valued at $1billion in September 2013.
For a period, the company was majority-owned by
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
ese
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
maker
HTC
HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, s=宏达国际电子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t) or High Tech Computer Corporation, (literally ''Hongda International Electron ...
. The company reduced its stake to 25% in 2012, and sold its remaining stake back to the company in 2013. Concurrently,
Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is a multinational private equity, alternative asset management and financial services corporation based in the United States with $376 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, real assets, and ...
replaced HTC as a minority shareholder, alongside Dr. Dre and Iovine in late 2013. On August 1, 2014,
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
acquired Beats for $3 billion in a cash and stock deal, the largest acquisition in Apple's history.
History
Formation
![Dr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Dr._Dre_at_Coachella_2012_cropped.jpg)
Beats was established in 2006 by music producer
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
and record company executive
Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...
. Iovine perceived two key problems in the music industry: the impact of
piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
on music sales and the substandard audio quality provided by
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
's plastic earbuds. Iovine recalled that Dre said to him: "Man, it's one thing that people steal my music. It's another thing to destroy the feeling of what I've worked on." Iovine sought the opinions of musicians with "great taste", such as
M.I.A.,
Pharrell Williams,
will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
, and
Gwen Stefani during the early developmental stage.
Beats initially partnered with inventor
Noel Lee and his company
Monster Cable
Monster Inc. is an American company that manufactures and markets about 6,000 products, but is best known for audio and video cables. It also produces speakers, headphones, power strips, mobile accessories and audio devices for automobiles. The c ...
, an audio and video component manufacturer based in
Brisbane, California
Brisbane (pron. , unlike Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) is a small city located in California in the northern part of San Mateo County on the lower slopes of San Bruno Mountain. It is located on the southern border of San Francisco, on the ...
, to manufacture and develop the first Beats-branded products, and debuted its first product, ''Beats by Dr. Dre Studio'' headphones, on July 25, 2008.
![Jimmy Iovine & David Guetta](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Jimmy_Iovine_%26_David_Guetta.jpg)
To promote its products, Beats primarily relied on celebrity endorsements by
pop and
hip-hop music performers, including
product placement within
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
s, and partnering with musicians and other celebrities to develop
co-branded
Co-branding is a marketing strategy that involves strategic alliance of multiple brand names jointly used on a single product or service.
Co-branding is an arrangement that associates a single product or service with more than one brand name, o ...
products.
Beats' use of
endorsements by musicians helped the company aggressively target the
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
demographics.
HTC purchase and non-renewal of Monster contract
In August 2010, mobile phone manufacturer
HTC
HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, s=宏达国际电子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t) or High Tech Computer Corporation, (literally ''Hongda International Electron ...
acquired a 50.1% majority share in Beats for $309 million. The purchase was intended to allow HTC to compete with other cellphone makers by associating themselves with the Beats brand,
as the purchase also granted HTC exclusive rights to manufacture smartphones with Beats-branded audio systems.
Despite its majority acquisition, HTC allowed Beats to operate as an autonomous company.
Luke Wood
Luke Wood is an American music executive and musician, known as being the president of both Beats Electronics from 2012 to 2010 and DGC Records from 2007 to 2010. He was also a guitarist for the 1990s alt-rock bands Sammy and Girls Against Boys. ...
, President of Beats in May 2014, joined the company in January 2010, when the company was a "licensing business". Wood had previously worked under Iovine at
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
.
On January 19, 2012, ''
BusinessWeek
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' reported that Beats and Monster would not renew their production contract and their partnership ceased at the end of 2012. Dre and Iovine subsequently decided to oversee the entire operation of the company, from manufacturing to R&D,
and aimed to double its workforce to around 300 employees. Monster would ultimately begin marketing its own competing line of premium headphones aimed towards an older demographic.
At the time, neither Dre, Iovine or Wood were experienced in the operation of a company at such a grand level, but Wood explained in 2014:
I didn't have manufacturing experience, but I had experience of building something from scratch… Every time we put out an album, it was basically like building a new business--a unique cast of characters, unique challenges and opportunities, and trying to figure out a unique path to market.
In October 2012, Beats unveiled its first two self-developed products, "Beats Executive" headphones and "
Beats Pill
Beats Pill is a brand of portable Bluetooth speakers produced by Beats Electronics. The Pill was released in 2012. The devices include 3.5 mm audio input and output jacks and charges over a Micro USB port.
Design and functionality
Serving as ...
" wireless speakers—Iovine believed that the company would now have to "control
tsown destiny" in order to continue its growth. Iovine also commented on how other headphone makers had attempted to emulate Beats' celebrity endorsement business model (including Monster themselves, who unveiled
Earth, Wind and Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...
and
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...
-themed headphones at the 2012
Consumer Electronics Show),
stating that "some of our competitors are cheap engineers who have never been to a recording studio. You can't just stick someone's name on a headphone that doesn't know anything about sound."
Following the decision to transform Beats into an autonomous entity, the company's revenues reached the $1 billion mark, according to Iovine.
HTC sale and Beats Music
![Beats Music logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Beats_Music_logo.svg)
In July 2012, HTC sold back half of its stake in Beats for $150 million, remaining the largest shareholder with 25.1 percent. The sale was intended to provide "flexibility for global expansion while maintaining HTC's major stake and commercial exclusivity in mobile".
In August 2013, reports surfaced that Beats' founders planned to buy back HTC's remaining minority stake in the company, and pursue a new, unspecified partner for a future investment.
On September 27, 2013, HTC confirmed that it would sell its remaining 24.84% stake in Beats back to the company for $265 million. Concurrently, Beats announced that the
Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is a multinational private equity, alternative asset management and financial services corporation based in the United States with $376 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, real assets, and ...
would make a $500 million minority investment in the company.
The overall deal valued Beats Electronics at $1 billion
and helped HTC turn a
net profit
In business and accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest, ...
of $10.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, following HTC's first quarterly loss in company history.
The appointment of a new
chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
(COO), a role previously filled by Wood,
was announced in early November 2013. Matthew Costello, formerly of
IKEA
IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...
and HTC, was formally appointed to the role in May 2014.
On January 21, 2014, the company launched Beats Music, a subscription-based online music streaming service.
Prior to the launch of the service, Beats stated that it intends to provide a different type of streaming experience to what was available on the market at the time. Additionally, the service would only be available to consumers in the U.S. at inception.
Subsidiary of Apple Inc. (2014–present)
On May 8, 2014, the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' reported that
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
was in negotiations with Beats to purchase the company for $3.2 billion—the largest purchase in Apple's history and well ahead of its $429 million purchase of
NeXT
Next may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Next'' (1990 film), an animated short about William Shakespeare
* ''Next'' (2007 film), a sci-fi film starring Nicolas Cage
* '' Next: A Primer on Urban Painting'', a 2005 documentary film
Lit ...
in 1996.
The impending deal was prematurely and indirectly revealed in a photo and
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
video posted to
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
by
Tyrese Gibson
Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...
on May 8, 2014; the video documented a celebration in which Gibson and Dr. Dre made boasting remarks about the acquisition, with Dre declaring himself the "first billionaire in hip hop", while Gibson declared that the "
Forbes list" had changed. Both the photo and video were removed from Facebook the following morning, but both remain on Gibson's YouTube channel.
Indeed, analysts estimated that the rumored deal would make Dr. Dre the first billionaire in the hip-hop music industry in terms of
net worth
Net worth is the value of all the non-financial and financial assets owned by an individual or institution minus the value of all its outstanding liabilities. Since financial assets minus outstanding liabilities equal net financial assets, net ...
, assuming that he held at least 15% ownership in the company prior to the deal. Dr. Dre was listed with a net worth of $550 million on
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
' ''
The World's Billionaires
''The World's Billionaires'' is an annual ranking by documented net worth of the wealthiest billionaires in the world, compiled and published in March annually by the American business magazine ''Forbes''. The list was first published in March ...
'' 2014 list. It was also estimated that the
Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is a multinational private equity, alternative asset management and financial services corporation based in the United States with $376 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, real assets, and ...
would receive a profit of $1 billion from the sale of its minority stake in the company.
On May 28, 2014, Apple officially announced its intention to acquire Beats Electronics for $3 billion—with $400 million to be paid in Apple stock and the remainder in cash. Some reports suggested that the reduction in value may have been a result of lower-than-expected subscriber numbers for the Beats Music service.
Iovine felt that Beats had always "belonged" with Apple, as the company modeled itself after Apple's "unmatched ability to marry culture and technology". In regard to the deal, Apple CEO
Tim Cook
Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive who has been the chief executive officer of Apple Inc. since 2011. Cook previously served as the company's chief operating officer under its co-founder Steve Jobs ...
stated that "Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple. That's why we have kept investing in music and are bringing together these extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world." Beyond stocking Beats products at its
retail outlets
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...
, Apple did not provide any further indications over how Beats would be integrated into its product line at the time, and whether Beats Music, which competed with Apple's own
iTunes Radio
iTunes Radio was an Internet radio service by Apple Inc. that let users listen to automatically generated playlists based on direct input as well as collected data on music preferences. It was launched on September 18, 2013, as part of iOS 7 a ...
service, would continue to operate after the acquisition.
The acquisition closed on August 1, 2014. Dr. Dre and Iovine were hired as executive employees, and worked at Apple for years afterward. To eliminate redundancy, Apple planned to lay off 200 workers from Beats' workforce of around 700.
Beats Music was discontinued effective with the launch of
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
on June 30, 2015.
Bose lawsuit
In July 2014,
Bose Corporation
Bose Corporation () is an American manufacturing company that predominantly sells audio equipment. The company was established by Amar Bose in 1964 and is based in Framingham, Massachusetts. It is best known for its home audio systems and spea ...
sued Beats Electronics, alleging that its "Studio" line incorporated
noise cancellation
Active noise control (ANC), also known as noise cancellation (NC), or active noise reduction (ANR), is a method for reducing unwanted sound by the addition of a second sound specifically designed to cancel the first. The concept was first develop ...
technology that
infringed five patents held by the company. Bose has also sought an injunction which would ban the infringing products from being imported or sold in the United States.
The lawsuit was settled out of court. Apple pulled all Bose products from its retail outlets, although it is unclear whether it was in response to the lawsuit, an
ambush marketing
Ambush marketing or ambush advertising is a marketing strategy in which an advertiser " ambushes" an event to compete for exposure against other advertisers.
The term was coined by marketing strategist Jerry Welsh, while he was working as the m ...
conflict involving Beats and the
NFL (which had recently named Bose as one of its official sponsors, and thus fined a player for displaying the Beats logo during an official activity), or as a result of Apple's acquisition of Beats.
However, two months later, Bose products returned to the shelves of Apple Stores. The companies settled in October 2014: details were not disclosed.
Monster lawsuit
In January 2015,
Monster Inc. sued Beats for
fraud
In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...
, alleging that the company had used illicit tactics to force Monster out of the venture whilst retaining rights to the technologies and products that it had co-developed, and engaged in
collusion
Collusion is a deceitful agreement or secret cooperation between two or more parties to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading or defrauding others of their legal right. Collusion is not always considered illegal. It can be used to att ...
to harm Monster's own audio products business. Monster argued that the acquisition of Beats by HTC and its founders' subsequent buyback was a "sham" to take control of Monster's stake in the company—which could have been valued at over $100 million in the Apple purchase, that the company had "concealed" the role of Monster and its CEO
Noel Lee in the design and engineering of its products, and that "had the partnership expired on its own terms, there would have been no transfer of Monster's years of work
nto the company. Monster also alleged that Beats had partaken in
anti-competitive practices
Anti-competitive practices are business or government practices that prevent or reduce competition in a market. Antitrust laws differ among state and federal laws to ensure businesses do not engage in competitive practices that harm other, usuall ...
with retailers to force those offering Beats products to not offer Monster's competing products.
In June 2015, ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' reported that in retaliation for the lawsuit, Apple Inc. revoked Monster's membership in the
MFi Program
Apple Inc.'s MFi Program, referring to "Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad", is a licensing program for developers of hardware and software peripherals that work with Apple's iPod, iPad and iPhone. The name is a shortened version of the long-form Made ...
on May 5, 2015, meaning that Monster can no longer manufacture licensed accessories for
iPhone,
iPod and
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
products, and must cease the sale of existing licensed products that contain the certification or technology licensed through the program by September 2015.
The case was dismissed in August 2016, with a Supreme Court ruling that Beats "had the right to terminate the agreement as of January 7th, 2013 or when there was a transaction resulting in a change of control of Beats", and that Monster "did not obtain the right to approve the change of control. Nor did the agreement require that any change of control had to be objectively reasonable".
Products
![BeatsHeadphones-2 (47705430872)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/BeatsHeadphones-2_%2847705430872%29.jpg)
Beats' original product line were ''Beats by Dre'' headphones. In promotional materials, Dre outlined the line's advantages by alleging that listeners were not able to hear "all" of the music with most headphones, and that Beats would allow people to "hear what the artists hear, and listen to the music the way they should: the way I do". In comparison to most headphones, ''Beats'' products were characterized by an emphasis towards producing larger amounts of
bass, and are particularly optimized towards
hip-hop and
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
.
In October 2012, Beats unveiled its first two self-developed products, the Beats Executive noise-cancelling headphones (to compete with similar offerings by
Bose
Bose may refer to:
* Bose (crater), a lunar crater
* ''Bose'' (film), a 2004 Indian Tamil film starring Srikanth and Sneha
* Bose (surname), a surname (and list of people with the name)
* Bose, Italy, a ''frazioni'' in Magnano, Province of Biella ...
and
Sennheiser
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG (, ) is a German privately held audio company specializing in the design and production of a wide range of high fidelity products, including microphones, headphones, telephone accessories and aviation headse ...
) and the
Beats Pill
Beats Pill is a brand of portable Bluetooth speakers produced by Beats Electronics. The Pill was released in 2012. The devices include 3.5 mm audio input and output jacks and charges over a Micro USB port.
Design and functionality
Serving as ...
portable speaker.
In October 2015, Beats launched a new collection of speakers including the upgraded Beats Pill+ Speaker.
Headphones
Beats Solo Pro
The Beats Solo Pro is an on-the-ear style headphone. Along with the Powerbeats Pro true-wireless earphones, they are part of a new generation of Beats products made from the ground up with Apple. They are the first on-ear headphones made by Beats to feature
active noise canceling
Active noise control (ANC), also known as noise cancellation (NC), or active noise reduction (ANR), is a method for reducing unwanted sound by the addition of a second sound specifically designed to cancel the first. The concept was first develop ...
. They were sold alongside the Solo 3 until November 1, 2021.
Beats Solo 3 Wireless
This is an on-ear style headphone. It can last for 40 hours on a single charge or indefinitely when plugged in via the headphone jack.
Beats Studio 3 Wireless
These are currently the high-end wireless headphones that Beats offers. They connect by Bluetooth and have 40 hours of battery life, with 22 hours of battery life with adaptive noise cancelling on. They feature Apple's
W1 chip for quick connection to
Apple device
Apple Inc. has developed four Unix-like operating systems, namely iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Devices using these systems include the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, which are mobile devices; the Apple TV, which is a digital media player; ...
s running
iOS 10
iOS 10 is the tenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 9. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 13, 2016, and was released on September ...
,
macOS Sierra, or
watchOS 4 or later. They also feature pure adaptive
noise cancelling technology
Active noise control (ANC), also known as noise cancellation (NC), or active noise reduction (ANR), is a method for reducing unwanted sound by the addition of a second sound specifically designed to cancel the first. The concept was first develop ...
, which uses microphones both inside and outside the ear cups to measure sound levels based on the environment. If there is any headgear or eyewear on the user's head, it calibrates the noise cancelling and volume level accordingly. The headphones come in a wide range of colors and editions, including black, blue and special collections such as the
"NBA Collection".
Earbuds
On September 7, 2016, Powerbeats³ were released. On February 10, 2017, BeatsX neckband-style headphones were released. Powerbeats Pro were released on May 10, 2019, in the United States and 2 weeks later for UK and Europe. The latest iteration of Powerbeats was released on March 18, 2020, sharing design concepts similar to that of the Powerbeats Pro from the year prior. On October 14, 2020, Beats Flex neckband-style headphones were released as the evolution of BeatsX. On June 14, 2021, Beats Studio Buds were released, and priced at US$149.99. On November 5, 2021, the Beats Fit Pro were released, featuring a novel "wingtip" earbud design to enhanced stability during fitness workouts.
Speakers
In 2012, Beats introduced their first speaker product, the Pill. In 2013, the Pill was replaced by the Pill 2 and a larger model, Pill XL, was introduced.
The Pill XL was recalled and discontinued in mid-2015 due to battery safety concerns.
The Pill 2 had a number of accessories available, including a bike mount and a speaker stand - the "Dude" - shaped like a small wide-mouthed person.
The Pill 2 was replaced by the Pill+, which was introduced in late 2015 and was discontinued in early 2021.
Beats Audio
The company has also licensed the Beats brand, under the name ''Beats Audio'' (stylized in lowercase as ''beats audio''), and technology to other manufacturers. In 2009,
HP began to offer
personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
s equipped with ''Beats Audio'' systems, beginning with its
HP Envy
The HP Envy (stylized as HP ENVY) is a line of consumer-oriented high-end laptops, desktop computers and printers manufactured and sold by HP Inc. They started as a high-end version of the HP Pavilion line.
History
HP originally launched the ...
line. The system features a software
equalizer with a preset that HP marketed as being optimized for higher quality sound output.
Beats Electronics ceased its partnership with HP following its purchase by Apple Inc.; HP subsequently entered into a similar agreement with
Bang & Olufsen.
Following its acquisition of a stake in the company, most new HTC smartphones began to be released with Beats Audio software, beginning with the
HTC Sensation XE/XL with Beats Audio in September 2011. The software was to be included in most new HTC devices, such as the
One series.
The Sensation XE and Rezound were also bundled with Beats by Dre earbuds, but HTC abandoned the practice on future devices. An HTC product executive claimed that despite the prominence of the Beats brand, "an accessory like the headphone doesn't factor in when someone is buying a smartphone".
Car audio
In 2011, Beats reached a deal with
Chrysler LLC
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automotiv ...
to feature Beats-branded
audio systems in its vehicles. The first vehicle under the partnership was its
2012 Chrysler 300S luxury vehicle
A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars.
The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and t ...
, which included a 10-speaker ''Beats by Dr. Dre'' sound system.
Beats audio systems have also been available in models from
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' other brands, including
Dodge,
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
, and
Jeep.
Automobile brands that currently have Beats audio systems available in its vehicles are
Fiat,
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
, and
SEAT.
Beats Music
On July 2, 2012, Beats announced it had acquired the
online music
A digital music store is a business that sells digital audio files of music recordings over the Internet. Customers gain ownership of a license to use the files, in contrast to a music streaming service, where they listen to recordings without ...
service
MOG, in a purchase reported to have been between $10 million and $16 million. Beats stated that the acquisition was part of the company's goal to develop a "truly end-to-end music experience". The acquisition did not include the company's blog and advertising network, the MOG Music Network,
which was sold in a separate transaction to the broadcasting company
Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
in August 2012.
While MOG indicated that it would continue to operate independently with no immediate change in service,
Beats subsequently announced a new subscription-based online music service, known as
Beats Music
Beats Music was a subscription-based online music streaming service owned by the Beats Electronics division of Apple Inc. The service combined algorithm-based personalization with expert music suggestions from a variety of sources.
Developmen ...
, which launched in January 2014. In comparison to its competitors, such as
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
and
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is a discontinued music and podcast streaming service and an online music locker operated by Google as part of its Google Play line of services. The service was announced on May 10, 2011; after a six-month, invitation-only be ...
, the service emphasizes recommendations by music professionals alongside algorithmic recommendations.
MOG was shut down on May 31, 2014, and existing users were directed to Beats Music.
Beats Music was in turn replaced by
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
in June 2015; the service also incorporated a Beats-branded online radio station, called "Beats 1", but the name was later changed to "
Apple Music 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod) ...
".
[
]
Dolby Atmos Support
In May 2021, Apple announced spatial audio with Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal, nor verti ...
support. Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on AirPods
AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple Inc. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. The most recent model, AirPods (3rd generation ...
, AirPods Pro
AirPods Pro are wireless Bluetooth in-ear headphones designed by Apple, initially released on October 30, 2019. They are Apple's mid-range wireless headphones, sold alongside the base-level AirPods and highest-end AirPods Max.
The first-genera ...
, AirPods Max
AirPods Max are wireless Bluetooth over-ear headphones designed by Apple, and released on December 15, 2020. They are Apple’s highest-end option in the AirPods lineup, sold alongside the base model AirPods and mid-range AirPods Pro.
The mai ...
, and all Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.
Critical reception
Some critics claim that Beats products emphasize appearance over quality and function, arguing that more durable and better-sounding products are available for the same price or lower. Tests done on an HTC smartphone with Beats Audio indicated that the audio technology is a combination of audio equalization that boosts the low (bass) and high ends of the audio range, audio compression, and audio amplification. In 2015, Beats president Luke Wood
Luke Wood is an American music executive and musician, known as being the president of both Beats Electronics from 2012 to 2010 and DGC Records from 2007 to 2010. He was also a guitarist for the 1990s alt-rock bands Sammy and Girls Against Boys. ...
disagreed with accusations that Beats' products were "bass heavy", citing that their products were not for reference but rather for playback.
References
External links
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{{Dr. Dre
2006 establishments in California
2006 in technology
2010s fashion
American companies established in 2006
Apple Inc. acquisitions
Apple Inc. subsidiaries
Companies based in Culver City, California
Dr. Dre
Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States
Electronics companies established in 2006
Entertainment companies based in California
Headphones
Headphones manufacturers
Manufacturing companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Products introduced in 2008
Technology companies based in Greater Los Angeles
2010 mergers and acquisitions
2014 mergers and acquisitions