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[Zozz]

I'm sure Apple will also have a field day boasting how they've improved the quality of Beats headphones, it won't be hard.


They're about to make mad $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Haters gonna hate.

 

[DrFunk]

But I thought rappers weren't smart enough to brokerage deals like this

 

[rrs]

wouldnt htc have made a ton of money off of this sale?

Yeah, if they didn't sell off years ago

 

[SlowRevolution]

We should have seen this coming.

 

[Smokey]

Yo

That fucking profit margin o_o

 

[Vanillalite]

I'm thinking Dre isn't actually a billionaire.

As I said before the deal seems to less than the leaks suggested so I'm not sure if this puts him over the top or not.

 

[Slayven]

But I thought rappers weren't smart enough to brokerage deals like this

They took classes.

 

[Tablo]

Apple has so much money I can't even criticize them for this purchase lol
Yolo go for it Apple! Make something decent out of Beats?

 

[Tom Nook]

NWA 2S or 2C?

 

[Nokagi]

I don't understand the whole Beats thing at all. But good for Dre, I always liked him. Does this make him the richest rapper ever now?

 

[cdyhybrid]

Popularity != quality.

Correct, but popularity = $$$.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

Still terrible move, but

Wessstsiiiide

 

[alr1ght]

Match made in heaven

"Beats' profit margins in the headphone market may be substantial. A pair of its high-end headphones retail for as much as $450, but production costs across the brand run only about $14 a pair, according to The New York Times. Apple said the deal would add to earnings in fiscal 2015."

haha

this doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[Ninja Kn1ght]

wouldnt htc have made a ton of money off of this sale?

They sure would have, if they hadn't sold their share. Thy can't catch a break.

 

[Honey Bunny]

No more integrated 'beats audio' (shitty eq) in non-apple products is a big win from where I'm standing.

 

[rrs]

I guess I'm just not the target market, but I don't know why Beats got so popular and apparently valuable. And I own an iPhone (which I bought because of exclusive games and not because of any kind of brand loyalty, coming from two Xperias and a Lumia [if anything I still think Nokia makes the best phones]).

Endorsements, and lots of them.

But I thought rappers weren't smart enough to brokerage deals like this

He became a businessman, which is why Detox isn't out yet

 

[3rdman]

Nice, both sides win. Apples fairly smart; they know the headphones are inferior in terms of quality, but the brands immense popularity with celebrities and the adolescent/young adult crowd more than makes up for what they paid for in the long run. Beats headphones is more a fashion accesory than a headphone, honestly.

Sounds perfect for Apple then...Meanwhile @ Google...

 

[dripdripsplash]

Match made in heaven

"Beats' profit margins in the headphone market may be substantial. A pair of its high-end headphones retail for as much as $450, but production costs across the brand run only about $14 a pair, according to The New York Times. Apple said the deal would add to earnings in fiscal 2015."

WTF 14 dollars a pair and they sell for 450.......Jeeesus

 

[Porcile]

It's Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin', but mostly Dre)

 

[DataStream]

I have the feeling this is just the start for a year full of Apple announcements that demonstrate innovation is taking a backseat to maximizing margin.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

Match made in heaven

"Beats' profit margins in the headphone market may be substantial. A pair of its high-end headphones retail for as much as $450, but production costs across the brand run only about $14 a pair, according to The New York Times. Apple said the deal would add to earnings in fiscal 2015."

Fucking asshole move

 

[commedieu]

Poor hip hop/urban community.

 

[wedward]

It is a big risk, but if it doesn't work out it's not going to hurt Apple in the long run.

 

[Vanillalite]

But I thought rappers weren't smart enough to brokerage deals like this

Spoiler

Dre has never been a real rapper. He's always been a DJ and producer.

 

[Ingueferroque]

Sounds perfect for Apple then...Meanwhile @ Google...

Your post is stupid. Who would say that Apple's products have shitty quality? You can say a lot of things, but quality?

 

[TheLaughingStock]

Glad the deal didn't fall apart as rumored. Happy for Dre....he's come a long way!

Spoiler

I'm not a rapper.

 

[KingGondo]

Apple and lower the price are 2 things that just don't go together well.

That was the whole point of my post.

 

[kess]

I have the feeling this is just the start for a year full of Apple announcements that demonstrate innovation is taking a backseat to maximizing margin.

I've always felt Tom Cook to be a beancounter at heart. But a clever one.

 

[Angry Grimace]

People don't just judge value based on quality and specs.

Isn't that my point? The most important part of the perceived value of Beats headphones is as a fashion accessory.

 

[Angelus Errare]

I need to borrow some of the bitters in this thread for my drink.

But I thought rappers weren't smart enough to brokerage deals like this

They're not, this was just luck!!!! It was a handout by Apple because they felt bad for Dre since he's an urban person.

 

[soul creator]

Dre gonna buy a lot of fucking groceries.

He made Tim Cook bow down on both knees

 

[guise]

Considering that Iovine is also the CEO of Interscope (Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, M.I.A, Timbaland, Dre, Eminem etc) I wonder if this means anything for iTunes

 

[Htown]

Popularity != quality.

Guess which is more important to a company's bottom line.

 

[ampere]

Dre is making out like a bandit. I know it's a popular brand, but that amount of money seems way excessive.

 

[TCRS]

ring ding dong ring-gading ding ding dong

 

[SRG01]

Match made in heaven

"Beats' profit margins in the headphone market may be substantial. A pair of its high-end headphones retail for as much as $450, but production costs across the brand run only about $14 a pair, according to The New York Times. Apple said the deal would add to earnings in fiscal 2015."

This is why Beats knockoffs are popular too.

 

[RoadHazard]

From shitty Apple headphones to shitty Beats headphones. Yay? I guess this is 100% about some "status" bullshit.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

I have the feeling this is just the start for a year full of Apple announcements that demonstrate innovation is taking a backseat to maximizing margin.

That's been their goal from the get go, along with every other company on the planet. Innovation is a bullshit buzzword now.

Considering that Iovine is also the CEO of Interscope (Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, M.I.A, Timbaland, Dre, Eminem etc) I wonder if this means anything for iTunes

Probably a big reason why this deal happened in the first place.

 

[Zantetsuken]

The fact is that the Beats’ brand is popular. Kids don’t give a fuck about Sennheisers.

 

[entremet]

3 Billion is nothing for Apple.

 

[psylah]

Time for me to launch my startup, selling even bigger, uglier headphones, with Speak n' Spell quality drivers in them.

 

[methane47]

Match made in heaven

"Beats' profit margins in the headphone market may be substantial. A pair of its high-end headphones retail for as much as $450, but production costs across the brand run only about $14 a pair, according to The New York Times. Apple said the deal would add to earnings in fiscal 2015."

lol jesus!

 

[KingGondo]

Dre is making out like a bandit. I know it's a popular brand, but that amount of money seems way excessive.

The story of corporate and executive compensation in the modern era.

 

[Spinluck]

Bass is all the kids want nowadays, so Beats are perfect for them.

Plus they look so kewl and hip.

 

[OmegaFax]

Beats headphones are terrible.
Beats Music is terrible.

Apple baffles me these days.

I'm with you. Don't get it either.

 

[Detox]

Good for Dre after getting fucked over by Ruthless and Death Row.

 

[AlphaSnake]

I just watched Jobs w/ ashton Kutcher. I don't know how accurate it is, but I'm pretty sure that Steve Jobs would be rolling in his grave at this news...

5 years ago Steve Jobs would've issued a company wide statement telling everyone that Beats needs to be destroyed and that Apple needs to launch a product lineup to do so.

1 year later they'd reveal that product and cut into the market share considerably.

Today's Apple is slowly becoming a shell of its former self.

 

[Vyer]

ya'll think I'm gonna let my dough freeze
Ho Please
You better bow down on both knees
Who you think taught you to smoke trees
Who you think brought you the OG's
Eazy-E's Ice Cube's and D.O.C's and Snoop D-O double G's
And the group that said muthafuck the police
Gave you a tape full of dope beats
To bump when you stroll through in your hood
And when your album sales wasn't doing too good
Who's the doc that they told you to go see

 

[Aurongel]

It's a potentially scary acquisition for Apple because their past buyouts have targeted emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and software design whereas purchasing Beats nets them a brand name and little more. Like Google, Apple takes some of their acquired tech and folds it into later versions of their products. In the case of AI, they later folded that into development for Siri years ago.

If the Beats brand fades in popularity then this potentially leaves them with even less.

/armchair analyst

 

[Zombie James]

What a colossal waste of money. If Apple wants to get into the headphones with bad audio quality market, there are far easier ways to do it.