CurlySaysX
Banned
No fucking way! Leave Audio-Technica alone.
What next? People wishing they buy Shure?
Apple in talks for $3.2bn Beats deal
- Thread starter Dawg
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No fucking way! Leave Audio-Technica alone.
What next? People wishing they buy Shure?
Ether_Snake
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It's wearables guys. Everyone missed the logic behind the move.
JetBlackPanda
Member
I know right? kind of like how Android people are all pirates and cheap asses.
stereotypes are cool.
Madcatz are a very tiny provider for all the systems they make.
If handled competently the iOS controller market should have been worth a billion easily, yes.
I don't think it is possible with the small market size and long replacement cycle. Even the ubiquitous $40 Smart Cover is estimated to contribute less than $800 million to Apple's margins. If you want to present me with a business plan to invest in this "easy" $1 billion opportunity, I'm very interested.
I think Ether_Snake makes a good point about wearables. There have been few companies able to convince so many mainstream consumers to wear expensive electronics.
TheContact
Member
So apple headphones won't be a piece of shit anymore? Hope they don't charge separately now
Not sure why they would want a streaming music service though. I don't think I'll ever not use spotify
Not sure why they would want a streaming music service though. I don't think I'll ever not use spotify
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
What company wouldn't do this?
XANDER CAGE
Member
Beats did not come up with the concept of advertising.
How do you feel about bass drowning everything else out?
Maintenance
Member
Perfect answer.
victreeb3l
Member
The amount of Apple hate in this thread is hilarious. Stay salty.
Still dont understand why Apple wants to buy Beats when they could probably have come out with their own line that would crush them. I'd rather they picked up someone like Dropbox or another tech company.
Still dont understand why Apple wants to buy Beats when they could probably have come out with their own line that would crush them. I'd rather they picked up someone like Dropbox or another tech company.
I'm saying this is the problem many people have with Beats. Skullcandy like quality but they price and advertise like they're much more. They started by parenting with Monster who loves to have some ridiculous descriptions and prices for their products.
I think if they stayed in the Skullcandy category not as many people would care.
Well it's not like this was the only money have and it's an either/or proposition. They can still acquire other tech companies. Except dropbox isn't selling.
victreeb3l
Member
Thats true. Just feels like a weird purchase. Then again, Apple has enough cash to buy 20 more Beats if they wanted to.
Apple acquires small companies all the time. I think they bought HopStop and Embark as well as some mapping companies so I hope Apple Maps gets a badass update for iOS 8.
This would be a better acquisition than instagram or whatsapp, because Beats actually makes money 
Even if you currently use Spotify give Beats Music a shot. IMO it's the best streaming service. This is a pretty good overview why it's so great.
Even if you currently use Spotify give Beats Music a shot. IMO it's the best streaming service. This is a pretty good overview why it's so great.
Nydius
Member
This is where I'm confused as well. Apple could have spent the same 3.2 billion and developed both their own direct competitor to Beats headphones and designed a streaming service through iTunes that would have almost instantly had more than 200K users (which is all they're acquiring from Beats).
The only value is in the Beats name and the associated marketing but Apple already has an established name and their own massive marketing force. In all honesty, this report reminds me of Microsoft of the 90's when they went through their major "acquire everything!" phase.
by far my favorite part of these threads
smokeandmirrors
Banned
It's funny. For some reason people forget Apple exists to sell you shit, especially when people bring up steve jobs' quote about "3.5" is the perfect size". Like no shit he's using that to fucking say his product is perfect and sell it to you.
2edgy4me
This would be a better acquisition than instagram or whatsapp, because Beats actually makes money
Even if you currently use Spotify give Beats Music a shot. IMO it's the best streaming service. This is a pretty good overview why it's so great.
If there's a class of music consumer below the equivalent of 'casual gamer', that's me.
Maintenance
Member
Nvm
BlastProcessing
Member
The iPhone starts at $199 with contract. That is the same price or cheaper than other flagship phones. It has the fastest CPU by a longshot and it's GPU is also top of the line.
If you want to ding it for screen size or say that some other phone has a feature set that better fits your specific needs, sure, but to say that it isn't competitive with other flagship phones is simply not true.
I also would point out that Apple is almost entirely responsible for the drop in flagship phone prices in america. When they dropped the iPhone to $199 on contract it was way lower than other flagship phones were priced, even flagship feature phones. They singlehandedly yanked the ceiling for flagship phone prices down by hundreds of dollars.
As to the Beats acquisition, the way I think about it is: Beats is a successful fashion company. In an age where tech companies are trying to crack wearables, a company that figured out how to get people to happily wear giant, conspicuous, pieces of technology on their heads has a certain value. Maybe Beats is the key to breaking through the "Glasshole" barrier.
smokeandmirrors
Banned
Okay?
Interfectum
Member
Has Apple confirmed whether or not this is a real thing and if the price was indeed 3.2 billion?
Maintenance
Member
Not directed at anyone specifically at this thread, but just because some people say that Apple is overpriced doesn't mean that they are salty nor hate the company. Sometimes it does, but not everytime.
Nothing official yet.
Vigilant Walrus
Member
It's strange because it seemed like HP and Beats where together as butter and glue. check out the endorsement... jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA770wpLX-Q
Guiberu
Member
Those two articles you linked are primarily a comparison between current and previous Apple generation technology.
Granted, the GPU article references a "benchmark" between iOS devices and Android devices. But considering the two platforms run on an entirely different code base and instruction platform; it's like comparing apples to oranges.
Your price argument is relative to your own territory and it's on/off contract pricing structure. Here in the UK, the iPhone has always been, and continues to be overpriced in comparison to other handsets. Both on contract and especially as a "Pay as you go" device.
GameAddict411
Member
i used the solo HD for quite a while and they were beyond terrible, so is the beats tour and the studios. they feel very fragile, all of them, like they will break with the slightest pressure. the sound quality on the other hand is just plain muddy, there is simply no clarity whatsoever, you might think that they sacrificed this to for a great bass reproduction but in reality the bass is really lackluster, when i bought the sony XB500 i knew what a bass headphone should sound like.
George Claw M.D.
Member
It's absolutely for the brand. Of course Apple could build their own headphones as good or better than Beats if they wanted. But people aren't buying Beats for the quality. Not that the quality is shit. It's decent if overpriced. But Beats managed to become the default mainstream standard in a highly crowded headphone industry. You can buy better Senns, AKGs, etc at cheaper prices, but kids aren't asking their parents for those, because those aren't what they see all the athletes and celebrities wearing.
And you're right, this isn't like Apple to buy and use another brand instead their own. I wonder if this would've happened if Jobs were still alive.
victreeb3l
Member
It really is a mind boggling acquisition. I mean yeah, Beats has insane margins but just how much can you grow it? And yeah Beats Music has a really low amount of subscribers too. 3.2b? Ehhh.
Do they hold any specific patents? I just dont get it.
BlastProcessing
Member
The CPU article I linked talks about how the A& is at least a generation ahead of it's competitors. If you want benchmarks comparisons Anand has those too.
We are comparing the entire platforms when we talk about value. Who cares if one has more powerful hardware if it can't be utilized by the software. Anand's benchmarks are actually a pretty good representation of real world performance.
I apologize if I was unclear, I tried to express that I was talking about the North American market.
It's more that fact that calling something that sells amazingly well "overpriced" is confusing. From a Econ 101 standpoint, if something sells so spectacularly well the market is signaling that it is most certainly not overpriced.
Agreed.
Synth_floyd
Banned
Why would they buy it for the brand. They already have a brand: APPLE. And it's way bigger and more cooler than Beats.
Vigilant Walrus
Member
Maybe they simply need their technologies, factories and infastructure to build their own brands. Maybe they dont even desire the name at all.
darkhunger
Member
Lol no. Maybe 10 years ago. But Apple is a victim of its own popularity. It's so ubiquitous that everyone uses it's products, from kids to 60 year old businessmen to old grannies. Beats is a brand for the young and hip. Apple used to be but quite frankly no kid these days is going to think Apples cool. So this is an attempt by Apple to get that demographic back.
Technosteve
Banned
3.2 bn to buy a brand, But i can see were Beats can market the shit out of a smart watch.
No.
This is one of the sillier things I've read.
I said that their on ear ones are bad for any price and ill stand by that. Their more expensive ones are not terrible but the cost is really high.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
Beats bluetooth headphones with the watches would be great and a chance for Beats to actually be on top of the quality game.
Ether_Snake
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The headphones will have a glass attachment for AR. You will lower it like a microphone on a headset, which it will also be. Pretty smart move to me since it is public-friendly on day one, unlike Google Glass.
Cool but would be very cumbersome.
Synless
Member
What's overpriced about their ipod Touches? What else offers better value at that price?
Ether_Snake
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It's not, it's the exact same headphone except a part of it can be brought forward. At rest it looks no different.
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