Jump to content

Beats Electronics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Beats by Dre)
Beats Electronics LLC
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryConsumer electronics
Founded2006; 18 years ago (2006) in Santa Monica, California
Founders
Headquarters,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Matthew Costello (COO)
Products
ParentApple Inc. (2014–present)
Websitebeatsbydre.com

Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California.[1][2] The company was founded in 2006 by music producer Dr. Dre and record company executive Jimmy Iovine. Since 2014, it has been an Apple subsidiary.

The subsidiary's product line is primarily focused on headphones and speakers. The company's original product line was manufactured in partnership with the AV equipment company Monster Cable Products. 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.

In 2011, NPD Group reported that Beats' market share was 64% in the U.S. for headphones priced higher than $100, and the brand was valued at $1 billion in September 2013.[3][4]

For a period, the company was majority-owned by Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC. The company reduced its stake to 25% in 2012, and sold its remaining stake back to the company in 2013. Concurrently, Carlyle Group replaced HTC as a minority shareholder, alongside Dr. Dre and Iovine in late 2013. On August 1, 2014, Apple acquired Beats for $3 billion in a cash and stock deal, the largest acquisition in Apple's history.

History

[edit]

Formation

[edit]
Dr. Dre (seen in 2012), company co-founder

Beats was established in 2006 by music producer Dr. Dre and record company executive Jimmy Iovine.[citation needed] Iovine perceived two key problems in the music industry: the impact of piracy on music sales and the substandard audio quality provided by Apple'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, and Gwen Stefani during the early developmental stage.[5] Beats initially partnered with inventor Noel Lee and his company Monster Cable, an audio and video component manufacturer based in Brisbane, California, 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 and David Guetta

To promote its products, Beats primarily relied on celebrity endorsements by pop and hip-hop music performers, including product placement within music videos, and partnering with musicians and other celebrities to develop co-branded products.[5][6][7][8] Beats' use of endorsements by musicians helped the company aggressively target the young adult demographics.[9]

HTC purchase and non-renewal of Monster contract

[edit]

In August 2010, mobile phone manufacturer HTC 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,[10] as the purchase also granted HTC exclusive rights to manufacture smartphones with Beats-branded audio systems.[11] Despite its majority acquisition, HTC allowed Beats to operate as an autonomous company.[11] Luke Wood, who became President of Beats in May 2014, joined the company in January 2010 when it was still a "licensing business." Prior to this, Wood had worked under Iovine at Interscope Records.[12]

On January 19, 2012, BusinessWeek 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,[12] 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.[6] 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.[12]

In October 2012, Beats unveiled its first two self-developed products, "Beats Executive" headphones and "Beats Pill" wireless speakers—Iovine believed that the company would now have to "control [its] own 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 and Miles Davis-themed headphones at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show),[6] 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."[6][13][14] Following the decision to transform Beats into an autonomous entity, the company's revenues reached the $1 billion mark, according to Iovine.[12]

HTC sale and Beats Music

[edit]
The logo that Beats Music, a subsidiary of Beats Electronics, uses.
Logo for Beats Music

In July 2012, HTC sold back half of its stake in Beats for $150 million, remaining the largest shareholder with 25.1 percent.[15] The sale was intended to provide "flexibility for global expansion while maintaining HTC's major stake and commercial exclusivity in mobile".[10] 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.[16][17]

On September 27, 2013, HTC confirmed that it would sell its remaining stake in Beats back to the company for $265 million. Concurrently, Beats announced that the Carlyle Group would make a $500 million minority investment in the company.[18][19] The overall deal valued Beats Electronics at $1 billion[3] and helped HTC turn a net profit of $10.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, following HTC's first quarterly loss in company history.[20]

The appointment of a new chief operating officer (COO), a role previously filled by Wood,[12] was announced in early November 2013. Matthew Costello, formerly of IKEA and HTC, was formally appointed to the role in May 2014.[21][22]

On January 21, 2014, the company launched Beats Music, a subscription-based online music streaming service.[23] 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.[24]

Subsidiary of Apple Inc. (2014–present)

[edit]

On May 8, 2014, the Financial Times reported that Apple 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 in 1996.[25] The impending deal was prematurely and indirectly revealed in a photo and YouTube video posted to Facebook by Tyrese Gibson 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.[12][26] 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, 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' The World's Billionaires 2014 list. It was also estimated that the Carlyle Group would receive a profit of $1 billion from the sale of its minority stake in the company.[18][27][28]

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.[12] 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 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, 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 service, would continue to operate after the acquisition.[29][30][31]

The acquisition closed on August 1, 2014. Dr. Dre and Iovine were hired as executive employees,[32][33] and worked at Apple for years afterward.[34] To eliminate redundancy, Apple planned to lay off 200 workers from Beats' workforce of around 700.[35][36] Beats Music was discontinued effective with the launch of Apple Music on June 30, 2015.[37][38]

Apple hired British designer Samuel Ross for the newly created role of "Principal Design Consultant for Beats" in 2023.[39][40]

Bose lawsuit

[edit]

In July 2014, Bose Corporation sued Beats Electronics, alleging that its "Studio" line incorporated noise cancellation 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.[41][42] 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 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.[43] However, two months later, Bose products returned to the shelves of Apple Stores. The companies settled in October 2014: details were not disclosed.[44]

Monster lawsuit

[edit]

In January 2015, Monster Inc. sued Beats for fraud, alleging that the company had used illicit tactics to force Monster out of the venture while retaining rights to the technologies and products that it had co-developed, and engaged in collusion 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 [onto the company]". Monster also alleged that Beats had partaken in anti-competitive practices with retailers to force those offering Beats products to not offer Monster's competing products.[45][46][47]

In June 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that in retaliation for the lawsuit, Apple Inc. revoked Monster's membership in the MFi Program on May 5, 2015, meaning that Monster can no longer manufacture licensed accessories for iPhone, iPod and iPad products, and must cease the sale of existing licensed products that contain the certification or technology licensed through the program by September 2015.[48]

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".[49]

Products

[edit]
A pair of Beats Headphones

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.[4][50][51] In October 2012, Beats unveiled its first two self-developed products, the Beats Executive noise-cancelling headphones (to compete with similar offerings by Bose and Sennheiser) and the Beats Pill portable speaker.[6][14] In October 2015, Beats launched a new collection of speakers including the upgraded Beats Pill+ Speaker.[52]

Headphones

[edit]

Beats Solo Pro

[edit]

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. They were sold alongside the Solo 3 until November 1, 2021.[53]

Beats Solo 3 Wireless

[edit]

The Beats Solo 3 Wireless 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.[54] It has a Micro-USB connector for charging.[54]

Beats Studio 3 Wireless

[edit]

Released in October 2017, these are high-end headphones produced until 2023, when they were replaced with the Beats Studio Pro. 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 devices running iOS 10, macOS Sierra, or watchOS 4 or later. They also feature pure adaptive noise cancelling technology, 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".

Beats Studio Pro

[edit]

Released July 19, 2023, these are high-end headphones which feature noise cancellation, transparency mode, and are the first Beats to feature USB-C and Loseless Audio through USB-C connections. They also feature Personalized Spatial Audio and is compatible with Find My. They start at $349 in the US and work with Android 10 and later and iOS 16.5 and later.

Earbuds

[edit]

On September 7, 2016, Powerbeats³ were released. On February 10, 2017, BeatsX neckband-style headphones were released.[55] Powerbeats Pro were released on May 10, 2019, in the United States and 2 weeks later for UK and Europe.[56] 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.[57] On October 14, 2020, Beats Flex neckband-style headphones were released as the evolution of BeatsX.[58] On June 14, 2021, Beats Studio Buds were released, and priced at US$149.99.[59] On November 5, 2021, the Beats Fit Pro were released, featuring a novel "wingtip" earbud design to enhanced stability during fitness workouts. On May 18, 2023, Beats Studio Buds Plus were released as a sequel to the original Beats Studio Buds.

Speakers

[edit]

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

[edit]

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 computers equipped with Beats Audio systems, beginning with its HP Envy line.[60] The system features a software equalizer with a preset that HP marketed as being optimized for higher quality sound output.[61] Beats Electronics ceased its partnership with HP following its purchase by Apple Inc.; HP subsequently entered into a similar agreement with Bang & Olufsen.[62]

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.[63] The software was to be included in most new HTC devices, such as the One series.[64][65] 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".[66]

Car audio

[edit]

In 2011, Beats reached a deal with Chrysler LLC to feature Beats-branded audio systems in its vehicles. First under the partnership was its 2012 Chrysler 300S Luxury Car, which included a 10-speaker Beats by Dr. Dre sound system.[67] Beats audio systems are also available in Dodge and Jeep vehicles.

Other automobile brands that have Beats audio systems available in their vehicles include Fiat, Volkswagen and SEAT.[68]

Beats Music

[edit]

On July 2, 2012, Beats announced it had acquired the online music 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,[69][70] which was sold in a separate transaction to the broadcasting company Townsquare Media in August 2012.[71]

While MOG indicated that it would continue to operate independently with no immediate change in service,[70] Beats subsequently announced a new subscription-based online music service, known as Beats Music, which launched in January 2014. In comparison to its competitors, such as Spotify and Google Play Music, the service emphasizes recommendations by music professionals alongside algorithmic recommendations.[23][72] MOG was shut down on May 31, 2014, and existing users were directed to Beats Music.[73] Beats Music was in turn replaced by Apple Music 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".[37][38]

Dolby Atmos Support

[edit]

In May 2021, Apple announced spatial audio with Dolby Atmos support. Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and all Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip.[74]

Critical reception

[edit]

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.[75][76] 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.[77] In 2015, Beats president Luke Wood disagreed with accusations that Beats' products were "bass heavy", citing that their products were not for reference but rather for playback.[78]

In April 2014, German consumer test organisation Stiftung Warentest tested 20 headphone models, including the product Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD. In the end, it came in third to last. The comparatively high price, the merely satisfactory sound quality and the poor performance in the drop test were criticised.[79]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "About us section". beatsbydre.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  2. ^ "Beats Electronics – Culver City Headquarters". officesnapshots.com. November 17, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Dr Dre Beats valued at more than $1bn following Carlyle deal". The Guardian. September 27, 2013. Archived from the original on May 16, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "How Beats by Dre knocked out better headphones". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on November 20, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Helm, Burt (May 2014). "How Dr. Dre's Headphones Company Became a Billion-Dollar Business". Inc. Mansueto Ventures. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e Edwards, Cliff (January 12, 2012). "Beats Electronics Is Breaking Up with Monster". Business Week. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  7. ^ "From Lemmy to Snooki, celebs are desperate to sell you headphones". BBC. January 10, 2013. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  8. ^ "How Dr. Dre Made $300 Headphones a Must-Have Accessory". Time. January 16, 2013. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  9. ^ Fields, Brandi (2014). "Selling the Beat: Hip-Hop Culture and Product Branding Among Young Adults". Southern Illinois University. Archived from the original on 4 July 2016.
  10. ^ a b Sisario, Ben (July 23, 2012). "After HTC Sale, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Gain Control of Beats Headphones". The New York Times. Media Decoder blog. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Sandoval, Greg. "HTC to acquire majority stake in Dr. Dre's Beats". CNET. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Helm, Burt (May 28, 2014). "What Beats' President Said About Expansion--Before Apple Bought It For $3 Billion". Inc.com. Mansueto Ventures. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  13. ^ "Jimmy Iovine on Beats by Dre Parting With Monster: 'We Have to Control Our Own Destiny'". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  14. ^ a b "Beats By Dre Debuts First Post-Monster Cable Products". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  15. ^ Standing, Jonathan; Jim, Clare (July 24, 2012). "HTC Just Sold Back Half Of Its Holdings In Beats Electronics". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  16. ^ "Dr Dre's Beats to pull plug on HTC in favour of new business partner". The Guardian. August 19, 2013. Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  17. ^ "Straight Outta HTC: Beats Audio May Have a New Solo Project". Bloomberg Businessweek. 20 August 2013. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  18. ^ a b Dezember, Ryan (May 9, 2014). "Apple's Beats Deal Is Music to Carlyle's Ears". MoneyBeat. The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  19. ^ Sun, Yu-Huay; Lococo, Edmond (September 27, 2013). "HTC to Sell Back Stake in Beats Electronics for $265 Million". Bloomberg LP. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  20. ^ "HTC narrowly avoids second quarterly loss by selling Beats stake". The Verge. January 5, 2014. Archived from the original on January 24, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  21. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (November 6, 2013). "Beats Electronics Names COO". Los Angeles Business Journal. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  22. ^ "Executive Profile Matthew Vincent Costello". Bloomberg Businesweek. Bloomberg LP. May 31, 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Beats Music arrives January 21st, family plan exclusive to AT&T customers". The Verge. January 11, 2014. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  24. ^ "Beats Music reveals launch details". CommerceGate. CommerceGate Ireland Ltd. January 23, 2014. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  25. ^ "Apple said to be in talks to buy Beats Electronics for $3.2B". CNET. May 9, 2014. Archived from the original on May 10, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  26. ^ "'First billionaire in hip-hop' Dre boasts of Apple-Beats deal on Facebook". CNET. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  27. ^ "If Apple buys Beats Electronics for $3.2bn, will Dr Dre become hip hop's first billionaire?". The Independent. May 9, 2014. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  28. ^ "Could an Apple Beats Acquisition Make Dr. Dre the First Rap Billionaire?". Corporate Intelligence. The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  29. ^ "Apple acquires Beats Electronics for $3 billion". Engadget. May 28, 2014. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  30. ^ "Apple confirms it's buying Beats for $3 billion". The Verge. May 28, 2014. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  31. ^ "Apple to Acquire Beats Music & Beats Electronics". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  32. ^ "Apple Buys Beats for $3 Billion; Dr Dre, Jimmy Iovine Join Executive Team". Billboard.
  33. ^ "Watch Dr. Dre Get Awkwardly Introduced as a New Apple Employee". Rolling Stone. June 2, 2014.
  34. ^ Piya Sinha-Roy (21 August 2015). "Apple defends Dr Dre after he apologies to 'women I've hurt'". Yahoo News. Reuters. Retrieved 19 May 2021. Apple said in a statement to Reuters. "After working with him for a year and a half, we have every reason to believe that he has changed."
  35. ^ "Apple closes $3B Beats deal, welcomes the company 'to the family'". CNET. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  36. ^ "Apple Said to Target 200 Job Cuts at Beats After Deal". Bloomberg LP. 31 July 2014. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  37. ^ a b "Apple W.W.D.C. 2015: iOS 9, Apple Pay and Other Announcements". The New York Times. June 8, 2015. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  38. ^ a b "Beats Music Tells Users To Switch To Apple Music". TechCrunch. AOL Inc. (Verizon Communications). 8 June 2015. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  39. ^ Ilchi, Layla (2023-06-20). "Beats Taps A-Cold-Wall's Samuel Ross as Principal Design Consultant". WWD. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  40. ^ "Samuel Ross Appointed as Beats Principal Design Consultant". Hypebeast. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  41. ^ "Bose Is Suing Beats Over Headphone Patents". Time. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  42. ^ Wakabayashi, Daisuke (July 25, 2014). "Sound Off: Bose Sues Beats Over Noise-Cancelling Patents". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  43. ^ "Apple has removed all Bose products from its store". The Verge. October 17, 2014. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  44. ^ "Apple's Beats, Bose settle patent spat over noise-canceling tech". CNET. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  45. ^ "Monster sues Beats and co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine for fraud". The Verge. January 6, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  46. ^ "Tech firm Monster sues Beats and founders Dre and Iovine". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  47. ^ "Beatrayed by Dre? Noel Lee says he built the headphones Apple paid $3 billion for. His take? $0. Now he's suing for his share". Bloomberg LP. June 22, 2015. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016.
  48. ^ "Apple Revokes Monster's Authority to Make Licensed Accessories". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  49. ^ "Monster's lawsuit against Beats has gone very poorly". The Verge. Vox Media. August 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  50. ^ "Are Beats by Dr. Dre headphones worth the money?". Consumer Reports. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  51. ^ Evans, Joel. "Review: Beats by Dr. Dre headphones". Geek.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  52. ^ "Beats Pill+ Speaker Launches Alongside New Colors for Solo2 Headphones". 26 October 2015. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  53. ^ Clover, Juli (November 2021). "Apple Discontinues Powerbeats, Beats Solo Pro, and Beats EP". MacRumors. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  54. ^ a b Carnoy, David (November 9, 2016). "Beats Solo3 Wireless review: Beats popular on-ear wireless headphone gains best-in-class battery life". CNET. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  55. ^ "BeatsX review: Hey, AirPods, it's OK to have wires".
  56. ^ Cleo Clarkeson, "Meet The New Beats Powerbeats Pro", Tenpire, April 10, 2019.
  57. ^ Zac Hall, "All-new Powerbeats replacing Powerbeats3 for $50 less, 3 hours more battery, ‘Pro’ design", 9To5Mac, March 16, 2020.
  58. ^ "Beats Flex wireless headphones launch for $49 with USB-C and W1 chip". AppleInsider. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  59. ^ "Experience immersive listening wherever you go with Beats Studio Buds—true wireless noise cancelling earphones". Beats By Dre.
  60. ^ "HP News – HP and Beats Electronics Set New Premium Standard for Music Audio on Notebooks". hp.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  61. ^ "HP Envy 14: Plenty of Power in a Stylish Package". PC World. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  62. ^ "HP makes Bang & Olufsen its new audio partner". CNET. Archived from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  63. ^ Toor, Amar (September 14, 2011). "HTC Sensation XE gets official, packing 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and Beats Audio". Engadget. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  64. ^ Segan, Sascha (February 26, 2012). "Hands On With the HTC One X, S, and One V". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  65. ^ Velazco, Chris (September 19, 2012). "HTC Officially Reveals The 8X: 4.3-Inch 720p Display, 1.5GHz Dual-Core Processor, Beats Audio". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  66. ^ "More HTC handsets with Beats headphones? Probably not". CNET. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  67. ^ Kekeh, Nicole. "Meet The Boss Behind Chrysler's Image Makeover; He Is French". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  68. ^ "Audio Technology | Revolt Against Inferior Sound with Beats Audio". www.beatsbydre.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-02.
  69. ^ Snider, Mike (July 2, 2012). "Beats Electronics acquires MOG music service". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  70. ^ a b Warzel, Charlie (July 2, 2012). "Beats Electronics Acquires Mog Rapper Dr. Dre's headphone makers scoop up digital streaming service". Adweek. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  71. ^ Jones, Rhian (August 24, 2012). "Remaining half of Mog Music Network sells to Townsquare Media Group". MusicWeek. Intent Media. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  72. ^ "Beats Music Beefs Up Curation Team, Says Service Is 'Coming Soon'". Billboard.biz. 9 August 2013. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  73. ^ "MOG streaming music service shut down". The Verge. June 2014. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  74. ^ "Apple Music announces Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos; will bring Lossless Audio to entire catalog". Apple Newsroom. Archived from the original on 2021-05-17.
  75. ^ "Are Beats by Dr. Dre headphones worth the money?". consumerreports.org. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013.
  76. ^ Aguilar, Mario (10 July 2015). "Are Beats Headphones Really Designed To Trick You?". Gizmodo. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015.
  77. ^ Sakr, Sharif (13 October 2011). "HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio review". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  78. ^ "Beats by Dre president defends headphone bass quality". BBC News. July 15, 2014. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  79. ^ Fröhlich, Christoph (2014-04-25). "Stiftung Warentest prüft Kopfhörer. Beats by Dr. Dre fail". stern.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-21.
[edit]