Apple

Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre could see grand introductions as Apple executives at WWDC

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

Should Apple's rumored $3.2 billion deal to buy Beats Electronics, LCC come through, its most visible co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre could show up on the Moscone West stage to be introduced as Apple executives, as per Billboard. An annual pilgrimage for programmers, Apple's 5-day Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC, kicks off on June 2.

If history is an indication, Tim Cook will share the stage with other senior executives to tell us what's next for Apple's mobile and desktop operating systems. Given the amount of coverage WWDC typically enjoys, it would be the perfect venue to make such a high-profile announcement...

Bloomberg: Apple to keep Beats as a separate brand, improve headphones design

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

A report last Thursday by The Financial Times on Apple's alleged $3.2 billion purchase of Beats Electronics, LCC. - potentially Apple's most pricey acquisition to date - has taken the technology industry by surprise.

And as pundits continue to assess the rationale behind Apple's purported move, Bloomberg on Monday ran a revealing story explaining that the two firms share more commonalities than meets the eye, despite a world of difference in terms of corporate culture.

Moreover, Apple apparently intends to keep Beats hardware around while improving upon the design of the startup's pricey headphones...

Some theories on why Apple would want to buy Beats

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Since word got out last Thursday that Apple is in the final stages of purchasing Beats Electronics, it seems like everyone and their dog has written an op-ed on why Tim Cook and company would want to spend $3 billion on the headphone-maker.

While I normally love playing armchair analyst on topics like this, I've decided this time not to add to the noise. Instead, I've rounded up a handful of some of the better theories I've seen around the web on why an Apple-Beats deal makes any sense...

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine to take on senior roles at Apple after Beats buyout

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

The Wall Street Journal added some new details to the Apple-Beats discussion last night, reporting that Beats co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are likely to take on senior roles at the Cupertino company following the high profile acquisition.

Now, just what exactly they'll be doing at Apple is still unclear. It sounds like the positions are not going to be full time, with the pair commuting from Los Angeles—where Beats is headquartered—to Cupertino, and other places if necessary...

WSJ: Apple playing ‘catch up’ with Beats acquisition

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

The disruptor has become the disrupted. Apple, the company that turned the music industry upside down with the launch of the iTunes Store in 2003, saw digital download sales drop for the first time ever last year. Why? Streaming music services.

The folks out in Cupertino failed to see the rise of the Rdios and the Spotifys, and thus have been forced to play catch-up. And according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, that's exactly what this rumored Apple-Beats acquisition is all about...

Dr. Dre seemingly confirms Apple’s Beats deal

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2014

The Financial Times newspaper yesterday reported that Apple is in the final stages of negotiating a $3.2 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics, a startup behind the recently unveiled Beats Music streaming service and the maker of premium headphones and assorted audio accessories.

Dr. Dre, who co-founded Beats, has now seemingly jumped the gun on announcing the deal in a video published on Facebook, which has now been deleted because Apple - as I'm sure you know by now - is not fond of leaks...

FT: Apple to buy Beats Music for $3.2 billion

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Apple is said to be on the verge of finalizing what would class as its biggest acquisition ever, a deal to buy Beats Music in a transaction valued at $3.2 billion. According to a Financial Times report on Thursday, citing people familiar with the negotiations, the deal could be announced as early as next week. Nothing is certain though as the parties have yet to agree on certain specifics so talks could still fall apart. Apple and Beats both declined to comment on the rumor...

Beats Music updated with native iPad support, adds Find Your Friends feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

As teased yesterday, the new streaming music startup from music mogul Jimmy Lovine and musician and producer Dr. Dre, called Beats Music, has been updated with support for the iPad. The 17.1MB download is now live in the App Store and universal so a single binary now supports all your form-factor iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. As a bonus, regardless of the device you can now easily add Beats Music users from your Twitter friends...

Beats Music is coming to iPad soon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Beats Music, a new streaming music service from music mogul Jimmy Lovine, musician and producer Dr. Dre and other industry figures, is about to extend to the iPad soon.

According to the startup's teaser image shared on Twitter - captioned with the 'Something Big is Coming' tagline - the iPhone-only app should soon be available on Apple's tablet, too.

The $9.99 per month service launched on January 20 and is still struggling to hit the ground running despite an impressive set of features and a library of over 20 million songs that can be streamed on-demand to the iPhone, Windows Phone and Android devices and to your web browser...

Beats Music opens up its API to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Beats Music has entered the crowded music-streaming space less than two months ago and already the startup is making moves with the aim of becoming a music platform of sorts.

Akin to Rdio, Spotify and other subscription-based music services, Beats Music offers unlimited streaming for ten bucks a month through the web and via their awesome iPhone app.

CNET is now reporting that the company has now officially opened up its application programming interface (API) to all third-part developers as it seeks to foster the creation of mobile apps with Beats Music integration...

Beats Music coming January 21, here’s nitty-gritty on their ‘trusted curator’ concept

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Beats Music CEO Luke Wood told us last October to soon expect a brand new subscription music service, one not only making a difference to how we consume songs but also changing our perception of what streaming music services should be all about. Yesterday, Beats Music announced it will be definitely opening for business on January 21.

In an effort to drum up excitement ahead of the impending launch, the headphone manufacturer likened existing music service to "servers" that provide little more than access to a catalog.

But how the heck does Beats Music expect to stand out in the crowded space of streaming service? By curating music from trusted human sources like established industry magazines, that's how. They even hired professional DJs! "In our experience it’s always been a living, breathing human who has brought us that song we fell in love with," the company said.

What's in it for you? More than meets the eye. Read on...

Beats Music launching on iOS in a few months

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

You can put Beats Music on your ever-expanding list of streaming music service as its CEO Luke Wood confirms to The Next Web that the company will enter the highly-competitive space in the United States "within the next few months".

Based on its July 2012 $14 million acquisition of another music streaming service, MOG, Beats Music will focus on human-curated playlists compiled around a particular artist, activity or the general mood of the listener.

You may have heard this tune before so we have more tidbits right after the break...