Beats

Apple unveils 2017 Back to School deals: free Beats with select iPad Pro & Mac purchases

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 12, 2017

Apple on Wednesday announced its 2017 Back to School promotion for customers in the United States and Canada. Students, teachers and university staff members will get a free Beats Solo3 wireless headphones when they purchase an eligible Mac with education pricing, including the MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac Pro models.

If you opt for a 10.5-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Apple will treat you to a free BeatsX wireless earphones or you can pay $50 extra to get a Powerbeats3 in-ear headphones or $150 extra for the Solo3 on-ear wireless headphones.

The Solo3 headphones are a great choice because they contain Apple's W1 chip for more reliable connections, better sound quality and longer battery life compared to Solo2.

The 2017 Back to School deals area available to students enrolled in college, parents, teachers and faculty members. Verification is required at checkout.

Apple also recommends Back to School accessories such as AirPods, Apple TV and more.

Plus, students can take advantage of existing Apple Music deal with a monthly subscription available to eligible students half price at just five bucks per month, or sixty bucks per year.

The Back to School promotion for customers in Australia, New Zealand and Japan went live back in January. It offered an Apple Store credit in exchange for a qualified iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook/Air/Pro or iPad Pro purchase made from February 7 to March 16.

New Beats ad features NBA all-stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant & others

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 16, 2017

Apple on Tuesday released a new television commercial promoting the Beats Studio Wireless on-ear headphones and the Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless in-ear headphones. “Beats powers the world’s greatest basketball players to make their statement on the biggest stage,” notes the ad.

The 30-second commercial, titled “Be Heard”, features NBA all-stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and James Harden who can be seen listening to a song by American rock duo “The White Stripes” while warming up with their Beats headphones.

And here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnmfyYETD0

As mentioned, the commercial uses the song “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes from their album “Elephant”. You can purchase their album from iTunes or stream it on Apple Music.

How do you like Apple's new Beats ad?

Rumored Siri/AirPlay device to use a variant of iOS, MacPro-like case & Beats tech

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2017

After claiming on Twitter yesterday that Apple is currently working on finalizing the designs for its Echo rival that's “expected to be marketed as a Siri/AirPlay device,” Australian leakster Sonny Dickson shared with MacRumors and on Twitter additional details about the device. It will allegedly run a version of iOS and include some form of Beats technology.

Apple could add Beats 1 Radio broadcasting booth to its flagship Fifth Avenue store

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 10, 2017

As part of ongoing renovations, Apple's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan will feature a dedicated broadcasting booth for the company's Beats 1 Radio station, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke with MacRumors. It will be a “very unique area” for broadcasting Beats 1, said the source.

Beats 1 Radio goes live in Singapore

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 14, 2017

Apple's global 24/7 Internet radio station, Beats 1 Radio, has gone live in Singapore on Tuesday. As first reported by Mashable, the online radio station has arrived to Singapore almost two years after Apple's streaming music service first launched in the country. Beats 1 Radio debuted in 100+ countries. The online show does not require an Apple Music subscription to listen to and is being aired live from Los Angeles, New York and London, with an anchor DJ producing the show in each city.

Following delay, Apple’s W1-equipped BeatsX are now available for purchase

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 10, 2017

Following an extended delay, Apple's BeatsX earphones are now available for purchase from Apple.com, Apple’s retail stores and other retailers. The $150 earphones file as Apple's most affordable audio product powered by the in-house designed W1 wireless chip, also found in the $160 AirPods, $200 PowerBeats3 and $300 Beats Solo3 headphones. The W1 chip enables seamless iCloud pairing with Apple devices and reliable wireless audio connection. BeatsX also work on non-Apple hardware as standard Bluetooth headsets.

The earbuds sport 8-hour battery life and come with a Siri-compatible RemoteTalk with built-in playback controls that let you control your music without using Siri.

All BeatsX purchases come with three free months of Apple Music

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 9, 2017

Apple's W1-equipped BeatsX earphones with a new flexible neckband design should be available to purchase this Friday in Black or White along with a pair of new color options: Gray and Blue. A few hands-on videos have gone live ahead of the official launch.

Comparing BeatsX to AirPods, YouTuber Jonathan Morrison has discovered that all purchases of BeatsX come with a code that customers can redeem for three free months of Apple Music (on top of Apple Music's existing three-month free trial).

BeatsX earphones will be available to buy this Friday, two new colors added

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 7, 2017

Corroborating yesterday's report, CNET today said that the upcoming BeatsX earphones with the Apple W1 wireless chip and a new neckband design will be launching this Friday, February 10, in the United States. The earbuds will be available to purchase from Apple.com and company-owned retail stores. Aside from the existing Black and White color options, CNET has learned that the $150 accessory will be available in two additional finishes, Gray and Blue, following this Friday's launch.

BeatsX earphones briefly showed as in stock in select Apple Stores ahead of launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 6, 2017

Following a recent delay of Beats X Bluetooth earphones with Apple-designed W1 wireless chip, they briefly showed as in stock in select Apple Stores this morning suggesting either an imminent launch (not very likely) or limited availability later this week (more likely). The earbuds use a flexible cord that lets them hang around your neck when not in use. Announced at the September 2016 iPhone 7 event, the accessory sports 8-hour battery life, a Siri-compatible RemoteTalk with built-in playback controls and a Lightning port for charging.

And with Fast Fuel technology, BeatsX customers will be able to get approximately two hours of playback time with a quick five-minute charge.

How to check for software updates for your Beats audio accessories

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

If you have Beats-branded audio devices, then they might have a firmware installed on it that sometimes need to be updated.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to check for updates for any of your supported Beats devices. Keep in mind that some Beats audio devices do not need to be updated.

Which W1 chip-equipped audio device should you get?

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 31, 2017

Because Apple nixed the 3.5mm headphone jack from the bottom of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, you either have to use the supplied Lightning dongle for backwards compatibility with your 3.5mm audio accessories, or you have to kick it up to the new age with a pair of wireless or Lightning-enabled audio devices instead.

When you don’t want to be bothered with the issue of charging your device at the same time you're listening to audio with headphones or earbuds in, the obvious choice is to go wireless. While there are tons of options, only a few come with Apple’s brand new W1 chip, which supports the slick new Bluetooth pairing process. Among those are AirPods, Beats Solo3, and Powerbeats3.

If you’re in a predicament and can’t decide between the three then you should find this piece helpful, because I'll be comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each from a variety of angles.

How to fix cracking audio, popping sound, clicking, buzzing, and static noises in AirPods and Beats headphones

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 17, 2025

Find out what to do if you're experiencing cracking audio, popping sound, clicking, buzzing, and static noises in your AirPods and Beats headphones when listening to songs, watching movies, or during calls.