Apple To Acquire Beats Music & Beats Electronics For $3 Billion

Apple has officially closed on a deal to purchase Beats Electronics for $3B. 

Apple announced the deal in an official press release:
Apple today announced it has agreed to acquire the critically acclaimed subscription streaming music service Beats Music, and Beats Electronics, which makes the popular Beats headphones, speakers and audio software. As part of the acquisition, Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple. 

Apple is acquiring the two companies for a total of $3 billion, consisting of a purchase price of approximately $2.6 billion and approximately $400 million that will vest over time.

“Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “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.”

“I’ve always known in my heart that Beats belonged with Apple,” said Jimmy Iovine. “The idea when we started the company was inspired by Apple’s unmatched ability to marry culture and technology. Apple’s deep commitment to music fans, artists, songwriters and the music industry is something special.”

The deal marks the largest acquisition ever made by Apple including its $400 million deal in 1996 to purchase the company NeXT which brought Steve Jobs back to Apple.

Dr Dre All But Confirmed Beats/Apple Deal

Although we haven't heard an official confirmation from Apple or Beats Electronics about a possible Apple buyout, after news broke that the Apple was going buy music streaming company Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion. Dr Dre, one of Beats’ co-founders seems to have other views about transparency.



Playing around with some other folks, Tyrese Gibson starts out the video with a reference to the Beats/Apple news. “Billionaire boys club for real, homie…. The Forbes list just changed!…”

“In a big way,” rejoined Dr Dre.“The first billionaire in hip hop, right here on the motherf*ckin West Coast!” Dre says, standing behind Tyrese Gibson laughing and hollers off camera.

Shit just got real, yo.

Beats By Cook, Apple Rumored To Buy Beats Electronics For $3.2B

According to the Financial Times, Apple is currently in negotiations to purchase Beats Electronics for a sum of $3.2 billion. The deal could be made as soon as next week, but from what sources state a few terms need to be ironed out first. If the deal goes through for $3.2 billion this would be Apple’s largest acquisition to date. 
Unlike HTC, Apple’s deal would be for all aspects of the company. Which would include hardware, streaming music services, and all that falls under the Beats name.

We'll keep you posted as news comes available, in the mean time what's your take on Apple buying Beats Electronics; leave your comments below?

Dr Dre All But Confirmed Beats/Apple Deal...

Beats Music Launches Jan. 21 For $10 Per Month

Beats Music today announced the pending launch of an online and mobile streaming music service. Beats Music will be available to Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices for $9.99 per month. The subscription fee grants users unlimited access to 20 million tracks, including streaming and downloads for offline playback. Beats Music will offer dozens of curated music stations, as well as allow consumers to create their own. The service will offer a Just for You function which offers a personalized selection of albums and playlists based on user tastes.

Right Now, which is a continuous playlist made from the user's location, preferences, surroundings, and mood.

 Highlights, which is made from current and culturally aware playlists; and Find It, a search function that pulls out playlists and songs. 

According to Beats, it is paying all artists the same royalties for their music. The service runs on the platform built by MOG, which was bought by Beats Audio in 2012. Single lines can test the service for free for one month, after which the monthly subscription kicks in. Beats Music also announced a collaboration with AT&T. 

Beats Music for AT&T customers will cost $15 per month and targets families or other groups that use Mobile Share plans. Beats Music for AT&T gives up to five people unlimited streaming and song downloads per month. AT&T is offering families a free 90-day trial, but there is no free version of Beats Music it's all or nothing. Potential customers do not need to have Beats headphones in order to subscribe to Beats Music. Beats Music will become available January 21.

Source: Beats Music

Beats Considering Buying Back HTC’s Share

According to the Wall St. Journal, Dr. Dre’s Beats may be considering buying back HTC’s share of the business.

The maker of the popular Beats by Dr. Dre headphones is looking to buy out its Asian partner and bring in a new investor that can provide it with fresh funds for growth, people familiar with the matter said.

The moves come as the founders of Beats Electronics LLC music mogul Jimmy Iovine and American hip-hop producer and artist Andre Young, better known as Dr. Dre are broadening the company’s business from headphones to include speakers, audio systems in cars and consumer electronics and a soon to be launched online streaming music service.

It isn't mentioned in the article but with the much larger Beats partner HP now making Android tablets and possibly phones, there might be some conflict in Beats branding land.  HTC is obviously having some issues financially so maybe the smaller guy is getting edged out and is more willing to take the money and run.

HP Announces Its First Android Tablet, The Slate 7 For $169

HP just unveiled their first ever Android tablet, the Slate 7. The device carries a 7″ display, has access to Google Play and the rest of Google’s suite of apps, weighs 13 ounces, utilizes Beats Audio, is powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core processor, 3MP rear camera, VGA front camera, runs Android 4.1, and drops in at a ridiculously low price of $169.

HTC Unveils Windows Phone 8X And 8S

HTC unveiled two Windows Phone 8 devices, the flagship HTC 8X and mid-range HTC 8S, both of which will make their way to carriers around the world this November.

The HTC 8X is the flagship phone in HTC”s Windows Phone 8 line. The 8X will be available this November and T-Mobile USA, AT&T, and Verizon Wireless have all announced the intent to carry the device on launch.

The HTC 8X boasts the following specs:

• 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 Super LCD 2 display with Gorilla Glass 2 coating
• 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage
• NFC
• 1,800 mAh battery
• LTE
• Beats Audio
• 8-megapixel rear camera with an f/2.0 lens and ImageChip technology and 1080p video
• 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera with a 88-degree ultra-wide-angle lens and 1080p video
• The 8X will come in four distinct color options that could set it apart from the competition. The 8X will come in California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow, though which carriers will carry which color schemes has yet to be announced.

The HTC 8S is the phone geared towards the budget-friendly consumers out there, and comes in just as many color choices. The 8S will be available in two-toned Domino, Fiesta Red, Atlantic Blue and High-Rise Gray, though again no carrier color choices have been announced. 

HTC’s 8S comes with the following spec sheet:

• 4″ Super LCD display with Gorilla Glass
• 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal storage with expandable microSD slot
• 1,700 mAh battery
• 5 megapixel rear camera with 720p video capture

There’s a lot to like about both the HTC 8X and 8S devices, HTC’s answer to Nokia and the Lumia 920 and 820 smartphones. 

What Is Your Thoughts On Beats Audio On HTC Devices

It’s been less than a year since HTC made that massive investment in Beats Audio. But in case you haven’t heard yet, HTC has now decided to sell half of it’s 50.1% stake in the company, leaving it with only 25.57%. This comes after HTC released the HTC EVO 4G LTE and the HTC One Series with Beats branding, but without bundled Beats headsets.

HTC is saying that this move doesn’t mean it values Beats any less. HTC will continue to work closely with Beats and continue to provide Beats functionality in future handsets. But, as the saying goes, money speaks louder than words it certainly seems like HTC is starting to think its massive investment was a mistake, especially since the company is still second to Samsung, with sales that just can’t seem to rebound to former levels.

So, all of this made us wonder: what do you think of Beats Audio? Is it just a gimmick designed to sell more handsets and expensive earphones, or does it really add something special to a device’s audio experience?

Sound off below, and let us know what you think and what your experiences have been of Beats Audio on your own phone.

[Pocketables]

HTC And Verizon Out The Droid Incredible 4G LTE

HTC and Verizon’s Incredible 4G has been leaked for quite a while now from pictures to specs, and today at CTIA in New Orleans the device was finally announced officially. The DROID Incredible series has been going strong on Verizon for a while now, and they have stayed true to the form factor with the 4G Incredible as well. The screen is still 4″, straying away from the larger phone trend that is taking over the market as of late, and also retaining the plateau-style back that we all have come to know and love on a DROID Incredible.

This Incredible 4G is the follow-up to the DROID Incredible 2, which was a 3G only device, and as far as specs go is a large hardware and software upgrade. This device isn’t likely going to replace everyone’s device on Verizon, but people who are die-hard Incredible fans or in search of a smaller screen may find themselves right at home with the Incredible 4G. The DROID Incredible 4G features, as I said earlier, a 4″ super LCD qHD display which is smaller than most devices available. The device also has received a processor bump to a 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 with 1 GB of RAM, meaning it will likely run ICS at blazing fast speeds. Sense 4 will come on top of Android 4.0, bringing everything that we have seen from the One series on the software end of things. ImageSense will be complementing the device’s 8MP camera, and a standard VGA front facing camera is on board as well. Beats Audio will be bringing you all of the sound for the device, but sadly Beats headphones do not come with the purchase like they did withe the Rezound.

The biggest improvement on this device compared to the Incredible 2, however, is obviously the addition of 4G LTE, something that many will agree should have been present on the Incredible 2 in the first place. Hopefully the 1700 mAh battery will be able to sustain this device for a full day on LTE, and the smaller screen size may make up for what is a somewhat small battery size. HTC has also allowed for the removal of the battery on this device, so you may want to pick up a spare battery depending on the device’s battery life.

HTC Cuts The Cord On Beats Headphones

Despite all the hype, opening up the API, and recently scooping up a music streaming service, we might have seen the end of Beats brand plugs being bundled in with HTC phones. Martin Fichter, a product executive for the phone manufacturer, told CNET that "If they want a Beats headphone, they'll buy it directly," suggesting that the lure of the in-the-box pair just wasn't strong enough for those with a penchant for bass. Perhaps this explains why the whole "Enable Beats" option embedded on the new One series no longer requires the brand's headphones to activate it? Still, if true, the move seems a surprisingly quick turn around on what was originally a much vaunted collaboration. That, or contractual obligations further up the food chain are drawing to a close.

MOG Quietly Makes Its Mobile Debut

 

It would appear that MOG's not the sort of company that lets some sales chatter stop it from shipping products. In addition to the native Windows app the company introduced Friday, it has now released an official iPad app. MOG for iPad contains an identical feature list as the iPhone and iPod Touch version, making us wonder why the company didn't opt for a universal app that would run on all iOS devices, but it's hard to complain when the app itself is free. It puts MOG on even iOS app footing with Rdio, which debuted its iPad app last August, while making Spotify's absence all the more conspicuous: despite its ambitions, Spotify has yet to release an app for Apple's best-selling tablet. MOG users will need a subscription to take advantage of the new app, but if you're already signed up, at the MOG official website. 


Apple download link
Android download link

AT&T And HTC Make Vivid "Ice Cream Sandwich" Update Official

 

We reported last week that the ICS update for the HTC Vivid on AT&T had started to trickle out. Many of you probably chose to initiate the update manually, by dialing *#*#682#*#*. For everyone else, AT&T has made the update official today, highlighting the snazzy new capabilities, including Beats Audio and the many new features of Android 4.0, such has Face Unlock. 

Beatbox by Beats Now Available For A Whopping $399

The Beatbox by Dre is a high quality portable speaker that allows you to stream music from your Android device via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, priced at $399, but if you really love music and the quality that Beats offers, you will want to check this out.