Beats Electronics was created in 2006 by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. They focused on premium speakers and headphones. In 2011, it was estimated they had over 60% of the $100+ speaker market. On August 1, 2014, Apple acquired the company for $3 billion in cash and stock. It was the largest acquisition in Apple’s history.
After being acquired by Apple, Beats Music (a Spotify competitor) was shut down and many of its features found their way into Apple Music. Apple continues to release products under the brand today.
Apple is preparing to launch its second Beats Pill product since acquiring the audio brand nearly a decade ago. After being bought by Apple in 2014, Beats introduced the Beats Pill+ that sold from 2015 to 2020. While it was discontinued without a replacement in sight, the forthcoming Beats Pill has been showing up everywhere from celebrity sightings to regulatory listings.
Seeing the unreleased Beats Pill is an effective tease, but it doesn’t tell us what’s different this time around aside from an apparent integrated lanyard for toting it. However, 9to5Mac has learned through sources what features and specifications will accompany the new Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker when it officially launches.
Apple has been teasing the comeback of its Beats Pill speaker with sports stars like Lebron James and more carrying it around. Now after FCC approval earlier this week, another regulator has approved the new portable speaker ahead of a potentially imminent launch.
At this point, it’s pretty much confirmed that Apple will announce a new generation of the Beats Pill speaker, as many celebrities have been spotted walking around with it – not to mention that the iOS 17.5 RC files confirm the existence of the product. And it seems that the launch will be soon, as the new Beats Pill has just appeared in FCC filings.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen celebrities like LeBron James and Daniel Ricciardo walking around with a mysterious Beats speaker that looks a lot like the old Beats Pill+. Now with the release of iOS 17.5 RC on Tuesday, we’ve been able to confirm that Apple does indeed have plans to bring Beats Pill back.
Update May 2, 2024: Another day, another Beats Pill comeback teaser. This time, F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was spotted carrying an unreleased Beats Pill speaker in Miami this week.
Back in January 2022, Apple discontinued the years-old Beats Pill+ without announcing a replacement of any sort. It looks like that could be about to change, at least based on a teaser this week.
Apple has officially taken the wraps off its new Beats Solo 4 headphones today, the first update in eight years to one of the best-selling Beats products.
I’ve been using the Beats Solo 4 for the past week (listening to hours and hours of Taylor Swift). Head below for a roundup of what’s new and my first impressions.
Alongside the launch of Beats Solo 4 today, Apple has also announced new Beats Solo Buds earbuds. The new Beats Solo Buds pack a truly wireless design with an incredibly impressive 18 hours of battery life and $79.99 price.
These represent the most affordable truly wireless earbuds that Apple or Beats has released to date.
In February, images of unreleased Beats Solo 4 headphones were revealed thanks to the iOS 17.4 beta. Now, the Beats Solo 4 have popped up in the FCC’s database, signaling that a launch is imminent. They’ll mark the first update to the Beats Solo line in eight years…
Beats on Tuesday announced a new special edition of its Beats Fit Pro wireless earbuds. In partnership with Alo Yoga, the new Beats “Alo Special Edition” will be available later this week with an exclusive new finish to celebrate the partnership between the two companies.
Update 8:43am PT: Beats Solo 4 are not expected to launch for several more weeks, according to a source familiar with the matter. No word on when to expect new iPads.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported that Apple stores are planning a minor refresh this week, but he believes it to be for a new accessory, rather than a major new product.
He says that a bigger refresh is expected the following week, and it sounds like that one may point to the new iPads we’re expecting to be announced any day now, alongside the just-announced M3 MacBook Air models …
Apple on Tuesday released iOS 17.4 RC (Release Candidate) to developers and beta testers, as the update is expected to be released to the public next week. While iOS 17.4 brings changes to the App Store and App Marketplaces for users in the EU, the update also unveiled new unreleased Beats Solo 4 headphones.
Apple’s Beats brand is teaming up with Major League Soccer as part of a new multi-year partnership. In a press release, Beats says that it has selected eight teams to produce custom headphones for – Atlanta United, Columbus Crew, Inter Miami, LAFC, Nashville SC, NYCFC, St. Louis City SC, and Toronto FC – with more to follow.
The oft-rumored Beats Studio Pro headphones are now official. While Apple’s Beats brand has released a wide and very impressive range of earbuds over the last several years, the new Beats Studio Pro mark the first new Beats headphones since 2019. They’re also the first new “Beats Studio” branded headphones since 2017.
I’ve been testing the Beats Studio Pro for the past week, and they stay true to the expectations Beats has set with all of its recent products. That is: They pack a range of impressive features at a lower price than Apple’s alternatives but with a couple of omissions that could leave Apple users frustrated.
That being said: The features offered by Beats Studio Pro – and not offered by AirPods Max – make Apple’s over-ear headphones virtually impossible to recommend for now. Oh, and the Beats Studio Pro are $200 cheaper and include a 3.5mm headphone cable in the box.
Beats Studio Buds Plus will soon come in two new metallic colors: cosmic pink and cosmic silver. Both colors are launching at select retail stores next month.
As 9to5Mac reported last month, Apple is working on a major update to Beats Studio over-ear headphones. Beats Studio Pro headphones now appear closer to launch after showing up in a new FCC filing.
Perhaps the worst-kept secret of the year, Apple’s Beats brand is officially launching the new Beats Studio Buds+ today. These are upgraded version of the first-gen Beats Studio Buds that launched two years ago, packing upgraded Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode, longer battery life, and more.
Perhaps most notable of all, these new Beats Studio Buds+ come in a slick new transparent design option…
Earlier this year, 9to5Mac revealed that Apple has been working on new Beats Studio Buds+ with a custom Beats chip. Now we’ve also learned that the company is about to launch new Beats Studio Pro headphones with Transparency Mode and Spatial Audio. Based on codenames, it’s likely being developed in partnership with Samuel Ross of A-Cold-Wall.
On Tuesday, Apple released firmware updates for multiple of its wireless earbuds, including not only AirPods models but also Beats headphones. But interestingly, Apple has now confirmed that the firmware update available for Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro fixes a security exploit.
Earlier this year, 9to5Mac reported that Apple is about to release new Beats Studio Buds+ wireless earbuds, as references and even images of the new product were found in the internal files of iOS 16.4. Now FCC has published the filings for the new Beats earbuds.
Apple’s Beats brand is teaming up with Girls Don’t Cry, the Tokyo-based brand founded by VK Design’s Verdy, for a special edition design for Beats Flex. Beats Flex are the most affordable way to enter the Beats and Apple wireless headphone ecosystem…
Update: According to our sources, despite supporting features like Hey Siri, the new Beats Studio Buds+ will still use a custom Beats chip instead of Apple’s H1/H2. Original story below.
iOS 16.4 is coming soon with a bunch of new features, including new emoji, web app notifications, and more. But under the hood, today’s RC update adds support for an unreleased Beats Studio Buds+, as discovered by 9to5Mac. Read on as we detail what to expect from these new wireless earbuds from Beats.
Apple on Thursday announced a new special edition Beats Flex earbuds in partnership with Japanese fashion brand WACKO MARIA. Featuring an exclusive leopard print that matches the outfits from the Japanese brand, the new Beats earbuds will arrive in select stores this Friday.
Some AirPods and Beats headphones are to be made in India for the first time, as Apple continues a gradual reduction of its dependence on China for product manufacturing.
AirPods production is predominantly split between Foxconn and Luxshare, and a report today says that Apple has instructed both companies to move some of their assembly work to India …
