Beats Electronics

Koss, the US company which created the first-ever high-fidelity stereo headphones, is suing Apple, accusing the AirPods maker of infringing five patents on wireless headphones. The claim is made against both AirPods and Beats wireless headphones.

Much of the court filing reads like an extended ad for the company’s achievements, and the specific claims suggest that the company is making a rather ambitious play …

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New to Powerbeats Pro or planning to buy the new totally wireless Beats? The newest Beats earphones are all-new, delivering Apple AirPods features and improvements to original Beats Powerbeats design. Read on to learn how to master the brand new Powerbeats Pro totally wireless earphones.

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Longtime Apple Veteran and now VP of Apple Music, Oliver Schusser is going to become the new head of Beats starting next month. He’ll continue on as the VP of Apple Music and the company’s international content division as well, as Apple says it “remains committed to the Beats brand.”

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Six years ago Apple dropped $3 billion on its largest acquisition ever to acquire Beats Electronics. Music mogul Jimmy Iovine and hip-hop legend Dr. Dre built the consumer electronics brand into a household name, and Beats-branded headphones were flying off the shelves.

Apple could tell. It sold Beats headphones and speakers in Apple Stores so the success of Beats was no secret. Beats also had a months-old streaming music service that Apple used to build Apple Music, but it’s clear in retrospect that Apple also saw continued value in Beats as a hardware brand.

That’s why it may come as a surprise to see reports that Apple plans to phase out the Beats brand in the future.

9to5Mac can report that this is not a strategy that Apple plans to pursue. The strategy is not one that should be viewed as being on the table for Apple, 9to5Mac has learned.

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‘Powerbeats4’ wireless earphones from Beats have been popping up all over the internet and even in retail stores over the last few days. Today Apple’s Beats brand is making it official: the all-new Powerbeats wireless earphones are replacing Powerbeats3 Wireless for a fraction of the price.

The new Powerbeats earphones are heavily inspired by the totally wireless Powerbeats Pro earphones (reviewed). They also use the same chip as Apple’s second-gen AirPods and newly released AirPods Pro earphones.

Here’s what you need to know about the all-new Powerbeats wireless earphones now that they’re officially announced:

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The successor to Apple Powerbeats3 are almost here. After hitting the FCC last week, 9to5Mac has obtained videos of the new headphones and the website WinFuture has reported specs and shared marketing photos of the upcoming product.

The new Powerbeats 4 feature a slightly sleeker design, which should be more comfortable on the ear, and boast up to 15 hours of battery life according to WinFuture’s source. See the pairing animations for the new headphones after the jump …

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Apple is developing a new version of its popular Powerbeats earbuds with support for Hey Siri. Evidence found within iOS 13.3, which was released to the public today, indicates that “Powerbeats4” are likely coming soon.

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Beats Solo Pro is the the biggest upgrade to the Solo line of on-ear headphones since Apple bought Beats five years ago. While the evolved $299 ‘Pro’ version carries a $100 premium over Solo3 Wireless, Solo Pro includes active noise cancellation found in Beats Studio3 Wireless for $50 less.

Other new features include Transparency for hearing ambient noise through the headphones, controlling power by folding each side, and Apple’s new H1 wireless chip that first debuted with second-gen AirPods.

The new Beats Solo Pro on-ear headphones look better on paper than Studio in terms of features and value, but one size may not fit all sonically and physically. If you’re in the market for either model, the feature differences are worth a closer look.

Beats is out with the first major redesign of its Solo on-ear headphones since being bought by Apple in 2014. The all-new Solo Pro headphones blend Beats Studio active noise cancellation with Powerbeats Pro and AirPods features like ‘Hey Siri’, auto-power, and more. Solo Pro is also the first Beats headphone to introduce a new ambient noise feature called Transparency.

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The wait is almost over if you’ve been holding out for Powerbeats Pro to launch in any color but black. Powerbeats Pro will be sold in three new colors starting next week.

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Apple upgraded AirPods earlier this year with a brand new H1 chip that quickly found its way inside the impressive Powerbeats Pro earphones from Beats. Apple’s H1 chip delivers faster device switching and lower latency for wireless headphones.

Beats currently uses Apple’s older W1 chip from the original AirPods inside Solo and Studio headphones. Both models are prime candidates for the “Pro” upgrade with Apple’s H1 chip and potentially even bigger changes. Which pair of headphones should Beats update first and what might we expect from such an upgrade?

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After a few notable marketing leadership departures, Beats has announced its new CMO pick: Chris Thorne. The new top marketer at Beats joins the Apple-owned headphones company with experience from EA, The Honest Company, and Forward. The company highlights that the new CMO joins after the major launch of its new Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones.

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Powerbeats Pro UK, French and German pre-orders begin on Friday. Although Apple’s local websites only say ‘coming soon,’ the Beats websites for the three countries have been updated to say that the in-ear headphones will be available for pre-order in May.

A promotional video gets more specific …

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Maybe it’s just the endorphins talking, but words like ‘epic’, ‘thunderous’, and ‘invincible’ come to mind when running with Powerbeats Pro. The first-ever totally wireless Beats earphones are a mega upgrade over Powerbeats3 Wireless, and not just because they pack the best features of second-gen AirPods in a versatile, sporty package. Beats has arguably created the best fitness earphones on the market with Powerbeats Pro.

Pre-orders for the all-new Beats Powerbeats Pro totally wireless earphones opened on Friday with deliveries starting later this month. Today we’re taking a quick hands-on look at the new sporty alternative to AirPods before they show up in stores.

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Looking for a sporty alternative to AirPods? Beats Powerbeats Pro totally wireless earphones will be available to pre-order from Apple.com for $249.95 this Friday, May 3rd at 7 am PT in the United States and Canada.

Powerbeats Pro will hit stores one week later on Friday, May 10th. The all-new Beats earphones are powered by the same Apple H1 chip as AirPods 2, work with ‘Hey Siri’, and have sporty features including longer battery life and physical playback controls.

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