Beats acquisition would give Iovine and Dr. Dre senior positions at Apple, report says

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  • Reply 101 of 599
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Steve Jobs was an Apple executive, why not Dr. Dre ?

    It is remarkable how weak-minded some people on this board are.
    They cannot comprehend anything that is not quantified in bits and bytes.  This<span style="line-height:1.4em;"> is really sad.</span>


    Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.
    ...While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
    Apple buying Tesla might fit what you wrote above. Buying an overpriced headphone company does not. Here's what Cook said on Apple's earnings call last month:
    "From an acquisition point of view, we have done 24 in 18 months. That shows that we're on the prowl, I suppose you could say. We look for companies that have great people and great technology and that fit culturally, and we don't have a rule that says we can't spend a lot, or whatever."
    Where is the great technology and cultural fit with Beats?
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  • Reply 102 of 599
    rogifan wrote: »
    Except Beats headphones are not cheap price wise. So using the Beats brand to sell cheap phones doesn't make sense. I don't get why Apple would need to spend $3B to create downmarket branded products.

    In order for Apple to grow even more, they need to have brands with separate identities where they can release products and play freely without the current scrutiny. It's much like LMVH - you have the Louis Vuitton at the top, appealing to high end, yet they own labels like Marc Jacobs, Kenzo, etc... Where they can compete against others at low prices. There's more room for experimentation and failure without getting criticized. I bet Jony feels so stifled at the moment. He wants to create freely, but anything he does comes with such a legacy attached.... Beats would be a fun place for him to play.
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  • Reply 103 of 599
    applesauce007applesauce007 Posts: 1,715member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    Apple buying Tesla might fit what you wrote above. Buying an overpriced headphone company does not. Here's what Cook said on Apple's earnings call last month:

    Where is the great technology and cultural fit with Beats?

     

    Do you really believe that the Apple executive team would pay 8 times the price of NeXT for a headphone company?

    Trust me this is in a dimension that you either cannot comprehend or don't want to comprehend.  It's sad either way...

     

    http://www.beatsbydre.com

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Dre

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  • Reply 104 of 599
    long time reader - first time poster

    The intense negative reaction is because Apple is changing their image from a beautiful piece of refined artwork to the lowest form of human waste. They think that if Dre becomes an executive then Apple will adopt gangsta rap philosophies and begin associating with drug addiction, alcoholism, prostitution, drive-by-shootings, murder, violence against homosexuals and the brutal rape of women.

    Last thought - Angela Ahrendts was known for showcasing British boy bands on her Burberry sites. I think cute and edgy is one thing, but anger and hopelessness is another.
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  • Reply 105 of 599
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    I never suggested Apple initiated these rumors. Also just because it's a head scratcher doesn't mean it's BS. If it really was BS Apple wouldn't let everyone and their mother speculate on it for a day and a half. They'd deny it. There's a big difference between a rumor like this and most of the Apple rumors we see on a daily basis.

    Can you show me when Apple has responded to any rumor because I can't recall Apple ever having done so.

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  • Reply 106 of 599
    apple702apple702 Posts: 4member
    everyone missing the picture because of the SHOCKER! price

    reasons why it makes sense

    Rather than start from scratch designing and making this

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/02/18/apple-patents-sensor-packed-health-monitoring-headphones-with-head-gesture-control

    also instead of Plastic on beats headphones Apple will make them stronger durable/cooler

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/07/17/patent-reveals-apples-process-for-mass-producing-liquidmetal-alloy

    Apple TV is said to come out this year
    what if the Apple TV remote has hook up for headphones like the roku does? good idea more headphones to be sold for them
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  • Reply 107 of 599
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    drblank wrote: »
    Tim Cook, in my book, has just dropped a point for this kind of purchase.

    I think the iPhone was one of the few things from Apple that was mostly applauded. The iPod and IPad were declared proof that Apple had made huge mistakes and that was under Jobs. History shows those were brilliant moves but we can't know until after the fact. Even if we assume this rumour has some truth to it, for the sake of argument, we still don't know any details as to details that could make it a worthwhile purchase.

    realistic wrote: »
    Can you show me when Apple has responded to any rumor because I can't recall Apple ever having done so.

    Yesterday she pointed out an instance of an employee rumour leaving under hostile conditions as proof that any and all rumours on the internet that Apple doesn't respond to must therefore be true. I tried to point that we were talking about an internal employee issue and noted many other rumours Apple never spoke up about that have yet to come to pass.

    apple702 wrote: »
    what if the Apple TV remote has hook up for headphones like the roku does? good idea more headphones to be sold for them

    How would that benefit a family watching TV? How often are there multiple people in a room and only one wants to watch and listen to the TV? I'm sure it happens with couples in bed but I don't think it's a major concern or desire for most, especially considering the options available that don't include a Roku.
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  • Reply 108 of 599
    droidftwdroidftw Posts: 1,009member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    What's next? Is Old Dirty Bastard going to take over as CEO after Tim Cook?

     

    ODB died of a drug overdose 10 years ago.

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  • Reply 109 of 599
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DroidFTW View Post

     

     

    ODB died of a drug overdose 10 years ago.


     

    That shows you how up to date I am with any happenings in the hip hop world.

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  • Reply 110 of 599
    Steve Jobs was an Apple executive, why not Dr. Dre ?

    It is remarkable how weak-minded some people on this board are.
    They cannot comprehend anything that is not quantified in bits and bytes.  This<span style="line-height:1.4em;"> is really sad.</span>


    Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.
    ...While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

    Dre is associated with gangsta rap and many think the gangsta culture promotes drug addiction, alcoholism, rape and murder. This is not a story about a misfit genius winning.
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  • Reply 111 of 599
    nikiloknikilok Posts: 383member
    This might be the first step towards getting rid of record studios all together. Artists and Apples music distribution is all that's needed in today's age. Record companies existed in an age where the media of distribution was old school forms :). So this could be the beginning of something huge for the music industry.
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  • Reply 112 of 599
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

    For a position dealing with their music side of business I don't see Dre as being a bad choice by any measure. Remember that exclusive Beyoncé album that launched last year? Perhaps Apple wants more of that.

     

    Eh, I suppose you’re right.

     

    Originally Posted by Lord Amhran View Post

    Really? You fail to see what a music mogul and self-made multi-millionare in the relm of music could bring to Apple/iTunes?

     

    No, but that’s not what I said.

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post





    @TS Jimmy is a creative -- a talent that many here, including me, do not understand -- but they prototype what the public buys ..,

     

    That’s certainly worth considering, but 3.2 billion worth of consideration?

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  • Reply 113 of 599
    zabazaba Posts: 226member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    His wealth is a direct result of his capability as a business man, and from a very young age that is not unlike Steve Job and other exceptional leaders.
    So it's just a matter of time before they employ Simon Cowell then. Dr Drey. My arse.
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  • Reply 114 of 599
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    ok this alleged acquisition is starting to make sense to me.

    Iovine is a genius and basically runs the music industry.

    Reading through the comments suggest most of you don't even know who Dr. Dre is.

    If Apple releases these headphones I hope they get the makeover treatment in both sound and durability. They feel and sound like cheap chinese products.
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  • Reply 115 of 599

    This is getting really ridiculous. 

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  • Reply 116 of 599
    rayzrayz Posts: 814member

    First off, I don't think there's really any need to get too excited until Apple confirms it. If/when they do then we'll get a better idea of Cook's plans.

     

    In the meantime, I'll join in with the hysterical screaming if that's okay. 

     

    To all those people who trust Cook's judgement and point out that he runs the world's most successful tech company: This is very true, but remember that the know-nothing armchair experts were screaming that Browett was a bad hire from the day his appointment was announced. For armchair CEOs, they made a pretty good call as it turns out. When Browett was let go, Cook said that he was a bad fit for Apple's culture.

    Having watched the celebration video, I'm wondering what would make Cook think this is a good fit.

     

    Maybe Apple is thinking that they can get more protection for their ideas by rebranding themselves as a fashion house?

     

    http://jezebel.com/5822762/how-forever-21-keeps-getting-away-with-designer-knockoffs

     

    Or not.

     

    Or maybe they're thinking there's little point in spending billions on R&D if a competitor can just walk in and steal it. Maybe they're thinking that the way forward is just to buy fashion icons and rake in the profits. When the icon falls out of fashion then they simply drop a couple of billion on the next one. Of course for that to work they need to have someone on board who understood fashion.

     

    (That is a very good article by the way. Technology isn't the only industry where you can build a successful business from IP theft).

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  • Reply 117 of 599
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,464member

    Facebook buys Whatsapp for 19 billion dollars and after the initial shock people were ok with it.    

     

    Apple buying Beats make more sense because it's easy to see that Apple needs to enter the subscription 

    arena and they could roll their own but if they have Iovine and Young onboard they have more influence inside 

    the industry.  

     

    Eddie Cue is a solid guy but he's not going to walk in and start dictating terms to music execs.   If Apple keeps the electronics I 

    suspect they'll simplify the lineup a bit and eliminate products that don't sell.   It would make sense for Beats to support Airplay as well across more product lines.   This is very feasible because Broadcom has a turnkey Airplay solution dubbed WICED that should make it more affordable that was announced at CES 2014

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  • Reply 118 of 599
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    apple ][ wrote: »
    That shows you how up to date I am with any happenings in the hip hop world.

    Hip... Hop? Is that like, a kind of exercise? /s
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  • Reply 119 of 599
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    rogifan wrote: »
    Where is the great technology and cultural fit with Beats?

    I had the same question on hiring John Browett.
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  • Reply 120 of 599
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,386member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by leighr View Post



    This whole thing is much likely to be a "partnership program" much like the Apple-Nike one, designed to give Beats early access to Apple Tech, in exchange for exclusive products and ecosystem integration. Apple buys IP and integrated technologies, not companies like Beats, it prefers to make allies and work with them.... as long as they don't steal their ideas (aka Microsoft, Samsung, Google.....)

    Are you sure or are you guessing?  From the sounds of it, Apple bought the entire company for $3.2Billion, so Apple now owns the whole thing.  Now, Apple could let Beats run their headphone etc, business all by itself and then dismantle their music site and fold whatever they want into iTunes.  At least that's a possibility.  But if Apple acquired Beats, then they own the whole thing.

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