Apple quietly hikes Beats Flex price to $70
Apple recently raised the price of its Beats Flex earphones by 40%, a substantial increase for the nearly year-old device that was initially marketed as an entry-level product.
The price hike, first spotted by Portuguese language blog MacMagazine, was quietly introduced in the past few days and brings Beats Flex from $50 up to $70. Corresponding increases were rolled out worldwide.
Beats Flex is still the cheapest Beats option sold by Apple behind the wired Beats EP on-ear headphones.
Apple has not explained the sudden change and pricing for other products with similar internals remains unchanged.
Introduced in October 2020, Beats Flex is a follow up to the Beats X wireless earbuds and features a W1 chip, 12-hour battery, USB-C connectivity and improved acoustics. W1 integration enables quick syncing with iOS devices and support for Audio Sharing. Beats Flex is also compatible with Apple's Find My service when paired with a device running iOS 14.5 or later, or Mac running macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later.
Most third-party resellers have updated pricing to reflect Apple's changes and are showing the earphones available for $70 in the U.S.
Verizon is still selling Beats Flex for $50 and currently has a number of color options available. It is unclear if and when the carrier will update its pricing.
Read on AppleInsider
The price hike, first spotted by Portuguese language blog MacMagazine, was quietly introduced in the past few days and brings Beats Flex from $50 up to $70. Corresponding increases were rolled out worldwide.
Beats Flex is still the cheapest Beats option sold by Apple behind the wired Beats EP on-ear headphones.
Apple has not explained the sudden change and pricing for other products with similar internals remains unchanged.
Introduced in October 2020, Beats Flex is a follow up to the Beats X wireless earbuds and features a W1 chip, 12-hour battery, USB-C connectivity and improved acoustics. W1 integration enables quick syncing with iOS devices and support for Audio Sharing. Beats Flex is also compatible with Apple's Find My service when paired with a device running iOS 14.5 or later, or Mac running macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later.
Most third-party resellers have updated pricing to reflect Apple's changes and are showing the earphones available for $70 in the U.S.
Verizon is still selling Beats Flex for $50 and currently has a number of color options available. It is unclear if and when the carrier will update its pricing.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
I avoid things in the grocery store that are on sale because there's a reason they're on sale (and those reasons are never provided to the consumer.) I've bought many things on sale in the past only to discover later why they were on sale. Never again.
If a car manufacturer is offering special value pricing on some model, it's usually because that model isn't selling well. And there's probably a reason why it isn't selling well. No thanks.
You expect a media blitz to announce it?
What's the difference? Do you spend your days wondering whether increased milk prices are due to a lack of cows?
I like the Flex better than the predecessor X, which, I believe were $99. The Flex are made of more durable materials, and I like the buttons arrangement better. The magnets in the earpieces are stronger, and I like the way the music pauses when you click them together.
Apple hikes Beats Flex price to $70
Apple quietly hikes Beats Flex to $70
The fact is the same, but the effect is not. The first statement says everything you need to know – they now cost more. But Apple didn't just raise the price. They did it q-u-i-e-t-l-y. Adding "quietly" adds spin.
Why (beyond clicks)? Was it a secret late night meeting behind closed and lock doors, discussed in conspiratorial whispers? Did Tim say "Hike the price of the Flex by 40% but do it q-u-i-e-t-l-y so nobody notices.
And that seed was planted with the chosen headline.
Those headlines are not the same. There is deliberate implication with the use of "quietly" just as there would be had the headline had used "stealthily". Truthful? Yes. Misleading, yes. Does Apple normally announce price increases in a "non-quiet" manner? Is this some sort of departure from the method with which Apple announces price increases? Or price changes at all? No.
AI could have said "Apple hikes Beats Flex price to $70" but chose to embellish for a reason, because though both statements are factual, they don't both convey the same meaning. Stating or even implying they do, is disingenuous.
Ridiculous. Why do you think it odd/wrong/misplaced to wonder why a price has increased. Supply chain issues, increased cost of materials are only two reasons why a price might be increased. Anyone considering buying a pair of Flex would almost certainly consider the nature of increase before spending their money. Is it justified in their mind? Not to mention typical human curiosity.
Not to mention that 40% is a substantial price increase for a product that has no announced added features or performance. Apple rethought the price point for a reason. If (speculatively) it's not because of added features or performance, then why? Color me innately curious.
If I were considering a pair before this price hike, I'd probably pass, unless there was a new feature that was worth it, to me. So there's that, too.
Generally MOST stuff in groceries get marked down to move product that's built up in the supply chain, ie overstock, or if things are nearing expiration dates at which point they'd get pulled from shelves (often unnecessarily), not because there's something inherently wrong with them. Obviously clearance meat, seafood, deli etc should be examined closer, but that's stating the obvious.
Still, this has absolutely nothing to do with a product's increased price from when it was released. And headphones don't expire like a filet of ling cod.
This is one product that has had a significant increase from its original price. It's not two companies, nor two products.
Have you ever ever flown Ryanair? People don't fly those other airlines instead because they're priced at a premium, it's because Ryanair, EasyJet, and the like fucking suck compared to the better airlines which provide a markedly better experience across the board. They're not really "same services" when you consider the experience as a whole, aside from the obvious similarities. But again, this doesn't apply