Random Apple Memory

Adam Banks remembers when — if not why — the biggest name in consumer electronics bought the biggest name in big headphones

Remembering when Apple splashed out big for Beats.

News that Apple was to acquire Beats Electronics, the headphone marketing juggernaut helmed by Dr Dre, was confirmed on 8 May 2014 not in a stage–managed keynote, but with a video posted to Instagram and Facebook of himself and R&B artist Tyrese, who hailed him as “rap’s first billionaire”. While that may have slightly overstated his share of the $3.2bn price tag, nobody could deny it was a big deal. Nor could analysts figure out what a company known for its restrained style and technical mastery saw in a loudly hyped brand regularly panned by audio reviewers.

A clue came four months later, when Tim Cook told veteran PBS host Charlie Rose that he’d been listening to Beats Music, the company’s streaming service, at the recommendation of Dre’s Beats co–founder Jimmy Iovine when it struck him, and he felt “…completely different. And the reason is that they recognized that human curation was important.” On 8 June, Cook’s ‘one more thing’ announcement at WWDC was Apple Music, which would feature the Beats 1 internet radio station as well as curated personal recommendations. Human– selected highlights would also now become a feature of the App Store.

A slate of iPhone 6 ads promoting Beats By Dre headphones followed, but few signs of hardware synergy were to materialize. If anything, comparisons may have focused Apple’s and Beats’ designers on what separates them. Today, for example, the two brands each offer their own wireless earphones, differing in every way. BeatsX are joined by a cord, while EarPods are separate. AirPods run for only five hours, but come with a charging case, while the eight– hour BeatsX should last all day. AirPods are white; BeatsX are black. Yet both brands continue to enjoy huge recognition and success, and in the end, perhaps it’s this overarching diversity between the two that joins them.