Beats president Luke Wood is stepping down at the end of this month, and Apple Music chief Oliver Schusser will be adding oversight of Beats hardware to his responsibilities, according to CNET.
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Apple has not publicly announced the upcoming change, but Apple's services chief Eddy Cue recently sent an email to Apple employees confirming it. Cue noted in his email that the transition has been in the works for a while and that Apple remains "committed to the Beats brand."
The move has been in the works for a while, Cue said in his note to employees: "In the last year, Luke Wood told me about his desire to do something new. I appreciated the heads up so that it allowed us to plan for this transition." [...]
Cue wrote that he was sensitive to making a management change in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, remarking that "the timing of the announcement isn't ideal." However, the best thing for Beats is "to keep the business moving forward," he said, affirming that Apple remains "committed to the Beats brand and the importance of maintaining its role firmly in the music portfolio."
Wood officially joined Beats as president and chief operating officer in 2011, and has continued to oversee the Beats hardware business since Apple's acquisition of Beats in 2014.
While Beats Music quickly transitioned to become Apple Music, Apple has kept the valuable Beats hardware brand separate so far, releasing several new and updated headphone models including Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Solo Pro in recent months.
Apple itself has, however, increasingly ventured into the headphone market with AirPods, AirPods Pro, and rumors of additional upcoming products including over-ear headphones that would directly compete with some of Beats' higher-end flagship products.
Top Rated Comments
1. Not every company is for sale.Always thought Apple should've bought Bose instead of Beats. Bose's design principles and aesthetic fit right in at Apple; now Apple has to enter a whole new venture of R&Ding their own stuff to phase out Beats. What a weird purchase, though I guess it was profitable?
2. The rumours of Beats being phased out have been there for years and it's not going to happen because of brand recognition.
3. Beats was more than just the hardware at the time. Remember Beats Music? Bose doesn't have a streaming service.
Yeah it's been an epic failure all around. :rolleyes:Still can’t believe Apple bought Beats and made Dre a near billionaire in the process. Thank god that chancer Iovine was eventually booted to the curb but not before Apple lavished (wasted) millions upon millions on his “talent”.
/s
I don't see how you arrived at that conclusion. Like leaping over the grand canyon.So the Apple Music team overseas Beats hardware. That tells us all we need to know about Beats. It’s not about quality headphones it’s about the brand and appealing to a certain demographic.
Ehhhh what????? :oops:Always thought Apple should've bought Bose instead of Beats. Bose's design principles and aesthetic fit right in at Apple; now Apple has to enter a whole new venture of R&Ding their own stuff to phase out Beats. What a weird purchase, though I guess it was profitable?
There's no way Apple is phasing out the Beats brand but it's unfathomable how Apple hasn't put the W1 or it's successor in any portable stereos in the last few years. Or Siri. I understand they've prioritised the HomePod and AirPods but a lot of that engineering expertise comes from acquiring Beats.
That's because by being an Apple user for 25 years, you are part of the "Dad generation" that's being implied in the earlier post!! Apple probably wants the generation who wasn't even born for the duration of time you've been using Apple products."Dad brand"...?
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I've been an Apple user for almost 25 years, and this is the first time I've ever heard that phrase. Not once did I ever think Apple was "uncool" for being a computer company first and foremost. Nor would I have cared if they were. In fact, it's only since Apple's begun trying to increase their cultural cachet with the "hip" and "young" crowd that I've begun to have problems with the company's hardware, software, and philosophy.
But I suppose logic like yours is what has driven Apple management for the last decade anyhow. Explains a lot, sadly.
You decry the claim of Apple being called "dad brand" with, what you have to realize is, a text book "dad brand" quote. Intentional or happy accident? Either way, good stuff.:D"Dad brand"...?
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I've been an Apple user for almost 25 years, and this is the first time I've ever heard that phrase. Not once did I ever think Apple was "uncool" for being a computer company first and foremost. Nor would I have cared if they were. In fact, it's only since Apple's begun trying to increase their cultural cachet with the "hip" and "young" crowd that I've begun to have problems with the company's hardware, software, and philosophy.
But I suppose logic like yours is what has driven Apple management for the last decade anyhow. Explains a lot, sadly.