AppleInsider Staff
In addition to the next-generation iPhone and a new Apple Watch, Apple is also expected to unveil new products under the Beats brand at next week's media presentation, an inadvertently sent email has revealed.
A promotional email from a Beats partner was provided to iGen.fr, revealing that "a selection of new Beats by Dre products will be unveiled" at Apple's Sept. 7 event. Lending support to the authenticity of the email, representatives from Apple-owned Beats requested that a screenshot of the note be removed from the website.
It's unknown exactly what kinds of Beats products might be unveiled, but the brand is known for a variety of headphones and portable Bluetooth speakers.
Apple is also expected to unveil new, entirely wireless Bluetooth earbuds dubbed "AirPods" at next week's event. Whether the product will be sold with Apple or Beats branding remains to be seen.
The next-generation "iPhone 7" and "iPhone 7 Plus" are also expected to ship with new Lightning-connected EarPods, a switch necessitated by an anticipated elimination of the legacy 3.5-millimeter headphone jack.
To date, Apple has kept Beats products largely separate from its own. Devices like the iPhone still ship with Apple-branded EarPods, while Beats headphones are sold separately.
Apple acquired the headphone maker beats for $3 billion back in 2014. Since then, Bluetooth headphones have surpassed sales of wireless models, with Beats products taking the top spot.
Given Apple's expected switch to all Lightning and Bluetooth headphones, it's likely that new Beats headphones would follow that lead. Currently, none of the Beats lineup features Lightning-connected headphones, though the Beats Pill+ speaker that debuted a year ago features a female Lightning port for charging.
Apple's keynote presentation begins next Wednesday at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. AppleInsider will be there live with full coverage of the announcements.
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33 Comments
I've been wanting a "Beats" keynote where they reveal innovative headphones, speakers and iPods since the acquisition.
unfortunately it seems iPods are being abandoned.
Curious to see what the Apple designers have in mind for Beats headphones. Other than the new speakers, I believe they've all been legacy designs.
Hopefully, they hired some acoustic engineers to try and make them sound good.
Perhaps they will announce a BT device (with a clip) into which wired headphones can be plugged?