Beats

New Beats ad features NBA all-stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant & others

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 16, 2017

Apple on Tuesday released a new television commercial promoting the Beats Studio Wireless on-ear headphones and the Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless in-ear headphones. “Beats powers the world’s greatest basketball players to make their statement on the biggest stage,” notes the ad.

The 30-second commercial, titled “Be Heard”, features NBA all-stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and James Harden who can be seen listening to a song by American rock duo “The White Stripes” while warming up with their Beats headphones.

And here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnmfyYETD0

As mentioned, the commercial uses the song “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes from their album “Elephant”. You can purchase their album from iTunes or stream it on Apple Music.

How do you like Apple's new Beats ad?

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Following delay, Apple’s W1-equipped BeatsX are now available for purchase

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 10, 2017

Following an extended delay, Apple's BeatsX earphones are now available for purchase from Apple.com, Apple’s retail stores and other retailers. The $150 earphones file as Apple's most affordable audio product powered by the in-house designed W1 wireless chip, also found in the $160 AirPods, $200 PowerBeats3 and $300 Beats Solo3 headphones. The W1 chip enables seamless iCloud pairing with Apple devices and reliable wireless audio connection. BeatsX also work on non-Apple hardware as standard Bluetooth headsets.

The earbuds sport 8-hour battery life and come with a Siri-compatible RemoteTalk with built-in playback controls that let you control your music without using Siri.

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All BeatsX purchases come with three free months of Apple Music

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 10, 2017

Apple's W1-equipped BeatsX earphones with a new flexible neckband design should be available to purchase this Friday in Black or White along with a pair of new color options: Gray and Blue. A few hands-on videos have gone live ahead of the official launch.

Comparing BeatsX to AirPods, YouTuber Jonathan Morrison has discovered that all purchases of BeatsX come with a code that customers can redeem for three free months of Apple Music (on top of Apple Music's existing three-month free trial).

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BeatsX earphones will be available to buy this Friday, two new colors added

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 7, 2017

Corroborating yesterday's report, CNET today said that the upcoming BeatsX earphones with the Apple W1 wireless chip and a new neckband design will be launching this Friday, February 10, in the United States. The earbuds will be available to purchase from Apple.com and company-owned retail stores. Aside from the existing Black and White color options, CNET has learned that the $150 accessory will be available in two additional finishes, Gray and Blue, following this Friday's launch.

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BeatsX earphones briefly showed as in stock in select Apple Stores ahead of launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 6, 2017

Following a recent delay of Beats X Bluetooth earphones with Apple-designed W1 wireless chip, they briefly showed as in stock in select Apple Stores this morning suggesting either an imminent launch (not very likely) or limited availability later this week (more likely). The earbuds use a flexible cord that lets them hang around your neck when not in use. Announced at the September 2016 iPhone 7 event, the accessory sports 8-hour battery life, a Siri-compatible RemoteTalk with built-in playback controls and a Lightning port for charging.

And with Fast Fuel technology, BeatsX customers will be able to get approximately two hours of playback time with a quick five-minute charge.

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Which W1 chip-equipped audio device should you get?

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 30, 2017

Because Apple nixed the 3.5mm headphone jack from the bottom of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, you either have to use the supplied Lightning dongle for backwards compatibility with your 3.5mm audio accessories, or you have to kick it up to the new age with a pair of wireless or Lightning-enabled audio devices instead.

When you don’t want to be bothered with the issue of charging your device at the same time you're listening to audio with headphones or earbuds in, the obvious choice is to go wireless. While there are tons of options, only a few come with Apple’s brand new W1 chip, which supports the slick new Bluetooth pairing process. Among those are AirPods, Beats Solo3, and Powerbeats3.

If you’re in a predicament and can’t decide between the three then you should find this piece helpful, because I'll be comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each from a variety of angles.

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Testing the operating range of AirPods and Beats Solo3 vs non-W1 Beats headphones

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

Much has been said about the virtues of the W1 chip Apple started baking into their latest wireless Beats line-up and of course the AirPods. By now we know for sure that W1 facilitates a much faster pairing process, as do we know that the chip significantly amplifies both battery life and conservation techniques. What’s less prominently talked about - at least from official sides - is the operating range of these wireless headphones and the presumed effect the W1 chip addition has had on that benchmark.

For I felt information on the internet was just a bit too murky to count on, I decided to take it upon myself and conduct a little experiment: I packed my rucksack with four headphones (two of which boast the new W1 chip) and headed to a nearby park in order to pit them against each other. Pairing them one after another and then slowly making a bee-line for the opposite direction, one thing quickly became clear: the results for the maximum distance obtainable aren’t surprising in terms of order, but they definitely are in their clarity.

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New BeatsX earphones with Apple W1 chip may not ship for at least 2-3 months

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2016

It's not just AirPods—according to an alleged email Apple sent to an authorized reseller, the new $149.95 BeatsX earphones rocking an in-house designed Apple W1 wireless chip may not start shipping for at least 2-3 months. As reported on by MacRumors, authorized reseller B&H Photo Video told a customer Apple's informed them that the new earphones will miss the company's self-proclaimed fall 2016 launch and are unlikely to start shipping before February or March 2017.

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Twelve South’s Fermata charging stand keeps your wireless headphones organized

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 30, 2023

With the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that many people will be moving to wireless Bluetooth headphones instead of wired ones.

Twelve South’s new Fermata charging stand for wireless headphones is a great accessory to have if you’re one of those people. It’ll keep your headphones out of your way on your desk while they charge, and it looks great too!

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New Apple ad highlights Beats Solo3 Wireless 40-hour battery & on-ear controls

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 14, 2016

During the official iPhone 7 unveiling last month, Apple announced one brand new and two improved Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, all of which utilize the new Apple W1 wireless chip: Powerbeats3 Wireless, Solo3 Wireless and the upcoming BeatsX earphones. A new ad Apple posted Monday, featuring Karlie Kloss, Young M.A., Brunas Schmitz and Justine Skye, highlights some of the Solo3 Wireless features enabled by the W1 chip, like touch controls and a longer lasting 40-hour battery.

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Powerbeats3 Wireless earphones with W1 chip & 12-hour battery available to preorder

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 25, 2016

Powerbeats3 Wireless earphones, a successor to the Powerbeats2 Wireless edition, are now available to buy from Apple.com in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, China and elsewhere. The accessory is available in White, Shock Yellow, Flash Blue, Black and Siren Red.

Listings for the $199.95 Bluetooth earphones on local Apple.com websites display delivery estimates ranging from 2-3 days to 1-2 weeks.

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