image credit: Ben Thomas
Apple quietly updated its Powerbeats2 headphones to match Apple Watch Sport colors this week signalling a new move to focus audio accessories to the Apple Watch ecosystem. The new colors, which match the Apple Watch Sport Band colors of Blue, Black, Green, Pink and (updated) White, are available in Apple Stores but haven’t arrived at other retail locations yet.
The Apple Watch can store and play 2GB of music without a tethered iPhone wirelessly via Bluetooth 4 and with watchOS 2 will get access to many more audio applications. It wouldn’t be out of character for Apple to release over the ear Beats headphones in matching colors or even PowerBeats Wireless to match the more expensive stainless steel Apple Watch.
The new Powerbeats2 headphones will of course work with all Apple and other Bluetooth 4 devices even though they appear to be focused on the growing Apple Watch market.
Apple Powerbeats2 Wireless earphones still come in their original, dare I say, dated colors for $199 ($189 Amazon, $169 Best Buy or $160 Ebay) but the original White version has been moved from the old lineup the the new lineup. Original urBeats wired headphones can be found for as little as $45 via 9to5Toys.com
(Via Benjamin Thomas)
It seems that Apple doesn’t want to draw any attention to the hardware it acquired. Like making a distant cousin put on a suit and be told to just be quiet during the family gathering. My money says the Beats accessories are a “for now” affair. Perhaps just long enough for Apple to put out a new series of their own headphones that mooch some of Beats’ tech, then end of life everything else until stock dries up.
LikeLike
They bought Beats for a few reasons and one big one was the Brand. Apparently the Solo 2’s sound much better than the other Beats stuff, perhaps these will be the same. This headphone hardware isn’t going anywhere. The speakers on the other hand I wouldn’t be too sure on.
LikeLike
here u go. Get all the colors to match your outfits
LikeLike
Just make wireless EarPods god damnit! I wouldn’t dream of buying wireless headphones that aren’t designed by Apple. I’ve seen the patent for them, they look perfect. It’s soooo embarrassing that Apple didn’t launch them alongside the apple watch or at the very least apple music. Just sad. They really really need to get some sense about accessories. Here are the two accessories Apple must design and sell, because third parties are garbage: earphones, gaming controller.
LikeLike
I think the wait is for Ble 4.2 chips.
LikeLike
Yes wireless EarPods that work with peanut sized batteries inside. Just make magic Apple.
LikeLike
They wouldn’t need magic. Have you seen what the bluetooth sport headphone market looks like now? The jaybird bluebuds X is very close to what EarPods sized wireless headphones would look like and they get 8 hours of battery life.
Imagine how much battery life headphones that where designed and optimized by apple to work with their own products would last. The jaybirds are using BLE 4.0. With BLE 4.2 doubling data packet size while reducing energy use even I imagine we’ll be seeing more and more small wireless headphones.
LikeLike
Nice, but what if we have more than one Apple Watch Sport band? I have two
LikeLike
You know what to do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m waiting for the matching stainless steel and gold edition versions.
Seriously, I own PB2 already and they’re great except they fall out of my ears too easily. Battery life could be better, too.
LikeLike
I believe these are actually marketed to iPhone 5c users, I mean come on guys……
LikeLike
For 200$ you can get dozens of quality on-ear headphones from the real brands like B&W, AKG, Beyer Dynamic, … are they stupid or what?
LikeLike
So who gets to decide what a real brand is? Not everybody is an audiofile. I hate headphone snobs.
LikeLike
Oops I meant audiophile.
LikeLike
Well, I am not an audiophile, though I really like all sorts of music. Still, I cannot decide which ones are more annoying – the headphone snobs or aurally impaired, but I’m leaning towards the latter.
LikeLike
I bought some bluetooth 4, sweatproof, cool colored headphones off Amazon for $35. They have close to 5 stars with thousands of reviews. Work pretty darn well in my book. So is there a gold nugget or something sitting inside the beats that justifies $164 more? $164 for a letter ‘b’ is too much in my book. Just saying…
LikeLike