Sometimes it's easy to forget that one day Apple actually bought Beats. It was a profitable acquisition with Apple gettin the money back in just 3 years, even after investing heavily in people and strategies that are no longer around (remember Dr. Dre?). But more importantly, Beats allows Apple to reach out to a trendy section of the lifestyle consumer market, leverage existing developments and technology, while adding pure profit and market share on tops of the already massive lead that Cupertino currently holds in personal audio technology.
Apparently, followig the brand's tradition, the new Beats Studio Buds were discretely promoted with a stealth marketing strategy that reached precisely the intended target while remaining completely undetected to everyone else. And that explains the fact that some famous sports and hip-hop personalities were seen with the new product well in advance. Now, the announcement is official and the Beats Studio Buds are available to order in "three classic Beats colors, Black, White and Beats Red," for $149.99.
“In building a product this small, every minute detail was considered, analyzed and selected to optimize for sound quality, comfort and durability,” says Oliver Schusser, vice president of Beats and Apple Music. “Studio Buds is our tiniest, most subtle form factor to date, yet keeps Beats’ promise of delivering an immersive sound experience in a beautiful design.”
And that is news all around for the audio industry that was expecting new AirPods to drop any minute and completely ignored the possibility of added competition from... Beats. The price point for the new Beats Studio Buds is very aggressive, considering that the new design offers very advanced features, and more importantly, breaks with the "AirPods" stigma of the "white things sticking out of the ears".
As Apple explains, the Studio Buds were designed and engineered to prioritize high-quality audio playback and overall comfort — no matter if the user is listening to music, streaming a movie or chatting with a friend. The ergonomically tilted acoustic nozzle features a laser cut micro-vent to ensure pressure relief on the eardrum. And with three soft silicone eartip options and a lightweight (5.1g per earbud) design, Studio Buds are incredibly comfortable for all-day use.
Inside, the earbuds are powerful and balanced (their words), driven by new, proprietary 8.2mm, dual-element diaphragm drivers, which feature a central rigid piston with a flexible outer surround. Coupled with a two-chamber acoustic design, the Studio Buds achieve improved "stereo separation and low harmonic distortion across the frequency curve," the announcement describes. Additionally for users of the Apple Music streaming service, the Beats Studio Buds automatically play Spatial Audio content for available tracks mixed in Dolby Atmos.
With two listening modes, users can benefit of Active Noise Cancelling of unwanted external noise, including wind noise, using real-time adaptive gain control. To ensure clear playback after ANC is applied, the Beats Studio Buds employ an algorithm that monitors the source file while simultaneously correcting and cleaning audio-compromising artifacts at up to 48,000 times per second. They use their own system-in-package (SiP), not the same H1 Apple used in the current AirPods Pro earbuds.
Users can switch to Transparency mode with a long-press of the ‘b' button when they need to hear the world around them. External-facing microphones mix the sounds of surroundings back in with music for a natural listening experience. During phone calls, the dual-beam forming microphones target the voice and filter out wind and obstructing external noise for elevated clarity. They are not so close to the mouth as the AirPods allow, but the difference is compensated with processing.
And since the Beats Studio Buds benefited from Apple's input, they are also able to offer Class 1 Bluetooth technology, allowing extended range and exceptional cross-body performance, meaning reliable connectivity and fewer dropouts. Each earbud connects independently to the source device, allowing users to choose to use one or both. The multi-function ‘b’ button on each earbud allows to answer/end calls, play/pause content, skip songs, and toggle between ANC and Transparency listening modes.
And for simple one-touch, pairing works with both Apple and (Android 6 or newer device with access to Google services) Android devices. Both Android and iOS users can switch listening modes, check battery levels or receive firmware updates directly on their device. Studio Buds are conveniently voice assistant enabled, and iOS users can also activate Siri hands-free by saying “Hey Siri.”
The earbuds support up to 8 hours of music listening time with two additional charges provided by its pocket-sized carrying case, giving you up to 24 hours of combined playback. With ANC or Transparency mode turned on, users get up to 5 hours of listening time, and up to 15 hours combined with the case. With just 5 minutes of fast charging, the earbuds will offer up to 1 hour of playback when battery is low.
Not missing any of the recent features announced by Apple for their own products, the Beats Studio Buds are the first Beats product to support both FindMy in iOS and even Find My Device on Android. With this feature, users can easily locate their lost earbuds using the last known location (when paired via Bluetooth) or by playing a sound when they are nearby.
And like all Apple products, the new Beats Studio Buds packaging is made from 92% plant-based material sourced from recycled fiber and/or sustainable forests. Shipments are scheduled to begin June 24 for first pre-orders. The Beats Studio Buds package includes USB-C to USB-C charging cable, eartips with three size options, and a ‘b’ logo sticker (!).
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www.beatsbydre.com
