14 DAY TRIAL // With $3 billion (2.2 billion euros) in the bank, Beats founders have joined Apple. Over two and a half months after the acquisition was announced, Beats Electronics and Beats Music are now officially part of Apple.
It was not all good news for Beats employees, because almost 200 of them were fired in the process. Apple confirmed the information explaining that they were not creatives and engineers, but administrative personnel covering Financial and HR Departments. As expected, there's no need for employees that may overlap Apple's own positions.
In an unprecedented move, Apple has put the news about Beats on their home page, welcoming them to the family. If you click on the beats logo you are taken to a mini site with the same logo on a dark background and a short message from Apple:
"Today we are excited to officially welcome Beats Music and Beats Electronics to the Apple family. Music has always held a special place in our hearts, and we’re thrilled to join forces with a group of people who love it as much as we do. Beats cofounders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have created beautiful products that have helped millions of people deepen their connection to music. We’re delighted to be working with the team to elevate that experience even further. And we can’t wait to hear what’s next."
There is also a picture of a Beat Headset and a link to the official beatsbydre.com website. When you get there, you will be greeted with a similar message, "There's a new instrument in the Apple family."
Interesting enough, if a new customer wants to buy Beats Headphones is now directed to Apple's online store.