AfterDawn: News

HTC to no longer bundle Beats headphones with smartphones

After just a couple of months since the company purchased Beats Audio and began bundling headphones with all new smartphone releases, HTC has decided to scrap the idea.

Says one HTC exec: "An accessory like the headphone doesn't factor in when someone is buying a smartphone. If they want a Beats headphone, they'll buy it directly."



HTC spent $300 million last year to acquire the majority stake in Beats. Beats has been panned by many as a gimmick, and real audiophiles say the software and hardware is no better than the regular audio seen in most smartphones.

The company does include Beats Audio support into all their new devices, and the tech is integrated into the music apps.

HTC says starting with the launch next week of the One X, there will be no more bundling for the immediate future, although execs have not completely shut the door.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 7 Apr 2012 14:40

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• 14 comments

• SomeBozo

  Beats? Really? They are crap, I assume they stopped offering them because people will associate the quality of the headphone with the phone itself. I say this because i was looking for a decent pair of headphones, 3 different stores each sales person mention beats aren't worth as they routinely see people coming in to replace broken headphones. One sales person mentioned the rate of failure beats is at least 5x over any other brand.
  

  7.4.2012 15:23 #1

• Tazer247

  Originally posted by SomeBozo: Beats? Really? They are crap, I assume they stopped offering them because people will associate the quality of the headphone with the phone itself. I say this because i was looking for a decent pair of headphones, 3 different stores each sales person mention beats aren't worth as they routinely see people coming in to replace broken headphones. One sales person mentioned the rate of failure beats is at least 5x over any other brand. On the bright side, you seem to have some pretty honest reps around. I know in some cases they would just try to sell you the popular over-expensive product. I guess maybe not when they are losing money on replacements.
  

  7.4.2012 16:41 #2

• SomeBozo

  Originally posted by Tazer247: Originally posted by SomeBozo: Beats? Really? They are crap, I assume they stopped offering them because people will associate the quality of the headphone with the phone itself. I say this because i was looking for a decent pair of headphones, 3 different stores each sales person mention beats aren't worth as they routinely see people coming in to replace broken headphones. One sales person mentioned the rate of failure beats is at least 5x over any other brand. On the bright side, you seem to have some pretty honest reps around. I know in some cases they would just try to sell you the popular over-expensive product. I guess maybe not when they are losing money on replacements. They weren't the HTC reps, they were the sales people in brick & mortar stores that told me to stay away from beats.
  
  
  

  7.4.2012 17:03 #3

• Hyasuma

  dumb move dumb dumb move. 90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the beats integrated and with the headphones, u think we all rich don't u HTC? crappy phones with shizzle batteries, no wonder u lost 70% of ur profit. Now u going to lose it all
  

  Being nice always has its own consequences

  7.4.2012 22:26 #4

• pensfan12

  Originally posted by Hyasuma: dumb move dumb dumb move. 90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the beats integrated and with the headphones, u think we all rich don't u HTC? crappy phones with shizzle batteries, no wonder u lost 70% of ur profit. Now u going to lose it all "98% of all statistics are made up."
  - Author Unknown
  

  
  

  8.4.2012 00:14 #5

• hearme0

  Originally posted by Hyasuma: dumb move dumb dumb move. 90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the beats integrated and with the headphones, u think we all rich don't u HTC? crappy phones with shizzle batteries, no wonder u lost 70% of ur profit. Now u going to lose it all You are officially banned from ever making decisions that affect others beside yourself after this horribly lame, incorrect and baseless statement "90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the Beats". Good GOD.......are you a trendy preteener?? You would doom a company's marketing strategy!!!
  
  What I'm trying to say is that HTC not only is right but is also a company that made top ranks due to they're marketing strategy so I wouldn't try to discredit they're claim that most won't buy phones based on Beats.........but hey........maybe you indeed have a multibillion dollar company that no one knows of with your crackpot and ludicrous thinking.
  
  Hopeless!

  8.4.2012 01:33 #6

• xtago

  Originally posted by Hyasuma: dumb move dumb dumb move. 90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the beats integrated and with the headphones, u think we all rich don't u HTC? crappy phones with shizzle batteries, no wonder u lost 70% of ur profit. Now u going to lose it all

  8.4.2012 10:23 #7

• Hyasuma

  Originally posted by hearme0: Originally posted by Hyasuma: dumb move dumb dumb move. 90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the beats integrated and with the headphones, u think we all rich don't u HTC? crappy phones with shizzle batteries, no wonder u lost 70% of ur profit. Now u going to lose it all You are officially banned from ever making decisions that affect others beside yourself after this horribly lame, incorrect and baseless statement "90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the Beats". Good GOD.......are you a trendy preteener?? You would doom a company's marketing strategy!!!
  
  What I'm trying to say is that HTC not only is right but is also a company that made top ranks due to they're marketing strategy so I wouldn't try to discredit they're claim that most won't buy phones based on Beats.........but hey........maybe you indeed have a multibillion dollar company that no one knows of with your crackpot and ludicrous thinking.
  
  Hopeless! um, excuse me for not knowing anything mr know it all. I happen to have info because I'm from Taiwan, have friends who works for HTC in Taiwan, and this is the info i got from them, so shut up and stop hating. HTC an't making money because Samsung and Motorola is taking over the android and making more profits than they do, HTC is going down hill no matter what they are doing right now, specially with the crap they are pulling, getting rid of headphones, buying beats integration without improving crap to the speakers, horrible battery life ever since the first Evo came out, and haven't make ANY improvements what so ever, and now they coming out with LTE phone for sprint and yet so far I haven't heard anything good about the battery life and that sucker. I owned a Evo and EVO 3d, and they lasted me about 6 hours without rooting it, and it doesn't just happen to MY phone, it happens to ALL my friends and to ppl who OWNS a HTC phone. u telling me they are not going down hill because of THIS? and pulling this STUPID strategy of marketing? BS
  

  Being nice always has its own consequences

  8.4.2012 11:18 #8

• Hyasuma

  Originally posted by pensfan12: Originally posted by Hyasuma: dumb move dumb dumb move. 90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the beats integrated and with the headphones, u think we all rich don't u HTC? crappy phones with shizzle batteries, no wonder u lost 70% of ur profit. Now u going to lose it all "98% of all statistics are made up."
  - Author Unknown
  i should say 90% of my friends who bought HTC phones cuz of the beats integration and with the headphones so they didn't have to buy another headphones. then they realize the battery suck and kept the head phones and sold their phone for Razr maxx. Did you not read the article that they lost 70% profit? or did i misread something? is funny, cuz is actually the article right before this one.
  

  Being nice always has its own consequences

  8.4.2012 11:28 #9

• ThePastor

  If 90% of your friends are buying their phones based on the fact that it had "beats" integration and headphones then I'm afraid you have more problems then you know.
  
  

  "But the bigger point here is that UMG has effectively admitted this takedown was never about copyright. They demanded YouTube censor Megaupload and justify that by saying they have a contract which allows it so its fine. Its painfully clear what they would do with a law like SOPA that gives them much more power"

  8.4.2012 15:59 #10

• Hyasuma

  Originally posted by ThePastor: If 90% of your friends are buying their phones based on the fact that it had "beats" integration and headphones then I'm afraid you have more problems then you know.
  i said 90% of my friends who ACTUALLY BOUGHT HTC phone,not 90% of my friends dumbass. clearly you cannot understand English, and i don't have much problem as u do since you are clearly trying to argue with me
  

  Being nice always has its own consequences

  9.4.2012 00:28 #11

• xtago

  Originally posted by Hyasuma: Originally posted by hearme0: Originally posted by Hyasuma: dumb move dumb dumb move. 90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the beats integrated and with the headphones, u think we all rich don't u HTC? crappy phones with shizzle batteries, no wonder u lost 70% of ur profit. Now u going to lose it all You are officially banned from ever making decisions that affect others beside yourself after this horribly lame, incorrect and baseless statement "90% of ppl will buy the HTC phone because of the Beats". Good GOD.......are you a trendy preteener?? You would doom a company's marketing strategy!!!
  
  What I'm trying to say is that HTC not only is right but is also a company that made top ranks due to they're marketing strategy so I wouldn't try to discredit they're claim that most won't buy phones based on Beats.........but hey........maybe you indeed have a multibillion dollar company that no one knows of with your crackpot and ludicrous thinking.
  
  Hopeless! um, excuse me for not knowing anything mr know it all. I happen to have info because I'm from Taiwan, have friends who works for HTC in Taiwan, and this is the info i got from them, so shut up and stop hating. HTC an't making money because Samsung and Motorola is taking over the android and making more profits than they do, HTC is going down hill no matter what they are doing right now, specially with the crap they are pulling, getting rid of headphones, buying beats integration without improving crap to the speakers, horrible battery life ever since the first Evo came out, and haven't make ANY improvements what so ever, and now they coming out with LTE phone for sprint and yet so far I haven't heard anything good about the battery life and that sucker. I owned a Evo and EVO 3d, and they lasted me about 6 hours without rooting it, and it doesn't just happen to MY phone, it happens to ALL my friends and to ppl who OWNS a HTC phone. u telling me they are not going down hill because of THIS? and pulling this STUPID strategy of marketing? BS I some what agree with this.
  
  HTC became big with the winmobile 4, 5, 6 and 6.5, their phones where great for that OS, as they didn't need to be anything too special to get by with that OS.
  
  Their speakers have always been crap, I guess that's why they have bought out the beats company to try and turn that around.
  
  With the android phones they have always been a bit behind the ball, they put out phones that only just met the basics and nothing more, like their first phones only had 256kb or 512kb.
  
  while Samsung did the same thing but their 2nd gen phones (galaxy S etc) came out of 2 gig of program mem and then even other extra mem then add on SDcards
  
  Then it becomes why buy an HTC phone when all these other phones have so much more or have something that better over the HTC phones.
  
  not much they can do about that other than bring out phones that can be the same or better.
  
  The new LG phones look like killer phones even better than the Samsung phones.

  9.4.2012 08:06 #12

• Mrguss

  HTC did good for awhile with or without Beats headphones (That I never use). Yes HTC mayor problem is their batteries; but still second best after Samsung.
  
  Just my 2 cents.
  

  +4000

  9.4.2012 19:14 #13

• Ahhzz

  There's no way I would purchase a phone because of the sound system in it... I use the phone for hundreds of things, ONE of which (Phone Call) needs good sound. If want to listen to music that's what the car/stereo/mp3 player is for...

  13.4.2012 12:40 #14