Beats Music and Beats Electronics are now officially part of Apple. The $3 billion deal closed on Friday and Apple launched a new page welcoming its new acquisition.
The iPhone and iPad maker did not elaborate on its plans for Beats in the near and distant future.
The official welcoming comes after European Union regulators officially approved the deal, meaning Apple and Beats can function as one entity in Europe from now on. Analysts and observers are expecting great things from the merger and are watching closely to see if they can discern any information on what Apple's next move will be.
"Today we are excited to officially welcome Beats Music and Beats Electronics to the Apple family," Apple wrote. "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 co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have created beautiful products that have helped millions of people deepen their connection to music," Apple continued. "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."
However, there are rumblings of unrest within the Beats-Apple merger after reports this week suggested that there may be layoffs in the works, with as many as 200 Beats employees potentially losing their jobs in the near future. The layoffs are most likely to hit human resources, finance and other positions that Apple already has in place. Those employees on the creative side should not be affected.
The welcome from Apple comes as Beats, and now Apple as a result of the takeover, is facing a lawsuit over noise-reduction headphone patents that Bose claims Beats has infringed upon. Tech Times reported that the Massachusetts-based company has filed the case in federal court over five separate patents.
Bose has long been battling Beats and has also filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission, which is reportedly to hear that case as the federal court puts the recent filing on hold, awaiting the commission's ruling.
"Because Bose invests heavily in research and development, and because Bose has built its reputation on producing superior products through innovative technology, Bose's continued success depends in substantial part on its ability to establish, maintain, and protect its proprietary technology through enforcement of its patent rights," the company said.
Despite the lawsuit, Apple and Beats are expected to push forward on all things music related. It should help give the Silicon Valley company an edge over competition in the near future.
