Beats fattens its collections of wireless headphones by releasing the Bluetooth variant of the Beats Solo2, while the wired model is about to be treated like royalty.
The $299 Solo2 wireless, priced $100 more than the wired version, is available in red, white, blue and black. The Solo2 promises up to 12 hours of life per charge, though users can also patch in the included headphone cable when the battery cell is all but discharged.
"We're taking the most popular headphone in the world and adding wireless Bluetooth functionality to it," says Beats President Luke Wood. "The Solo2 is already a world-class headphone much lauded for its acoustics, and now it joins our growing family of successful wireless products."
Beyond its ability to speak in Bluetooth, the Solo2 wireless bears the same form factor and mechanics as the wired version.
Like the wired Solo2, the wireless version bears the same sleek design that hides its securing screws to deliver a fleshed aesthetic. The ear cups pivot to the best angle for pouring music into the wearer's ears and drivers put out the same dynamic range.
"Regardless of the kind of music you're into, its dynamic and wide range of sound will bring you closer to what the artist intended you to hear," says Beats.
For those who can manage just fine with wired headsets but still want to keep up a stately appearance, Beats is releasing the Royal Edition of the Solo2. The Royal Edition will keep the $199 price tag of the original, but it'll be available in several imperial coats of paint: sapphire blue, imperial violet, blush rose, hunter green and stone gray.
After a swirl of rumors and a premature celebration, Apple acquired Beats in July. Beats was already a hot brand before the acquisition, as the headphone maker allowed consumers of all pocket sizes to taste premium audio. The Solo2 wireless is the first Beats product since Apple's acquisition.
Beats is poised to deliver profit to Apple from more than just a collection of prized headphones. With the likes of Spotify driving down the sales of digital downloads, Beats' streaming music service could help push the evolution of Apple's iTunes.
According to recent reports, Apple is considering folding Beats' streaming music service into iTunes. People purporting to be familiar with the matter are indicating that Apple plans to integrate Beats Music into iTunes at some point in 2015.
The plummeting download numbers help illustrate why Apple, as part of its $3 billion acquisition that included headphone maker Beats Electronics, bought the $10-a-month subscription streaming service Beats Music earlier this year, stated one of the reports.
