Apple brings back Beats Pill Plus for Stüssy collab

Source: Apple & Stüssy

At the start of the year, Apple quietly discontinued its Beats Pill Plus speaker. But the company is bringing it back through a limited-edition model it created with fashion brand Stüssy. This speaker will only be sold for a limited time. It carries the original design. But it comes with a black with white skull and crossbones motif on the front of the speaker and an engraving on one side that reads, "The only good system is a sound system."

According to the description on Stüssy's website, this Pill Plus combines the "signature Southern California aesthetic with a rich, clear sound field that will improve your listening experience anywhere." It will be sold globally on Stüssy's website on Friday, March 4, at 10AM PST, with a US$185 (around CA$234 converted) price tag.

Source

Beats Fit Pro debuts with wingtip design

Apple-owned Beats has a new pair of wireless earbuds. The Beats Fit Pro slot in between the Studi Buds and the Powerbeats Pro/Powerbeats. They feature a wingtip design meant to keep these earbuds locked in your ears even through your intense workouts. These buds have active noise cancellation, IPX4 water and sweat resistance, and up to seven hours of continuous playback or 30 hours with the case.

The Fit Pro get Apple's H1 chip, giving it access to features like one-step pairing, auto-sync with iCloud devices, auto-switch between Apple hardware, and more. They also get dynamic head tracking for spatial audio, and the new skin detect sensor seen on the recently launched third-generation AirPods. The Beats Fit Pro earbuds are available in black, white, gray, and purple/pink. These buds retail for US$199.99 (roughly CA$247 converted).

Source: The Verge

Apple blames third-party batteries for Beats headphones that exploded on its user

Apple is denying that the explosion of a pair of Beats headphones while on its user has anything to do with the product itself. Apple claims their investigation found that the “issue was caused by a third-party battery” and they are refusing to compensate the victim. The incident happened back in February to an unnamed Australian woman flying from Beijing to Melbourne. She woke up on the flight to the sound of the explosion and a burning sensation. Her face, hands, and hair were burned. But what she’s seeking compensation for is the headphones and the ruined clothes.

As mentioned, Apple doesn’t want to compensate her for these. But the woman says she was using AAA batteries bought in Australia and there weren’t that many alternatives. "The headphones don't work without batteries, yet nowhere on the headphones —or their packaging —did it specify which brand of batteries should be used," she said. The Beats headphones in question are said to be an older model bought back in 2014 that needed extra batteries to work.

Source: Engadget + Apple Insider

Apple gives Beats Music subscribers until January 19 to move to Apple Music

As Beats Music evaporates into the ether, Apple is giving current subscribers ample time to move their content, playlists, music, and preferences over. These will be retained until Jan. 19, 2016 when the information will be gone for good. Apple emailed Beats Music subscribers a quick link to start a three-month free trial of Apple Music along with steps for migrating to Apple Music from Beats Music for both iOS and Android devices.