KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has told investors that Apple is planning to approach the Bluetooth-headphone market with a dual-brand strategy.
believe Apple will position Beats in the midrange market once it
launches Apple’s own-brand Bluetooth headphones, in order to maximize
profit with a dual-brand strategy.”
It’d be an interesting move for both brands.
Apple acquired Beats in 2014 for approximately $3 billion.
“We also believe Apple will have its own-designed Bluetooth-like
communication chip, given its higher requirements for power-saving,
communication specs and potential rapid growth of Bluetooth headphone
shipments.”
If true, this would cast recent rumors about the Apple bundling the
next iPhone with wireless earbuds (potentially branded as EarPods) as a
substitute for the 3.5mm headphone jack into new light.
One of the major concerns driving pushback against the removal of the
headphone jack was an expectation that neither Bluetooth nor Lightning
cable are capable of the same audio quality.
Expect confirmation one way or another come tomorrow’s press conference.
