POLL: Apple to Acquire Beats - A Good Move?

Earlier today, news arrived that Apple is reportedly planning to acquire Beats Electronics for $3.2 Billion. At first sight, this seems to be one of the biggest tech power moves of the year. Adding a well-known producer of stylish products in consumer electronics categories, which are essentially commodities, to one of the world’s largest tech giants seems like a perfect match in terms of brand power — just imagine Beats by Dre headphones fully replacing the once ubiquitous white iPhone earbuds. And there’s also the Beats Music service — one of the most potent competitors to Apple’s own streaming music service: iTunes Radio. This move would not only eliminate one of its biggest rivals but also would also add significant market share. As great as this might sound, there are also some risks attached to this development. Just ask HTC, who bought a controlling stake of 50.1 percent of Beats for $309 million in 2011 but hardly made any profit through this acquisition as Beats failed to emerge as a major differentiator for HTC’s smartphones. The acquisition also raises the question of whether or not the Beats brand would live on in its current form. It’s not identical to Apple’s own personality, and Apple owning a well-known brand and not trying to subsume it would be something new for the Silicon Valley giant. Therefore, we leave it to you. Do you think Apple buying Beats would be a good move or nah? Submit your vote in the poll below and feel free to elaborate in the comments section.

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