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Looks by Dr. Dre

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Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#111

Post by jljljl »

PavlovsCat wrote: post #93
madeofpalk wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Compare the HD-280 pro to Beats headphones, from an aesthetics point of view.

[photo showing my field of view wearing HD-280 headphones] [photo showing my field of view wearing Beats headphones] Photos have been omitted because they look exactly the same.

Beats Headphones are fashion items, which is really most of the innovation they provide: making a normally geeky or tacky piece of equipment into something stylish.

What it looks like to you is besides the point, it's how they look to the people around you.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#112

Post by InclinedPlane »

tptacek wrote: post #38
InclinedPlane wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My theory on confusion over the Beats purchase is that Apple fanboys have a reluctance to admit that Apple is significantly a fashion company. Not the beacon of technical excellence(asterisk) they set it up to be in their mind. The reality is that Beats is also primarily a fashion company. Also with a strong brand. Also with a product line that sells at a high markup. They go together like pancakes and maple syrup. I…

To the extent that you can say the exact same thing about Porsche, I agree; just bear in mind that it takes more than a sense of style to execute on "Porsche". But also look how Apple integrates downmarket. To a first approximation nobody's first car is a Porsche, but the less expensive iPhones are viable first smartphones. There's something powerful about being able, at least in theory, to address the whole market t…

Sure, sure. But that's true of nearly all "fashion" brands, even Beats (though less so compared to Porsche or Armani or omega watches). There's nothing wrong with iPhones or apple products in general, they make some very good products. Pretending that fashion isn't a big reason behind the popularity of Apple products in general is silly.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#113

Post by InclinedPlane »

threeseed wrote: post #71
InclinedPlane wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're misreading what I'm saying. I'm not saying that Apple is just a fashion company. I'm saying that a lot of folks, especially the silicon valley alpha geek types, who are die hard Apple fans try to rationalize their preferences in a way that excludes the fashion aspect out of a sense of embarrassment or what-have-you.

A lot of people, including myself, like Apple products less so for the design and more for the actual technical qualities. They make the best laptops by far. The operating system marries UNIX with ease of use like nothing before. There is genuine attention to detail in their software that Microsoft or Ubuntu simply doesn't have. I am sick to death of idiots like you who dismiss my choice as being "fashionable".

It's perfectly possible to become a customer of a company based solely on objective appreciation of the qualities of its products, but that doesn't stop it from being a fashion company. A lot of people, like you apparently, want to pretend that Apple is not a fashion company to even the slightest degree when, of course, fashion has always been a big reason for the company's success.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#114

Post by 8ig8 »

tptacek wrote: post #2

The more closely you look at Beats, the more they make sense as a serious asset to a consumer electronics company, and the less plausible the "Apple just needed to get a streaming service off the ground" story is. Two more angles to consider: * Owning Beats puts Apple hardware on the heads of a huge fraction of every mobile user, whether they use iOS or not. Having a Beats brand affinity for those users makes it easi…

Maybe it's not watches, but headphones? Siri + speakers you're already wearing. Health-wise, it must be beneficial to be close to the head opposed to the wrist. Maybe.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#115

Post by theandrewbailey »

tomsthumb wrote: post #75
Crito wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The sound on Beats is actually good; much better than what most people have with their headphones so most users will experience an improvement by switching to them. The problem is that the cost:sound ratio is poor; you can find cheaper headphones with the same quality and you can find much better headphones for the same price.

You can find much better quality headphones for _much_ less. 90$ HD-280 pro's sound better than 300$ Beats..

I own two HD 280s: one at the office, one at home.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#116

Post by bravo22 »

paulgerhardt wrote: post #39

As nerd-ragey as some people are about the Beats deal, they have some amazing fit and finish with regards to manufacturing. See for instance their paint: most painted plastics experience an undesirable amount of "orange peeling" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_peel_(effect) ). This is caused in part by not getting the temperature of the paint high enough to form a smooth finish. Metal can withstand significantl…

Got a link to any of these forums? Would love to know more.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#117

Post by bravo22 »

jaynos wrote: post #3

I find it hard to believe that apple couldn't make additional colors if they wanted. I don't think it's a lack of technological know how. They could pick that up without acquiring a entire additional company. Limited colors on the iphone or ipod make sense. For the most part, it's an item that stays in your pocket. I'm sure some people care about additional design choices, but most people solve this by buying a case…

I think Apple doesn't need to give you many color choices because the "bumper" protector market essentially takes care of that.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#118

Post by axman6 »

stonemetal wrote: post #62
brickmort wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Audiophiles almost unanimously agree that Beats headphones are sub-par when it comes to overall quality of sound.

Does Apple care what audiophiles think? iPods and the default ear buds are low quality compared to most audiophile gear.

Apple's new earpods are a huge step up from their old earbuds, and given their price ($30) are well up there in their price range. Most reviews I've seen of them from more audiophile oriented sources have been very positive given their context. No they won't compete with $200 headphones or earphones, but they're supposed to either.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#119

Post by axman6 »

InclinedPlane wrote: post #34
tptacek wrote: post #2

The more closely you look at Beats, the more they make sense as a serious asset to a consumer electronics company, and the less plausible the "Apple just needed to get a streaming service off the ground" story is. Two more angles to consider: * Owning Beats puts Apple hardware on the heads of a huge fraction of every mobile user, whether they use iOS or not. Having a Beats brand affinity for those users makes it easi…

My theory on confusion over the Beats purchase is that Apple fanboys have a reluctance to admit that Apple is significantly a fashion company. Not the beacon of technical excellence(asterisk) they set it up to be in their mind. The reality is that Beats is also primarily a fashion company. Also with a strong brand. Also with a product line that sells at a high markup. They go together like pancakes and maple syrup. I…

I think the term you might be looking for is product excellence. Apple rarely do technology for the sake of technology, they do it for the improvement of their product from the customer's point of view. They do appredciate good design, but that doesn't make them a fashion company, it makes them a company who scrutinises every aspect of the product, not just the spec sheet and I personally really appreciate that.

Re: Looks by Dr. Dre

#120

Post by PavlovsCat »

jljljl wrote: post #111
PavlovsCat wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[photo showing my field of view wearing HD-280 headphones] [photo showing my field of view wearing Beats headphones] Photos have been omitted because they look exactly the same.

Beats Headphones are fashion items, which is really most of the innovation they provide: making a normally geeky or tacky piece of equipment into something stylish. What it looks like to you is besides the point, it's how they look to the people around you.

I know that, and I know that's important for some people. But for me, my aesthetic experience is not changed by how headphones I wear look, but just by how they sound and how comfortable they are. I spend most of my time wearing headphones alone, and very little of that in front of a mirror.

And still: any headphones, even the prettiest ones, look kinda lame in comparison to not wearing headphones. This is my personal preference of course; if I was worried about looking good rather than hearing good sound, I'd stick to little in-ear ones.

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