HTC buys Beats by Dr. Dre, plus a little bit of cool

HTC has announced today that is has invested into Beats by Dr. Dre, the company that makes headphones and loudspeakers.

In a press release sent to the media today, HTC wants to integrate the technology behind Beats into HTC handsets:

HTCÂ® and Beatsâ„¢ have been working together to create superior mobile audio experiences for consumers, which will result in a line of HTC devices integrated with Beats sound innovations.

â€œBeats has found a unique way to harness popular culture in a manner that is unlike any other brand today,â€ said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. â€œIt’s an exciting brand that has been built around providing something very special, and we believe our strategic partnership will provide customers with unbeatable sound on HTC phones. We obsess over every detail of a consumer’s mobile experience and audio is a critical part of that experience.â€

HTC is currently using SRS sound enhancement technology in some of their products (specifically the HTC Sensation) so it makes sense for them to invest into an audio technology they can call their own.

However, when they picked Beats, I wondered what sort of unique technology the company possess that HTC would be interested in.

It’s pretty obvious though that this strategic partnership is more aligned to branding and marketing — a position that Beats by Dr. Dre can definitely bring. HTC’s $300 million investment is definitely a move to further push brand recognition in the US.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

22 Comments

Michelle Yu says:

14 years ago

So, when a person buys an HTC phone, that person is not only paying for the phone but also the earphones?
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sylv3rblade says:

14 years ago

Hmm… Anand is reporting that It’s a partnership and not a buyout.
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Abe Olandres says:

14 years ago

@sylv3rblade – you don’t pay $300 million just to be a partner.
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sylv3rblade says:

14 years ago

Ah my fault for sticking summaries.. the full text includes:

“Beats is still a privately held company so there’s no indication exactly how much of the company will be in HTC’s control, although Beats mentioned it would continue to operate independently of HTC and alongside current partners including HP”

so yeah.. my bad :)

rod says:

14 years ago

They could’ve improved first the battery life of their handsets instead of investing in audio performance. Battery life is more value-adding IMO.
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emignatius says:

14 years ago

I heard they’re investing in Motolite next, para “Pangmatagalan”.

Yogi says:

14 years ago

I think the upcoming models will have better batteries. Thank God they’re also improving the sound quality of their phones. Beats headphones aren’t actually the best in the market (specially when you factor in the SRP), but it’s still a major improvement and the HTC+Beats deal will do marketing wonders for both brands.

Camera nalang, HTC!
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Harwin John says:

14 years ago

It’s the name and popularity of Beats by Dre that HTC wants. I personally own a pair of Beats by Dre headphone and I can say that though it really has a great sound, you can find other headphones that offers the same sound quality for a much cheaper price.
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lawrence says:

14 years ago

With all the Patent wars between big smartphone brands, maybe HTC invested on Beats because of the several patents Beats own which HTC might be using on their devices in the future (or other manufacturers for that matter.)
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Jonaflormicfren says:

14 years ago

So probably they will be coming out with better output.
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Ryan Ang says:

14 years ago

This is an interesting update. Before, HP is the only company that uses Beats. Now that HTC partners with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, will that mean HTC will now have monopoly to the tech for the mobile phone space or will the Pre’s gonna have the same opportunity to license the tech?

In short, will it affect the relationship between Beats and HP?
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lol says:

14 years ago

grabe! you can buy coolness na! something pagmamayabang mo sa friends mo… “hey dude u know what… ive got Beats integrated in my phone. now throw that iPhone of yours!” hahahaha
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mukha mo says:

14 years ago

bumibili ka ba ng phone para ipagyabang and icompare lang sa iphone? pathetic naman
carlocarr says:

14 years ago

@mukha mo
alam mo yung term na *sarcasm*?
tsaka totoo naman yun eh..some people buy gagdets to brag.. may kilala nga ako bumibili ng Highend na phone eh hinde naman nila alam gamitin yung features..
hinde pathetic yun, dun sila masaya e..
mukha mo says:

14 years ago

@carlocarr totoo na marami bumibili ng phone for social standing but to buy a phone para icompare sa iphone? lol. now thats pathetic. alam ko ung term and meaning ng sarcasm eh ikaw alam mo meaning and usage nun?