Apple and Bose are now competitors thanks to Beats
Apple has swiftly removed Bose audio products from its online store, bringing to an end, a long and prosperous partnership.
Headphones like the popular Quiet Comfort 3 noise cancelling headphones disappeared from the store on Friday.
Apple’s decision followed a report one week ago, which claimed the companies’ relationship was coming to an end.
Speculation surrounding the report had seen numerous reasons touted for the breakdown between Bose and Apple.
Earlier this year Bose had sued Apple-owned Beats Audio over an allegations the Dr. Dre-led headphone company had infringed upon Bose’s noise cancelling technology patents.
The filing of that suit was suspiciously-timed given cash rich Apple had rubber-stamped it’s $3 billion deal to buy Beats just days earlier.
Another theory centred around a $10,000 fine levied on NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick for wearing Beats headphones in public when the league has signed an exclusive sponsorship deal with Bose.
A more likely and less dramatic explanation is that Apple is simply eliminating a competitor from its stores.
Before Apple owned Beats, having a premium headphone manufacturer within its online and physical stores made sense. Now, the firm would much rather fill it’s shelves with Beats headphones.
Bose isn’t the only company that could be facing the axe from the Apple Store.
Earlier this week reports claimed Fitbit wearables will be removed from the Apple Store sooner rather than later, over its hesitation to embrace the HealthKit platform in iOS 8.
Read more: Opinion: The biggest news from the iPad launch didn’t even get a mention
Via: 9to5Mac
