Apple has closed its $3bn acquisition of Beats Electronics, and has posted a new micro-site officially welcoming Beats Music and Beats Electronics to its family.
Both the Beats Music streaming service, and Beats by Dre, the company’s premium headphones brand are now part of Apple.
The micro-site is found via a link on the company’s main site, and includes the following introduction:
Today we are excited to officially welcome Beats Music and Beats Electronics to the Apple family. Music has always held a special place in our hearts, and we’re thrilled to join forces with a group of people who love it as much as we do. Beats cofounders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have created beautiful products that have helped millions of people deepen their connection to music. We’re delighted to be working with the team to elevate that experience even further.And we can’t wait to hear what’s next.
In turn, the Beats by Dre homepage also features a message about the Apple acquisition:
Musicians rely on their instruments to give structure and form to their imagination. At the dawn of digital recording, the Macintosh computer was the instrument of choice. At the beginning of portable digital music, the iPod placed the library of the world’s music in your pocket. The iPhone became not only an instrument for music, but also the centre of your connected life. The iPad extended this capability with a user interface and apps that allowed you to compose a symphony on the tube. Starting today, we at Beats are fortunate to add our instrument to this legacy by joining Apple.
Within the Beats store, shoppers are taken to the Apple Store online to make purchases. Visitors to the Beats Music homepage will also find a brief headline that says “There’s a new instrument in the Apple Family”, with an accompanying message describing Beats Music’s place as part of Apple.
Furthermore, a Beats/Apple animated ad/celebration of the deal surfaced, in a tweet that has since been removed. It had read:
Today is the day. Invitation Only. #BeatsPills x Siri #applebeats
amp.twimg.com/v/4d6fac6b-f6a…—
Beats By Dre (@beatsbydre) August 02, 2014
The video below features Beats Pill’s characters Mikey and Tina talking about a party hosted by Dr. Dre to celebrate Beats joining Apple. A disembodied Siri pipes in to join the discussion. After being asked for directions Siri explains to Mikey and Tina that it’s a private party, when pressed further Siri employs a playful “Sorry, I didn’t get that”.
The Beats deal sets the record as Apple’s largest ever acquisition.