With the fairly recent acquisition of Beats Music and Electronics it probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise that Apple has ceased the sale of Bose products, including headphones and soundbars.
The removal of the Bose products from Apple’s website, and impending removal from retail stores, marks the latest development in what has become a rather contentious rivalry between the two companies, The Verge reports.
Issues between the two entities appear to have begun when Apple decided to purchase Bose rival Beats for $3 billion earlier this year.
Around the time Apple made its purchase announcement, Bose filed a lawsuit against Beats.
According to the complaint [PDF], Bose accused Beats of infringing on patents that have grown to be an essential part of Bose’s business. Currently, Beats uses noise cancellation technology in its Beats Studio, Beats Studio Wireless, and Beats Pro headphones.
The Verge reports that lawsuit was settled outside of court.
The end of the lawsuit wasn’t the end of issues between Apple, Beats and Bose. Instead things intensified earlier this month , when the NFL confirmed that Bose’s exclusivity deal with the league means that Beats and other non-Bose products are banned from being used by players before, during and after games.
Shortly after the deal was announced, San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick was hit with a $10,000 fine for sporting a pair of Beats headphones. The footballer is an endorser of the products.
Apple has removed all Bose products from its store [The Verge]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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