So, given that, by all accounts (Dre, NYT, WSJ, FT, etc..) a multi-billion dollar deal went down this weekend between Beats and Apple, what actually do you think did occur, if not the acquisition of Beats by Apple. Licensing deal? Revenue Share? Marketing Deal?
If that is the case, then the WSJ will have a lot of egg on its face from screwing up the reporting on this - they supposedly have multiple sources.
"Apple Inc. AAPL +1.24% is preparing to bolster its streaming-music business with a proposed $3.2 billion deal to acquire Beats Electronics LLC, the high-end headphone maker that recently launched the Beats Music subscription service, according to people familiar with the matter."
That's unequivocal - and has a specific price tag, $3.2 Billion, and the LLC that is being acquired.
Would love to see this all be a misunderstanding though - I give it low (but not impossible) probability.
WSJ hasn't screwed up anything, they've just said that they're in talks.
A deal is not done until both sides have signed. Prematurely going public has ruined many a deal, and in the Jobs days the other side announcing a deal first would have completely torpedoed anything. Apple has said nothing on this at all, and it's been almost a week.
It seems extremely unlikely that this is real, given the way that it was announced. It just smells completely fishy.
Most likely Beats thought they could get a better price by going public too early, and didn't think that Cook would cancel the deal because of it. That or they're just complete fucking idiots. Don't talk about deals until they're done, unless you know exactly what you're doing, because it's a tight rope to walk.
