“Bose and Apple’s Beats have agreed to settle a patent lawsuit related to noise-canceling headphones that was filed by Bose in July,” Shara Tibken reports for CNET. “In a court filing in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, attorneys for the companies said “they have settled their respective claims” and want to dismiss the case. Both parties will be responsible for their own costs, expenses and attorneys’ fees, they said.”
“The companies didn’t disclose any information about the settlement,” Tibken reports. “Meanwhile, Apple blog MacRumors on Friday reported that Apple planned to remove Bose products from its stores. Apple declined to comment about the report. Bose didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about the issue.”
“The two companies’ feud has spilled over to professional sports,” Tibken reports. “The NFL, which has a deal with Bose, recently banned football players from wearing Beats headphones. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick revealed that he was fined $10,000 for wearing his pink Beats to last Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re sure it’s mere coincidence that Bose settles the same day there’s a report that Apple Retail Stores will be removing Bose products.
Related articles:
Apple to remove Bose audio products from retail stores, sources say – October 10, 2014
Bose sues Apple’s Beats over noise-canceling patents – July 25, 2014
Kind of a shame. Back in the day BOSE were huge Apple proponents. Entire company ran on Macs front to back. One thing Apple seems to care little for in the broad scheme of things is loyalty. They receive so much of it I guess, that it seems valueless to them.
Bose sued Beats before Apple bought them.
I bought two generations of Bose noise cancelling headphones, the first from an Apple store, the second from Bose online. I use ’em every day. Not the best in the world? Who cares? Not an audiophile, just a knowledge worker in rude industrial environments and for that they work GREAT. Also when it’s naptime and the crazy neighbor fires up his leaf blower.
Yea but I hear Beats headphones are worth $10,000.
They are if you’re paid to endorse them.
I enjoy my Bose noise canceling earbuds. They really help enable one to lower the volume of the audio and still hear it well.
I’ve got Shure and UE earphones that I use in environments where noise levels run over 90dB, and I listen to music at a perfectly reasonable volume.
It has sod-all to do with some fancy noise-cancelling proprietary tech, rather it’s down to using proper triple-flange eartips, or custom fitted tips, that seal the ear canal against environmental background noise.
I wouldn’t use Bose if you paid me.
I have the QuietComfort 2 over-the-ear headphones. I’ve rebuilt them a couple of times. I look like a deejay for Witch of Agnesi and they wreck my hair but I don’t care. I can hear the mellifluous harmonies of the Mills Brothers over the skirl of the milling machines. That makes me happy.
i just bought the box set of their 30s music to go with their later works. looking forward to listening to it. i don’t want to even ask how you found out about them.
The Mills Brothers? I have some of their 78’s somewhere.
I meant QuietComfort 15, – reconditioning them using the QuietComfort 2 ear pad replacements
Bose had noise canceling before beats. Bose is a superior company to beats. It’s too bad the apple steamroller will now destroy the better company.
Does this mean that Bose gets to stay on the Apple Store shelves, and Beets phones get to stay on the heads of NFL players? That’s the way it should be.
Fined $10,000 for wearing ‘UNofficial’ headphones. This is biznizz bozozity beyond zillinezz. It’s corporate RULZ gone crazy.
But it’s good to see two creative companies settle their differences. I admire both.
Yup, if I was that player, I’d tell them where the could shove their fine; either that, or carry on wearing my Beats, but get stickers made up with the Bose logo on and stick them over the Beats logo.
The 49er QB was wearing a special “pink” version in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness day in the NFL. Then Bose throws a tizzy and the head office fines him $10K. Right now Bose should donate $10K to the beast cancer awareness cause in Kapernick’s name, otherwise they are just dicks with a licensing agreement.
It’s all marketing. (o_O)
I’ll go the the Bose store to buy speakers and wouldn’t be seen with the hip-set cans on my head.
Exactly! I’ll do the same. The business traveler today prefers Bose to the fad low tech Beats. I have companion 5 stereo computer speakers and they work wonderfully on my iMac 27. Most executives flying first class are wearing Bose and not Beats.