In a recent interview with TechRadar, Beats president Luke Wood discussed how the company has changed under Apple's leadership, and the upcoming Powerbeats Pro headphones.

powerbeatsproiphone

The new ‌Powerbeats Pro‌

According to Wood, the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ is "the culmination of the full integration of [Beats and Apple] working together from a technological standpoint." The company even took into consideration its reputation for creating bass-heavy products when building the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌.

Wood said the company has "learned the tools of [its] trade" over the years and improved its products, particularly after being acquired by Apple.

“We thought we were pretty good until we got to Apple, and then we started learning what ‘good’ really was”, he admits between sips of green tea.

What was Apple doing that Beats wasn’t? “Apple had so much incredible discipline and rigor around product quality” Wood says.

When asked if a Beats product would ever add in biometric sensors for heart rate monitoring, Wood said he doesn't think that will happen: "We never want to labor customers with a bunch of useless, borderline avant-garde tech." He pointed out that many users already have smart watches with this ability, and having it in a headphone would be unnecessary.

Apple announced ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ earlier in the month, with a launch planned for May 2019. The $250 headphones are completely wireless and are sweat and water resistant, with earhooks and tips in four sizes that ensure they will stay put during workouts. Apple said the headphones feature up to nine hours of listening time, and they also come with a charging case like the AirPods.

Top Rated Comments

H3LL5P4WN Avatar
86 months ago
The company even took into consideration its reputation for creating bass-heavy products when building the Powerbeats Pro.
That's hard to read.


* Does that mean that Apple took it into consideration that Beats have traditionally sounded like a fart under a wet blanket, through a pillow?
* Does that mean that Apple decided, "these are not going to sound like a fart under a wet blanket, through a pillow?"
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
86 months ago
So these are totally geared towards fully sealed in-ear 'eh?
Hmm..

Does anyone else not like that when running?

I don't know what it is, but I feel like I end up "hearing and feeling" every single contact with the ground when using fully sealed in-ear for running..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
genovelle Avatar
86 months ago
I’m glad the echo chamber of Apple haters who prefer to spend more time bashing Apple on Apple “Fan” sites than cheering the release of products they are fans of on sites for their fans, have no effect on Apple’s sales or products they make. It used to upset me, now I feel sorry for then. Unless they are being paid, which Samsung has been caught doing around the world.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anshuvorty Avatar
86 months ago
Obviously, this interview is part of a marketing campaign to hype up the Powerbeats Pro before it launches. That is all there is to it really.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Iconoclysm Avatar
86 months ago
What a liar ... apple and quality where does this man live ... parallel universe?!
Hmm, do you have any idea what you're talking about?
[doublepost=1555950866][/doublepost]Lightning instead of USB C and no wireless charging is preventing me from buying these.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MozMan68 Avatar
86 months ago
Me either.

It's going to be so so so so long before it's even close to as ubiquitous as the other older USB connectors. In the meantime it's mainly frustrating.

As you said though - if you're someone who's "all in" on USB-C and replacing non-C stuff everywhere preemptively, it's great... for me I just don't replace things like cables and chargers unless they're actually in need of replacement. Hugely wasteful IMO to do otherwise.
I don't think you've experienced USB-C to its full potential then.

In my home office, a single USB-C cable connects my laptop to my docking station and:
* Charges my laptop
* Connects all standard USB peripherals from my docking station to my laptop (keyboard, mouse, iPod...yes, I still use one as a hard drive in my car)
* Transfers all video data from laptop to docking station supplying video up to two 4K monitors (I just use one big one though)
* ...and IMHO, it's really the best of both worlds; "non-handed" like the lightning connection while also being small enough to integrate into phones, headphone cases, etc.
* Transfers audio to headphone/speakers connected to docking station
* It's "universal"...companies (like Apple) just need to adopt it instead of lightening cable.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Here's When Tesla is Expected to Add Support for Apple CarPlay

Sunday November 16, 2025 6:49 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Tesla plans to add Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles "in the coming months." This is easily the biggest news for the regular version of CarPlay in years, should Tesla actually follow through with offering the system in its vehicles. As noted by Gurman, this would be a stunning reversal for Tesla and its CEO Elon ...