NBA superstar LeBron James has shared an image of himself on Instagram, wearing what could *just possibly* be the as-yet-unnanounced Beats Studio Buds in white. The new, wireless Beats earbuds sound like they’re Beats’ version of Apple’s AirPods.
Beats is, of course, owned by Apple — thanks to a massive $3 billion deal from 2014. However, for whatever reason, it seems that Beats is continuing to release its own-branded earbuds, despite them straying into AirPods territory.
Apple and/or Beats have yet to announce the Beats Studio Buds, which are very distinct from the company’s existing Beats PowerBeats headphones. However, traces of the new products were found in the recent iOS 14.6 release candidate that Apple seeded to developers earlier this month.
This included the name and a couple of videos, revealing details about the truly wireless earbuds which, like AirPods, will charge in a case. According to 9to5Mac, they will feature “Hey Siri” voice assistant activation, automatic pairing with Apple devices, and noise cancellation.
Showing off an unannounced product
Usually it would be a disaster if a pre-release Apple product was spotted in public ahead of being announced. (If, indeed, that 100% is what LeBron is wearing). However, this is possibly a bit different. Beats has long associated itself with athletes, and used their early endorsement by wearing the product to help introduce it to a wider market. With the earbuds worn by one of the greatest athletes of his generation, this Instagram snap is worth millions in publicity.
James isn’t “just” an athlete hired by Beats as an influencer, either. The Los Angeles Lakers player has been involved with Beats for years. According to a report last year, he was an early silent investor and made some major bank from the Apple acquisition. While the number $700 million was floated in some corners, it seems more likely the deal netted him around $26 million in cash and $4 million worth of Apple stock when the deal closed. That’s not too bad a return on a savvy 1% investment.
This isn’t the extent of James’ involvement with Apple, either. He was one of the stars profiled in Greatness Code, a documentary series for Apple TV+. While I haven’t seen it, Cult of Mac reviewer Scout Tafoya didn’t seem overly enamored. He’s also been on an episode of Apple’s Carpool Karaoke with James Corden.
Are you planning to buy the Beats Studio Buds? What do you think of them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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