Amidst all the hoopla surrounding the Apple Watch pre-orders and try-ons, as well as the availability of the new 12-inch Retina MacBook, Apple’s Beats division has announced some new Beats Solo2 wireless headphone models, now available in iPhone/iPad/MacBook-matching Gold, Silver, and Space Gray colors. The new color options do not displace the existing black, blue, white, and red options, but are not available yet for the wired version of the Solo2.
The Solo2 headphones have been relatively well-reviewed compared to most Beats models, which add bass and volume artificially — a “feature” critics say distort the music and sound quality unnecessarily. With the Solo2, the company was aiming at listeners who prefer other genres of music apart from the bass-heavy rock and rap arenas, and the Solo2 line has generally tested “flatter” than any previous Beats product.
Apple chose the new colors — as it did with the new MacBook — based on the popularity of the colors with the iPhone and iPad lines. The MacBook’s change from a lit logo on the lid to the foil-stamped version as seen on the mobile devices is a dead giveaway to Apple’s thinking on the color options for the device. The now-matching Solo2 Bluetooth headsets are following the same trend, and the first real indicator of Apple’s influence on its biggest-ever acquisition.
The wireless model sells for $299, versus the wired version which costs $199. The Bluetooth connectivity is a nice luxury for working with devices such as the iPhone or iPad, but is vital when used with the Apple Watch — which also comes in Space Gray, Silver, and (literal) Gold versions — as Bluetooth is the only connectivity option for direct audio connection to the device. The Apple Watch itself has some small storage space (2GB) for music for those occasions where the iPhone is not available, such as on runs, and can also relay the audio of phone calls from a tethered iPhone.
The Solo2 Bluetooth headphones also include a rechargeable battery that is rated for up to 12 hours of continuous use, offer call-answering ability, and have a standard Bluetooth range of around 30 feet. Currently, the new colors are only available through Apple — and as with its other gold-colored products, the gold one may prove to be the most popular — however, the previous full color line for both wired and wireless Solo2 models are available from Apple, Amazon and numerous other online and retail resellers.
