Apple discontinues three Beats products, but you can still buy them elsewhere (at great prices)
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There's no denying the incredible (apparent) appeal of Apple's latest true wireless earbuds, but if you were planning on buying an older pair of Beats-branded headphones straight from the Cupertino-based tech giant this holiday season (for some reason), we may have bad news to bring you today.
Commercially released a little over two years ago and normally fetching $300 a pair, the noise-cancelling Beats Solo Pro are currently sold by Amazon at a huge 50 percent discount in a single gray color, while the Light Blue flavor sets you back a cool 130 bucks of its own less than usual.
By no means the world's best high-end Bluetooth wireless headphones available right now, these bad boys are powered by Apple's fancy H1 chip while delivering up to 40 hours of battery life (with ANC switched off), which makes them pretty much unbeatable... for their "new" price.
The fourth-gen Powerbeats can be had at an all-time high markdown of $70 from a $150 list price, having made their commercial debut in early 2020 with a good old fashioned around-the-neck design, the same aforementioned Apple H1 chip, IPX4 water and sweat resistance, and a solid 15 hours of uninterrupted listening time.
Finally, the 2016-released Beats EP are... not actually particularly compelling today, costing around $40 less than their usual price of $130 in a trio of eye-catching paint jobs with a built-in microphone and music controls, as well as "unlimited" listening functionality.
In case you're wondering, Apple's official Beats lineup still includes the Studio3, Solo3, Pro, Flex, and the Pill+ portable speaker in addition to the Fit Pro, Studio Buds, and Powerbeats Pro, which is pretty good for a brand that was rumored to go extinct not so long ago.
Closely following the introduction of the noise-cancelling Beats Fit Pro yesterday, a total of three different products seem to have vanished from the Beats-dedicated section on Apple's official US website, which means these audio industry veterans are officially discontinued now.
Interestingly, 2019's "totally wireless" Powerbeats Pro are still around, and naturally, the same goes for the $149.99 Studio Buds unveiled earlier this year. The non-Pro Powerbeats, wired on-ear Beats EP cans, and wireless on-ear Solo Pro instead fell victim to Apple's fall cleaning effort, which makes sense given the relatively advanced age of all three models.
As bizarre as it might sound, however, this is actually the perfect time to purchase at least two of those products, which just so happen to be available at various third-party retailers at lower than ever prices, presumably before going away for good.
Surpassed in every department that counts by the true wireless Powerbeats Pro, these are still among the best workout earbuds you can buy... for under $100 if you hurry.
Finally, the 2016-released Beats EP are... not actually particularly compelling today, costing around $40 less than their usual price of $130 in a trio of eye-catching paint jobs with a built-in microphone and music controls, as well as "unlimited" listening functionality.
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