Reports of Apple's Beats Acquisition May Have Been Premature

Beats' acquistion by Apple may have hit a snag in the road on the way to being finalized.

Image via Beats Music

Here's a lesson in not counting your chickens before they've hatched: the heavily rumored, much-discussed, and prematurely celebrated acquisition of Beats Electronics by Apple seems to have hit a snag. Though initial reports claimed the deal was in its "advanced stages," there still has been no official word of the buyout. Except, of course, if you count the video of a jubilant Dr. Dre proclaiming himself hip hop's first billionaire.

According to Billboard, that video, and a handful of other issues, may be behind the delay. Though neither Apple nor Beats have issued an official statement, Billboard cites multiple unnamed sources who listed Dre's expletive-filled video as having prompted both outrage and concern at Apple. Other reasons potentially behind the lag include worry over the suitability of Dre and Jimmy Iovine as Apple executives and disagreements over Beats Music's valuation. Beyond that, though, pulling off a $3.2 billion acquistion—the largest in Apple history and the first under the stewardship of Tim Cook—is just plain complicated.

[via Billboard]

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