Friday Apple Rumors: ‘70% Certainty’ That Apple Will Acquire Beats

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Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

daily apple rumors AAPLRocky Road: A “well-placed source” tells TechCrunch that Apple’s (AAPL) widely-reported acquisition of Beats Electronics continues to move forward. Recent reports indicate that an official announcement was delayed at least a week due to on-going negotiations over the transaction’s final details. According to unnamed insider who spoke to TechCrunch, the purchase of Beats Electronics has almost fallen apart several times. The source indicated about “70% certainty” that Apple would complete the Beats deal. Apple’s objective in the merger is to bring Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre to the iPhone-maker, the source says, noting that the two have a “lock” on culture and fashion that Apple desires. A well-connected music industry deal-maker, Iovine would give Apple greater leverage in licensing and royalty negotiations with major record labels. Beats also has its own established subscription music service, something Apple lacks. Apple has reportedly been under pressure from record labels to move toward a subscription music service as iTunes music downloads decline.

Admission: Apple has conceded problems with its iMessage system and is developing software patches to fix the issues, Re/code notes. iMessage uses Apple servers to sent text messages between devices, unlike other services which use servers owned by wireless carriers. However, people who switch from the iPhone to non-Apple mobile devices say that messages sent using iMessage aren’t delivered properly. Apple is facing at least one lawsuit over the problem. Apple now attributes the problem to a “server-side iMessage bug,” which is claims to have fixed. “We have an additional bug fix in a future software update,” Apple told Re/code. Apple did not indicate when the software update would be released. The iMessage problem appears to occur when users switch to non-Apple phones, but retain their original phone number. Apple’s servers continue to recognize the number as belonging to an iPhone.

Pruned: Despite jumping to No. 1 on the App Stores’ charts, Weed Firm has been removed from Apple’s online app store, AdWeek notes. Weed Firm, produced by Manitoba Games, permits users to try their hands at managing a marijuana farm. Manitoba Games said that the disappearance of Weed Firm from the App Store was “entirely Apple’s decision, not ours.” Apple generally prohibits apps with adult content in the App Store. Voters in Colorado and Washington recently legalized recreational marijuana use and medicinal marijuana is legal in a number of other U.S. states. Weed Firm is not available on Google’s (GOOG) Play app store.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.


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