Apple's Beats landing page has gone missing ahead of tomorrow's event

Screenshot Beats Web Page Missing (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple has removed the Beats landing page from apple.com.
"apple.com/shop/accessories/all-accessories/beats-featured" is no more.
Jon Prosser has previously said that Apple is ditching the Beats branding.

Update, October 12 (6:45 pm ET): Apple has restored the Beats landing page on its online store

Apple has removed its "Beats by Dr. Dre" landing page, previously located at https://www.apple.com/shop/accessories/all-accessories/beats-featured (opens in new tab). As noted by Apple Terminal, the page is no longer functional.

The last time the page was live appears to have been around October 2nd, where it is displayed in its full former glory by the Wayback Machine. Beats products remain in the store, however, complete with Beats branding.

We heard rumors Jon Prosser back in April that suggested the days of Beats were numbered.

You ready for this? 👀

Apple Over-Ear Headphones
Codename: B515
(Think Beats 700)
$350
Aimed for WWDC

AirPods X
Codename: B517
For sports/running
(think Beats X)
~$200
Aimed for Sept/Oct

☝️ Probably what DigiTimes thought was “AirsPods Pro Lite”

End goal: phase out Beats 🤫You ready for this? 👀

Apple Over-Ear Headphones
Codename: B515
(Think Beats 700)
$350
Aimed for WWDC

AirPods X
Codename: B517
For sports/running
(think Beats X)
~$200
Aimed for Sept/Oct

☝️ Probably what DigiTimes thought was “AirsPods Pro Lite”

End goal: phase out Beats 🤫— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) April 7, 2020 April 7, 2020

Prosser didn't give any particular timescale for when the phasing out of Beats could happen, but he didn't expect it to be imminent. That was six months ago, though.

Seems like people need clarification on what I mean by “end goal is to phase out Beats”

It doesn’t mean they’re trying to kill the Beats brand TOMORROW.

They’re building up the Apple/AirPods product line - THEN they will phase out Beats in favor of the finished lineup.Seems like people need clarification on what I mean by “end goal is to phase out Beats”

It doesn’t mean they’re trying to kill the Beats brand TOMORROW.

They’re building up the Apple/AirPods product line - THEN they will phase out Beats in favor of the finished lineup.— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) April 7, 2020 April 7, 2020

With Apple holding a special event tomorrow, it's possible that the wheels are already in motion and Beats will be gone in little more than 24 hours. Or, also likely, Apple could simply be moving its webpages around and we're all reading too much into one webpage going the way of the dodo.

Update, October 12 (9:45 pm ET) — Apple has restored the Beats landing page on its online store

After speculation that the Beats page's removal from Apple's online store was an indication that the company would be abandoning the Beats lineup of headphones, Apple has restored the page to its website. The Beats name, despite rumors that it could be ended at tomorrow's "Hi, Speed" event, appears to continue to live on.

You can visit the Beats page (opens in new tab) on Apple's online store now to verify its continued existence for yourself.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.