Apple to Force Beats Service to All iPhones in 2015

Do you like it when things are pushed on you? No doubt you don’t. If you own an iPhone though, it looks as thought you are not going to have a choice next year.  According to a report in the Financial Times newspaper Apple is planning to push its Beats streaming music service to every iPhone early in 2015. The Cupertino giant will include the Beats application in their latest update to the iOS operating system that is used on iPhones and iPads, writes the FT.

Apple recently acquired Beats for a huge price of for $3bn (£1.9bn) earlier this year in May. Beats are known primarily for their headphones, which are worn by numerous celebrities and sports personalities.

The FT was the first newspaper to break the news of Apple’s purchase of Beats earlier in the year. By pre-installing the application onto peoples iPhones and iPads, Apple will be able to reach new customers easily. This move into the streaming music service threatens the supremacy of the current market-leader Spotify. The news also comes as recently the downloads from Apple’s music store, iTunes, have declined.

Interestingly, the value of streaming music services to artists has recently come under fire.  This comes in the wake of ‘Swiftgate’;  The singer Taylor Swift has pulled her entire music back catalogue from the streaming service Spotify. Swift has said that the amount of royalties paid to her from Spotify undervalued the work she has done. Spotify has rejected that claim.

So, it remains to be seen/heard what the future of Beats streaming will be, but all indications point to the 800+ million iOS devices that are out there, getting a forced app on their home screen next year, whether you like it or not.

[Image via techitout]

SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30121593