Well, that lasted long, didn't it? HTC has decided it won't be continuing with the idea of bundling a pair of high-end Beats headphones with its handsets – despite initially claiming it would provide a much-needed point of differentiation over its rivals.
The company will still use the Beats audio technology on the handsets themselves, but for now it looks like the old status quo of bundled headphones being a load of rubbish is once again safe.
HTC spent $300m in purchasing a majority stake in Beats Audio in the second half of last year, suggesting audio lovers were about to be given the kind of special treatment most mobile makers typically don't really bother with.
However, HTC product executive Martin Fichter has told CNET in the US that early trials of supporting the Beats audio software with a pair of bundled headphones for certain handsets would now be stopped.
“An accessory like the headphone doesn’t factor in when someone is buying a smartphone,” Fichter said. “If they want a Beats headphone, they’ll buy it directly.”
Or to put it another way: if you're into music, chances are you already have a decent pair of headphones and don't need another pair, so the fact that a certain phone has a set in the box would actually count as a reason NOT to buy it – which probably isn't what HTC is aiming for.
