Apple's Beats brand is launching its Beats Pill speaker in two new colors today: Navy Blue and Blush Pink. The colors join the original Matte Black, Statement Red, and Champagne Gold colors that debuted last June. Beats introduced special-edition Light Gray and Dark Gray versions in a collaboration with Kim Kardashian back in October, but those have since been discontinued.
The catch with the latest Beats Pill colors is that they are retailer exclusives, with Navy Blue being available only from Walmart and Blush Pink only from Target in the United States. The Blush Pink model will be coming to John Lewis in the UK and Walmart in Canada this summer, but it appears the Navy Blue model will remain U.S.-only.
Compared to the previous Beats Pill+ that was discontinued in 2022, the revamped Beats Pill features a redesigned speaker system with a 20º upward tilt for better sound projection, a removable lanyard, USB-C and Bluetooth connectivity, up to 24 hours of battery life, and IP67 water and sweat resistance.
Amplify Mode and Stereo Mode let you sync up two Beats Pill speakers for either bigger overall sound or separate left and right channels, while USB-C support means you can charge a recent iPhone or other devices from the speaker. The Beats Pill can also be used as a speakerphone for connected devices, with a noise-learning algorithm and full duplex support ensuring high-quality calls.
As part of the launch of the new colors for the Pill, Beats is introducing a pair of new "Pill People" shorts featuring WNBA star Angel Reese as the pink Pill Person and former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo as the blue Pill Person.
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
I hate theses speakers, I have tested them a lot of times at the apple store and the HomePod mini is better especially when you listen to classical music !
HomePod doesn’t go with you, needs power and network. Pill is a portable blue tooth speakers.
I hate theses speakers, I have tested them a lot of times at the apple store and the HomePod mini is better especially when you listen to classical music !
I have 3 Beats Pills (a black one and two light gray ones) and I love them. Excellent sound quality, even better than my Sony bluetooth speakers. I wouldn't pay more than $99 for them though, since they're often on sale.
