I was confused as to why Apple would buy beats as a brand when they were clearly planning around AirPods and Apple Music. I'm sure that combo would have beaten Beats with enough time.
It was more about Jimmy Iovine and Dre and less about headphones. They had a star team, Ian Rogers, Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre and Trent Reznor as creative director... and somehow we ended up with Apple Music. sigh
The negative opinions on Beats often seem snobbish and dare I say bigoted. But I will admit it was a strange get for Apple as a brand.
Although I remember some gossip about them buying it mainly for the music licensing deals that Beats had, and probably the recording industry clout of Dr. Dre.