HP ditches Beats Audio in PCs, tablets for Bang & Olufsen

By Mike Flacy March 24, 2015

hp ditches beats audio in pcs tablets for bang olufsen envy 15t — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Shifting away from Beats Audio technology and branding on Hewlett-Packard hardware, HP is now partnering with Bang & Olufsen for PCs in the Spectre, Omen and Envy product lines. In addition, the B&O Play label will be used on lower cost Pavilion PCs and tablets, basically anything outside of HP’s high end lines. Of course, all branding of Beats Audio will be stripped from new HP hardware since the music company was purchased by Apple. That partnership with HP fizzled after the three billion dollar Apple acquisition.

According to HP, the new hardware with Bang & Olufsen branding and technology will first appear during Spring 2015. Regarding the technology shift, the two companies will be collaborating on fine tuning the audio experience for each product line. For instance, a product like the HP Envy may be tuned more for the casual movie watcher or music listener while a product like the HP Omen could be calibrated with a gaming audience in mind. HP will also be working with Bang & Olufsen in relation to audio circuitry development on motherboards.

Prior to this new partnership, HP had claimed to be using proprietary, in-house technology to develop audio systems for new HP products. It’s unclear if that existing technology will continue to be used in any current or future HP product line. Similar to the software that altered settings with the Beats Audio system, it’s likely that HP and Bang & Olufsen will offer a similar control panel to fine tune the audio system based on user preference.

Speaking about the partnership, HP Senior Vice President Ron Coughlin said “Audio plays an important role in the experience customers have on their PCs, tablets and accessories whether it’s watching a movie, listening to music or Skyping with friends and family. With their passion and expertise, we are thrilled to work with Bang & Olufsen to create exceptional sound experiences for customers.“

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