HP partners with Bang & Olufsen for sound technology, dumps Apple's Beats audio

HP said it had entered into a partnership to equip its PCs, tablets and other gadgets with audio technology from Danish television and sound system maker Bang & Olufsen. HP said on Tuesday that it would start selling personal computers with Bang & Olufsen and B&O PLAY audio technology this spring. The Bang & Olufsen brand will appear on HP’s Spectre, OMEN, ENVY and select commercial PCs, while the B&O Play brand will appear on HP Pavilion PCs, tablets and PC audio accessories, HP said. B&O is a 90-year-old company that makes products for the luxury end of the consumer market. It will replace music-streaming and audio-equipment company Beats Electronics LLC as HP’s audio vendor. Apple bought Beats, co-founded by influential hip-hop producer Dr Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine, for $3 billion in May last year. Reuters