Apple Loves China: Launches 'Year of the Tiger' Themed Earbuds for Chinese New Year

Beats Studio, the high-end consumer audio company founded by rap producer Dr. Dre and later acquired by Apple, is launching a special “Year of the Tiger” edition of their Beats Studio Buds to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Founded in 2006, Beats was acquired by Apple for $3 billion in 2014, in what is still the largest acquisition in the tech giant’s history.

Nicole Young and record producer Dr. Dre (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

BEIJING, CHINA – JULY 01: Chinese students wave party and national flags at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party at Tiananmen Square on July 1, 2021 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

“We’re celebrating the Lunar New Year with our special-edition Beats Studio Buds,” announced the company on its official Twitter account. “As a tribute to the Year of the Tiger, the Buds feature an all-red design with gold tiger print accents. Out on January 1st!”

We’re celebrating the Lunar New Year with our special-edition Beats Studio Buds. As a tribute to the Year of the Tiger, the Buds feature an all-red design with gold tiger print accents. Out on January 1st! pic.twitter.com/hDjDhW15rV

— Beats by Dre (@beatsbydre) December 28, 2021

Regular Beats Studio Buds retail for approximately $119 to $150 in U.S. stores. The Year of the Tiger-themed buds will retail for 1099 yuan in China, or roughly $170.

According to Macrumors, Apple also created special products to mark the Year of the Tiger in Japan, where a version of the zodiac similar to China’s is widely observed.

Via Macrumors:

Apple is also celebrating the Year of the Tiger with a limited-edition AirTag in Japan. As part of a Japanese New Year promotion, the first 20,000 customers in Japan who order a new iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, or iPhone SE from Apple on January 2 or January 3 will receive the AirTag, which is stamped with a custom-designed tiger emoji.

Apple’s ties to China are well-documented. As Breitbart News reported earlier this month, Apple signed a massive, $275 billion deal with China in 2016 to avoid restrictions on Apple doing business in the Communist-run nation.

Most Apple products are manufactured in China. The vast Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, Henan Province is known as “iPhone city,” and has regularly attracted negative press coverage over its working conditions, although workers at the plant have said that conditions there are no worse than other factories in the country.

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