As soon as I heard about the potential deal between Apple and Dr. Dre's Beats I knew it was a brilliant idea and a prudent business move. I've covered the story many times since it first broke, always with a sense of awe and wonder that Apple would pick this original gangsta rapper to be an executive employee. Well, today, during this morning's Keynote at WWDC 2014, Apple's VP of Software, Craig Federighi called the good doctor from his laptop during his presentation of the new Yosemite OS and introduced him to the world as a new Apple employee.
The two celebrities acted nonchalant during a casual conversation in which Craig welcomed Dre and presented him to the crowd and the world at large. They joked about how early in the morning Tim Cook went to work, and Dre was obviously excited to begin work as an Apple employee. It was a short conversation and a clever way to present the Beats master on the world stage during a media event that was streamed around the world.
Now that it's all said and done, I have to wonder, what does this mean? I mean, is Dre putting his rap career on hold? Is his going to change his lifestyle and start self-censoring himself? And of course, what is he going to do on the job with Apple? Will it be like Beats, where he was more of an extremely popular, celebrity endorsement, than a headphone designer? How is Apple prepared to handle the onslaught of social media buzz this move will generate, and how are they prepared to respond if and when Dre says or does something unconventional or controversial. These are some valid questions, the answers to which will be revealed in time I reckon. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I say go, Dre, go, Tim. Good shake up; I don't think anyone saw that one coming.
