Apple’s Beats Announces The $229 Pill+, Will Hit Shelves Next Month

It’s amazing to think that the original Pill hit the shelves over three years ago to take on Jambox. Since then, the company behind it, Beats, was acquired by Apple.

With over a million sold since its first incarnation, the mobile bluetooth speaker has two new products to add to its stable. And it looks much Apple-y than the original, that’s for sure. It comes in white or black and will be available next month for $229.95. They’ll be available on Apple.com and in retail stores.

Here are some quick bits of info to hold you over before we get our hands on one for a review.

• larger than the original
• stereo active 2-way crossover system
• 12-hour battery life
• uses a standard Apple lightning cable

I’ve owned the original Pill since it came out and it’s done quite well for me. I’ve thrown it in countless bags and used it outside, inside, by the pool and the beach. It’s always felt heavy duty so I never worried about breaking it. I’m not an audiophile but the sound has always been pretty great, too. It can fill up a living and dining room easily.

Along with the brand new speakers, the Pill+ experience includes a brand new app. It allows you to manage things like multi-room setups and using two speakers together…even as separate channels if you like. It’s available for iOS and Android.

In a statement from Apple, Beats President Luke Wood said:

When you obsess about sound the way that we do at Beats, portable Bluetooth speakers can be very tricky. We spent countless days, weeks, months testing for that perfect combination of form and function – small enough to travel but still big enough to feel the emotion of the music. That’s what you get with Pill+.

Combining the cool of the Beats brand with the hardware design sensibility from Apple should be an interesting combination to watch out for in the near-future.