One of the rallying cries of those opposed to Apple’s (AAPL) $3 billion purchase of Beats has been that “this isn’t the sort of thing Steve would have done.”
Not true says Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson, appearing earlier this morning on CNBC.
Isaacson argues that Jobs and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine and Jobs had bonded over their shared love of music, and that Jobs would have been interested in adding Iovine’s “cool” factor to the company. “I think Jimmy is the greatest talent spotter now in the music and content business, so it feels like part of the DNA of Apple.”
When asked specifically if Jobs would have done the deal, Isaccson said: “Yeah. I don’t think he would have cared that much about buying the piece of hardware, the headphones, although he was the one who touted those headphones. He and Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine they’re are sending headphones out to all of their friends because they really care if you’re getting the bass right when you’re listening to the music.”
Here’s the video: