Dr. Dre x Hewlett Packard = a Limited Edition “Mac Killer”

Article written by: Andre Sanchez
Posted on: November 5, 2009

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Hewlett Packard  is starting to focus their marketing attention on the hip hop world just like Microsoft is and has been…but this one could actually gain some ground in what is being nicknamed” the Mac killer”. I’m a bit skeptical at such a claim, so let’s look at it:

Usually, the PC isn’t known for being the best at making music on; usually because the RAM (random access memory) gets swallowed up too easily when a lot of programs and applications are running, and even if you have a high powered PC,  it could need upgrades within a couple years for an outdated sound card, sluggish processor, etc.

HP has announced that the collaboration with Beats by Dr. Dre will offer a limited edition Envy 15 laptop (branded with the Beats by Dr. Dre logo) as well as software that will “enhance” the audio through headphones or external speakers. The sound system is labeled as “Beats Audio” and the special edition laptop will be available on October 18th starting at $1,699.

Still, what will make the Dr. Dre x HP Envy so special?

“It’s all about the sound” they say. According to Wooha.com:

“The HP Envy will be the first laptop to feature a ‘cutting-edge’ sound system designed by Dr. Dre’s sound engineers labeled ‘Beats Audio.’ The ‘Beats Audio’ sound software was developed by the same folks that engineer Dre’s tracks and also helped design the Beats by Dre headphone line.”

According to HP, Dre has developed a unique, high-performance audio software solution. Available exclusively on the HP Envy, Beats Audio offers users playing music or audio through headphones or external speakers the optimal sound experience the way the artist intended it.’ the HP Envy and the Dr. Dre Edition hit stores on October 18th with prices starting at $1,699 and up.

Jimmy Iovine, Head of Interscope (the label Dre is signed on), states, “We have to fix the entire chain,” Iovine explained. “Our position is to go to all the sources and try to improve sound and educate people…We can’t put anything weak in the line. Whoever puts out things that sound bad shouldn’t be as cool as something that sounds great…I just want our product to sound better. The record business committed many, many mistakes in the last ten years, and I’m right in there. One of them was letting its product get degraded. It’s one thing to let it get stolen, it’s another to allow it to be degraded because then you really don’t have a chance…video games and TV quality are getting better and the quality of our work is getting lower. If that happens, then music will become disposable. That’s something we can fix.”

In my opinion, to charge $1,699 and up is definitely in the “Mac” price range. My question is, why would HP charge so much for only the sound aspect? So far no other specifications have been listed for the laptop, and I’m not convinced this will be worth a buy off the sound alone. Does it make coffee, complete my chores, and fold into an iPhone if I need it to?

If your gonna charge me over $1,500 for a laptop, you better tell me every single thing that’s in that laptop, especially if it’s a PC, and especially if it’s Hewlett Packard! The PC has way too much of a bad reputation for these discreet details on a so called  “Mac killer”. Consumers want to know why this laptop is claiming to take down a monopoly in what so many people choose to make their music on.

But I’m only one opinion: What do you think, reader? Will a man who made a classic such as “The Chronic get you to buy a laptop like this?

The Chronic (1992)