Yep, hate to say it, but you and me are in the minority here. For the average consumer, headphones are a social object. They want something that sounds decent

Yep, hate to say it, but you and me are in the minority here. For the average consumer, headphones are a social object. They want something that sounds decent (remember they are playing lofi files from their phones) but looks really cool (to them, and the people they are trying to appeal to, at least). Also, vast numbers of people buy Apple earbuds even though they don't own Apple devices! That's all neither here nor there though, because Ian Rogers was never involved with the headphones - he was CEO of Topspin and is now running the development of the Beats music streaming platform. I agree tying into the Beats by Dre brand is a negative for people like us, but for the demographic they are going after it will probably be better than building a brand from the ground up.