Apple Officially Acquires Beats Electronics; Beats Online Store Closes

Like it or not, Apple's acquisition of Beats Music and Beats Electronics is at last official. Apple today updated its website to host a page welcoming Beats and co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre to the family. It's the final step in the process of a long process that started with a rumor back in May and culminated in a whopping $3 billion acquisition—Apple's largest takeover of another company to date.

"Today we are excited to officially welcome Beats Music and Beats Electronics to the Apple family," the page reads. "Music has always held a special place in our hearts, and we’re thrilled to join forces with a group of people who love it as much as we do. Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have created beautiful products that have helped millions of people deepen their connection to music. We’re delighted to be working with the team to elevate that experience even further. And we can’t wait to hear what’s next."

Clicking on the message shuttles you to BeatsByDre.com, which contains its own message with the company's thoughts joining the Cupertino tech giant.

"Musicians rely on their instruments to give structure and form to their imagination. At the dawn of digital recording, the Macintosh computer was the instrument of choice," the page says. "At the beginning of portable digital music, the iPod placed the library of the world’s music in your pocket. The iPhone became not only an instrument for music, but also the centre of your connected life. The iPad extended this capability with a user interface and apps that allowed you to compose a symphony on the tube. Starting today, we at Beats are fortunate to add our instrument to this legacy by joining Apple."

At with that, thus passes BeatsByDre.com as we've known it. Attempting to purchase anything through the store merely presents you with a link to the same item in Apple's online store.

TechCrunch reports that U.S. regulators at last approved the acquisition this morning, thus clearing the last hurdle holding up Beats' official entry into the Apple family.

Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.