14 DAY TRIAL // Speaking at a Cannes conference this week, artiste extraordinaire Kanye West blessed a good chunk of the celebrities in vogue today with his personal assessment on the Apple-Beats deal that went down earlier this month.
Slaloming through cones of common sense (as always), Kanye gave the audience a piece of his mind regarding good taste. Such as the four days he spent retouching his wedding photo for Instagram and the woman he chose to marry.
He also wants Instagram redesigned because he thinks it’s ugly, and he was quoted as saying that good taste is the opposite of killing someone. These are just a handful of the golden nuggets he laid upon his listeners yesterday.
In case you’re wondering how this seemingly gossipy news story ended up on Softpedia’s technology column, it has to do with a portion of Kanye’s rant where he reveals the truth behind Apple’s Beats acquisition.
As per the AdWeek report:
“There would have been no Beats deal without the Samsung deal. It showed the No. 1 company the importance of connecting with culture,” said West. “The reason I said I didn't like Samsung particularly is because throughout my entire life, because of how my parents raised me, I have to work with the No. 1.”
“I can't work with anyone but Jay Z, because he's No. 1. I can't be with any girl but Kim, because that's the girl whose pictures I look at the most and get turned on by. I'm not going to represent any company but Louis Vuitton, because that's No. 1. … Samsung is not quite Apple, but it showed that Jimmy [Iovine] and Dre would be able to connect with the No. 1 influencers.”
Kanye claims Samsung will always be second to Apple, but that Apple knew it was losing its cool when it bought Beats. That may very well be true, but the way Kanye puts this into context casts doubt over his entire analysis.
He didn’t miss the opportunity to identify himself with Steve Jobs yet again, but he also made a good point praising Apple for “redesigning” technology rather than just selling it.
“Apple was so profound at making great products in great design language,” he said. “And yet they found themselves culturally susceptible to another brand whose products weren't necessarily as great at that time. Samsung used culture as a way to get into the conversation. And that's why the Apple/Beats deal makes sense. Whatever Samsung is doing culturally, Apple has the 800-pound gorilla in Beats and Jimmy and Dre,” he concluded.