Social media reacts to Beats and Apple

LOS ANGELES — It was on Facebook, in an online video, where former rapper turned entrepreneur Dr. Dre appeared to confirm that he would be selling his Beats by Dr. Dre company to Apple for $3.2 billion.

And it was in social media--Facebook, Twitter and Google +, where fans of both companies weighed in heavily Friday morning.

The upshot of the reaction: congrats for Dr. Dre possibly becoming the first rap billionaire, and brickbats to Apple for having to acquire a company and not being able to come up with its own product.

"Ironically, a man who calls himself "Dr." with no medical degree will make more money than any doctor alive," tweeted comedian Awni Issa.

It's time to "big farewell to those white Earpods," said Casey Sims of St. Louis.

Bryan Van Kampen of Chicago was disappointed that Apple "would purchase a company that makes such overpriced/terrible quality headphones."

Chimed in London photographer Nick Miners:"Maybe Apple are thinking, "We have the monopoly on crappy headphones, and we're damned if we're going to let anyone else sell them."

Apple fans were puzzled.

"I really don't know how this would benefit Apple in anyway," tweeted New Yorker Richard Audelo.

Commenting on the huge payout for an audio company, Mike Langford tweeted: "I'm thinking the people at (rival audio firms) Bose, Sennheiser and Bang & Olufsen are having a really bad Friday."

Andrew Stadler on Google + had fun imagining Dre showing up to work at Apple. "All I can think about is something telling Dr. Dre that he has to show up in Cupertino for a week of new employee orientation."

The Dre video was on musician/actor Tyrese Gibson's Facebook in an online video that has since been pulled. But it lives on, and was re-posted on YouTube by fans. In it, Dre says "I'm the first billionaire in hip hop right here from the Mother--- West Coast."

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