Brussels, 28/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 28 July, the European Commission gave US computer giant Apple the go-ahead to buy up Beats Electronics and Beats Music for $3 billion. Beats Electronics was established in 2008 and designs, develops and sells audio products such as headphones and audio speakers. Beats Music was spun out of Beats Electronics in 2013 and offers a music streaming service in the United States and Australia, allowing consumers to receive (“stream”) music on their mobile device or computer against a monthly or yearly fee. Beats Electronics and Apple both sell headphones in the European Economic Area (EEA). The Commission says the deal does not raise competition concerns because the combined market share is low. In addition, Apple and Beats Electronics are not close competitors because the headphones they sell differ markedly in functionality and design. Moreover, even after the transaction, a large number of global competitors such as Bose, Sennheiser and Sony would remain. The Commission also examined the transaction's likely effects on the distribution of digital music to consumers. Both Apple and Beats Music are active in this field but Apple faces several competitors in the EEA, such as Spotify and Deezer, making it unlikely that the acquisition of a smaller streaming service that is not active in the EEA would lead to anticompetitive effects. The Commission says the deal would not give Apple the ability and incentive to shut out competing streaming services from access to iOS, Apple's operating system for mobile devices. (EL)