Taking on Beats headphones will be tough for Bose. Though, Bose has some tricks up its sleeves for the holidays.

Bose has always been regarded as a premium brand that delivers excellent audio in its headphones, speakers, car audio systems and more. Now however, Beats, a newer company, is trying to take away that premium sound category while being hip at the same time.

Beats, or Beats by Dre, was created by rapper Dr. Dre. Apple then decided to invest in the company for $3 billion, and the company continues to take off.

Now, it is holiday season. Some audio enthusiasts will argue that Bose is the cleanest delivery of music for headphones, speakers and more. But, Beats is hip and was created by Dr. Dre.

There is the problem for Bose: They are not as trendy as Beats.

Engadget.com interviewed CEO and President Bob Maresca and was able to ask him questions about the direction that the company is going. Maresca said that Bose is used to operating in big spaces like cars, living rooms and offices. He understands that people are becoming more mobile.

That's why Bose knows it needs to focus on headphones and mobile speakers. They just signed a deal with the NFL for some noise-canceling headphones. They have also reached deals with Dozer and Spotify but still have to compete with the fashionable Beats headphones and speakers.

Maresca also said that Bose is focusing on premium audio rather than fashion. He added that they are adding more colors and that more 18- to 30-year-olds are purchasing their products for the first time.

If the target market for Bose is to be the Generation Y crowd, then they might want to look at being a little more in style. For now, the company seems focused on being the brand of audio that audio experts prefer.

From their noise-canceling headphones that they have advertised in airplane magazines for years, to the Bose FreeStyle earbuds ($129.95 on Bose.com), Bose is focused on quality rather than fashion and being trendy.

What do you think of Bose headphones and speakers versus Beats?

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