Apple’s rumored gaming controller for iPhone could feature Beats branding
Apple is reportedly developing a gaming controller for the iPhone that could launch under its Beats brand rather than the main Apple label, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The move would mark Apple's entry into a new hardware category, expanding beyond its current practice of merely stocking third-party controllers from firms such as Backbone and SteelSeries in its online store.
Code referencing two devices, codenamed T6502 and T1057, was recently spotted by a MacRumors reader in a macOS release candidate, describing hardware with dual thumbsticks, shoulder buttons and D-pads. Gurman reports that Beats executives are handling product engineering and design for these controllers, and suggests Apple may be using the Beats name to test the market with a cheaper, less premium option while tapping into stylistic overlap between gaming and Beats' customer base. No release timeline has been given for either device.
- Apple reportedly developing iPhone gaming controllers under the Beats brand.
- Two prototypes codenamed T6502 and T1057 found referenced in macOS code.
- Beats version may be cheaper, skipping Apple's premium materials; no launch date yet.
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Apple already sells third-party phone gaming controllers from brands such as Backbone and SteelSeries through its own store, but has never made one itself. Recent reports suggest that is about to change, with Apple reportedly working on its own controller hardware for iPhone, though it may not carry the Apple name.
Instead, the device could launch under Beats, the headphone and audio brand Apple bought in 2014 and has continued to run as a separate label aimed at a younger, music- and lifestyle-focused audience. Using Beats rather than Apple branding would let the company test a new product category at a lower price point, without it being seen as a flagship Apple device.
Reports of this project come chiefly from Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, alongside code references found by outside developers in Apple's software, rather than any official announcement from Apple itself. This background matters because it shows how Apple sometimes uses sub-brands to enter new markets cautiously, and because gaming accessories are a growing area of interest for phone makers as mobile gaming expands.