Bose Corporation facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Audio electronics |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Founder | Amar Bose |
| Headquarters | Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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Key people
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Lila Snyder, CEO Jim Scammon, President and COO Bob Maresca, Chairman, former CEO |
| Products | Audio equipment |
| Revenue | US$3.2 billion (FY 2021) |
| Owner | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (majority) |
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Number of employees
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7,000 (FY 2021) |
Bose Corporation is an American company that makes audio equipment. It was started by Amar Bose in 1964. The company is based in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Bose is famous for its home sound systems and speakers. They also make noise-cancelling headphones and sound systems for cars. Bose is known for protecting its inventions and brand names.
Most of Bose Corporation is owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Amar Bose, the founder, gave his non-voting shares to MIT. This means MIT gets money from Bose but does not help run the company. In 2021, Bose made $3.2 billion in sales. About 7,000 people worked for the company that year.
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How Bose Started
Amar Bose started the company in Massachusetts in 1964. He got money from friends and his professor, Y. W. Lee. Amar Bose became interested in speakers in 1956. He bought a sound system but was not happy with how it sounded.
Bose wanted to make speakers that sounded like a live concert. His idea was to use many speakers. These speakers would aim sound at the walls around a room. This would make the sound bounce and fill the space.
In 1966, Bose sold its first product, the Bose 2201. It had 22 speakers, with many facing away from the listener. This speaker was meant to sit in a room's corner. It used reflections off the walls to make the room sound bigger. The 2201 did not sell well and was stopped after a few years.
After this, Amar Bose realized that old ways of testing speakers were not good enough. He believed that how a listener felt about the sound was the best test. In 1968, Bose released the Bose 901 stereo speaker system. This system used eight speakers pointing to the wall behind it. One speaker pointed towards the listener. This design made sure most of the sound bounced off the walls. The 901 was very popular right away. Bose Corporation grew quickly in the 1970s. The Bose 901 was sold from 1968 until 2016.
The first Bose store opened in 1993 in Kittery, Maine.
In 2011, Amar Bose gave most of his company shares to MIT. The money from these shares helps MIT with research and education. MIT cannot sell the shares or control the company. After Amar Bose passed away in 2013, Bob Maresca became the CEO.
In 2016, Bose worked more closely with Flex manufacturing. Flex took over some of Bose's factories in Malaysia and Mexico.
In 2020, Bose announced they would close over 100 retail stores. These stores were in North America, Japan, Europe, and Australia. They still sell products online and through other stores like Target and Best Buy.
In September 2020, Lila Snyder became Bose's first female CEO. She had also studied at MIT.
Where Are Bose Products Made?
Bose products are made in the United States, Mexico, China, and Malaysia. In the U.S., factories are in Framingham, Massachusetts, Westborough, Massachusetts, and Stow, Massachusetts. In 2021, Bose moved employees from Stow to its main office in Framingham.
In Mexico, Bose factories are in Tijuana and San Luis Río Colorado. The Malaysian factory in Batu Kawan also sends products to Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
In 2015, Bose closed two factories. One was in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. The other was in Carrickmacross, Ireland. This was done to make their supply chain more efficient.
What Products Does Bose Make?
Car Sound Systems
Bose started making sound systems for cars in 1983. Their first car was a Cadillac Seville. Since then, Bose has made audio systems for many car brands.
In 2004, Bose showed off a special car suspension system. This system used magnets to make the car wheels go up or down. It could keep the car level over bumps or potholes. It worked like noise-cancelling headphones for the car's ride. A test car could even "jump" over obstacles! This system was too expensive and heavy to sell. In 2017, Bose sold this technology to another company called ClearMotion.
In 2010, Bose introduced Bose Ride. This is a special seat system for truck drivers. It helps reduce shaking from the road. This can make drivers less tired and reduce back pain. Bose said it could cut down seat vibration by 90%.
Many car brands offer Bose sound systems. These include Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, and Porsche.
Home Audio and Video
Bose makes many products for home sound. These include:
- Home theater systems (with 2 or 5 speakers)
- Portable Bluetooth Speakers (called "SoundLink")
- Stereo speakers (like "Wave Systems" and "SoundDock")
- Computer speakers
- Smart home devices
- Soundbar devices
In 2012, Bose sold the most home theater systems in the U.S. They were also the third-highest seller of portable audio products.
Headphones
Bose has sold headsets for airplanes since 1989. They started selling headphones for everyday use in 2000. Today, they make over-ear, in-ear, aviation, and military headphones.
Bose also has contracts with the U.S. military and NASA.
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QuietComfort 25 headphones
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ProFlight aviation headset
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Sound Systems for Businesses
The Bose Professional part of the company started in 1972. It makes and installs public address systems for places like concert halls. In 2009, this part of Bose made up about 60% of its yearly sales. Bose was the first company to be the official sound system supplier for the Olympics. They provided equipment for the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics.
The Bose L1 is a set of portable speakers for musicians. It was first released in 2003. A smaller and lighter "L1 Compact" model came out in 2009.
Since the 1980s, Bose has also offered sound systems for businesses.
Bose is known for not giving out detailed technical numbers for its products. This started in 1968. Amar Bose wrote that he did not believe in using numbers to test speakers. He thought that how a person heard the sound was more important. In 2007, Amar Bose said that measurements are often "phony." He believed they do not truly show how good a product is.
Legal Cases Involving Bose
Bose has been involved in many legal cases.
In 1981, Bose sued Consumer Reports magazine. The magazine said that the sound from a Bose system "tended to wander about the room." Bose said this was not true. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The court decided that Consumer Reports had not lied on purpose. Amar Bose said it took 14 years to go through the legal process. He gathered his 37 employees at the time. They all voted to take action, even though they were a small company.
In 2014, Bose sued Beats Electronics. Bose said that Beats' "Studio" headphones used Bose's noise-cancelling technology without permission. At the time, Apple had just bought Beats. Bose headphones used to be the top brand in Apple stores. After the lawsuit, Beats products became more common. In 2014, Beats had 62% of the premium headphone market, while Bose had 22%. In October 2014, Bose dropped the lawsuit. They settled the case outside of court. Apple removed all Bose products from its stores for a short time, but they returned two months later.
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See also
In Spanish: Bose Corporation para niños
