Apple to buy Beats?

iBEATS: Apple is said to be close to a deal to purchase Beats Electronics, according to a Financial Times report. The Cupertino tech giant, which had been losing ground in the music space as streaming services such as Spotify gained, would pay $3.2 billion for the Jimmy Iovine/Dr. Dre-fronted firm, maker of Beats by Dre headphones and other gear and proprietor of the Beats Music streaming-music service. The Beats team would report to Apple CEO Tim Cook. An announcement could come as soon as next week, although sources caution that the deal could still fall apart. Sources at the companies declined to comment. If completed, this would be Apple's most expensive acquisition ever; stay tuned. (5/8p)