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Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

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Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#21

Post by cr1895 »

bsimpson wrote: post #5

John Gruber's response ( http://daringfireball.net/2016/06/headphone_jacks_are_the_ne... ): > Should the analog headphone jack remain on our devices forever? If you think so, you can stop reading. What's the advantage to removing the headphone jack? Is the jack some sort of bottleneck to sound quality that nobody noticed until now? I really don't see a benefit in removing the headphone jack, now or anytime in the for…

I use higher impedance headphones that the built-in amplifier doesn't power well enough. Therefore I use a separate amp/DAC that feeds through usb from my iPhone.

But this certainly describes a very limited subset of people who listen to music through headphones, and even though I don't use it much I wouldn't like to see the analog jack go away.

Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#23

Post by rufius »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #7

Folks buy new headphones for their phone all the time. Just get the right one. Headphones with wires fail all the time, so wireless is arguable better for most folks most of the time. The arguments about sound failures are cherry-picked to ignore that. Also phones are compromised by every hole in the case (water, dirt, static etc). So now there will be fewer catastrophic failures. And now you can walk with your phone…

And yet I've got three pair of $300 headphones in my house between my wife and I, two of which are 6+ years old. If you take care of high quality headphones they will last quite along time. Wire wears out? Replace it. Ear pads lost their shape? Replace them.

So yaaaay dongles? Which that's even more fun because if I'm listening music for any length of time, there's a portable amp in between the phone and my headphones.

Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#24

Post by TheGirondin »

elthran wrote: post #9
bsimpson wrote: post #5

John Gruber's response ( http://daringfireball.net/2016/06/headphone_jacks_are_the_ne... ): > Should the analog headphone jack remain on our devices forever? If you think so, you can stop reading. What's the advantage to removing the headphone jack? Is the jack some sort of bottleneck to sound quality that nobody noticed until now? I really don't see a benefit in removing the headphone jack, now or anytime in the for…

I think the argument that is made is that it's stopping phones becoming thinner - which looking at the size of the jack on my Nexus 5X, I can believe. However, personally, I'll live with a thicker phone if it means I can have a larger capacity battery, let alone a 3.5mm jack

Phones have gotten thin enough. I would rather have more battery capacity and more drop/screen durability.

Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#25

Post by prof_hobart »

rufius wrote: post #23
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #7

Folks buy new headphones for their phone all the time. Just get the right one. Headphones with wires fail all the time, so wireless is arguable better for most folks most of the time. The arguments about sound failures are cherry-picked to ignore that. Also phones are compromised by every hole in the case (water, dirt, static etc). So now there will be fewer catastrophic failures. And now you can walk with your phone…

And yet I've got three pair of $300 headphones in my house between my wife and I, two of which are 6+ years old. If you take care of high quality headphones they will last quite along time. Wire wears out? Replace it. Ear pads lost their shape? Replace them. So yaaaay dongles? Which that's even more fun because if I'm listening music for any length of time, there's a portable amp in between the phone and my headphone…

>Wire wears out? Replace it.

Is there any reason why a replacement wire with a lightning connection on one end wouldn't be possible?

Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#26

Post by gambiting »

creshal wrote: post #17
elthran wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the argument that is made is that it's stopping phones becoming thinner - which looking at the size of the jack on my Nexus 5X, I can believe. However, personally, I'll live with a thicker phone if it means I can have a larger capacity battery, let alone a 3.5mm jack

The whole discussion is based on the dishonest claim that it's either 3.5mm or no analog. We already have a standardized 2.5mm jack to replace the 3.5mm one in space-constrained environments (just like 6.35mm is still around for hifi setups). Why is everyone pretending we need to ditch analog audio completely for smaller phones when we can just start using 2.5mm (again!)?

I feel like it's very prophetic that we already had 2.5mm jacks on phones and everyone I spoke to(me included) hated them because you had to use an adapter for your normal headphones. It doesn't matter if your phone has a 2.5mm jack, usb-c, lightning or any other connector - as long as it's not the most common standard on the market it's going to be disliked.

Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#27

Post by JoeAltmaier »

rufius wrote: post #23
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #7

Folks buy new headphones for their phone all the time. Just get the right one. Headphones with wires fail all the time, so wireless is arguable better for most folks most of the time. The arguments about sound failures are cherry-picked to ignore that. Also phones are compromised by every hole in the case (water, dirt, static etc). So now there will be fewer catastrophic failures. And now you can walk with your phone…

And yet I've got three pair of $300 headphones in my house between my wife and I, two of which are 6+ years old. If you take care of high quality headphones they will last quite along time. Wire wears out? Replace it. Ear pads lost their shape? Replace them. So yaaaay dongles? Which that's even more fun because if I'm listening music for any length of time, there's a portable amp in between the phone and my headphone…

For your phone? Nice to be you. Most of us use the $2 ones we buy at the checkout counter for our phones.

Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#28

Post by acqq »

bsimpson wrote: post #5

John Gruber's response ( http://daringfireball.net/2016/06/headphone_jacks_are_the_ne... ): > Should the analog headphone jack remain on our devices forever? If you think so, you can stop reading. What's the advantage to removing the headphone jack? Is the jack some sort of bottleneck to sound quality that nobody noticed until now? I really don't see a benefit in removing the headphone jack, now or anytime in the for…

> If you think so, you can stop reading.

I didn't and really there are no arguments there why would it be better for anybody but Apple. The premise of the article is "once it's accepted that the analog jack must go, let's just write whatever."

It doesn't even discuss what the advantage for Apple should be. Which would make clearer why it's not for anybody else.

Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#29

Post by JumpCrisscross »

PakG1 wrote: post #19

I'm just curious about how I'd charge my iPhone using a portable power bank while on the go if my Lightning port is occupied with my earbuds. Getting those extra battery pack cases is a nuisance, unnecessarily increases the phone's size. A portable power bank is much more flexible. Plug it in when I need it, keep it in my pocket if I'm on the go. I know that wireless charging is on the table, but how would that work…

I remember hearing talk of a "charge-through" Lightning cable. Presumably that would be the cheapest option.

Re: Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid

#30

Post by thirdsun »

creshal wrote: post #17
elthran wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the argument that is made is that it's stopping phones becoming thinner - which looking at the size of the jack on my Nexus 5X, I can believe. However, personally, I'll live with a thicker phone if it means I can have a larger capacity battery, let alone a 3.5mm jack

The whole discussion is based on the dishonest claim that it's either 3.5mm or no analog. We already have a standardized 2.5mm jack to replace the 3.5mm one in space-constrained environments (just like 6.35mm is still around for hifi setups). Why is everyone pretending we need to ditch analog audio completely for smaller phones when we can just start using 2.5mm (again!)?

If we do that we might as well use a lightning to 3.5 jack-adapter since audio equipment and headphones with 2.5 jack are very rare.

I'm all for keeping the jack output, but using a 2.5 one doesn't solve the problem.

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