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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

#51

Post by CaptainZapp »

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…

  Should the analog headphone jack remain on our devices forever? If you think so, you can stop reading.
Good! Saves me the read.

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

#52

Post by creshal »

thirdsun wrote: post #30
creshal wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> If we do that we might as well use a lightning to 3.5 jack-adapter

You mean a lightning to 3.5 and an usb-c to 3.5 one. With mandatory Apple/USB tax, DRM may or may not be included, and questionable DAC quality.

A fully passive 2.5→3.5 adapter is much easier, would work with all vendors, and has no potential DRM backdoor capability.

And we'd probably quickly see headphones with native 2.5mm plug and an included 3.5mm adapter, just like we currently have for "high-end" (read: $100) headsets and 6.35mm.

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

#53

Post by SeanBoocock »

maccard wrote: post #39
TheGirondin wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Actions speak louder than words. People continue to say they want more durable phones and longer battery life, but continue to buy thinner and shinier phones.

I'd be interested to hear and read about examples of this being tested in the market. Have consumers been presented with a choice between phone thinness and battery life on the otherwise same phone hardware?

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

#54

Post by gambiting »

ghshephard wrote: post #46
IkmoIkmo wrote: post #35

I'd be completely comfortable for replacing it with USB-C. You already have the port, it's an industry standard, it's de facto open to use for anyone. It's smaller, both in terms of thickness (which I don't care much about by now, but I'll grant it's a thing), as well as volume. What concerns me is that the most popular phone and probably listening device in the world, will move towards a proprietary sound system, fr…

I came here to say just this, but you captured every though I had, and better. USB-C finally has the chance to be the universal adapter for "phone sized" devices (there will probably have to be a micro-USB C for things that are tinier) - and if Apple really wanted to show courage/leadership, they would replace their lightning ports with a standard that every device in the world is moving to. I'd have no problem with…

I do - you now can't charge your phone and listen to music at the same time, unless you have some weird Y-splitter-type cable. Can we have two usb-c ports on phones?

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

#55

Post by trowawee »

gambiting wrote: post #26
creshal wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> as long as it's not the most common standard on the market it's going to be disliked.

Eh. Apple's done this before, as Gruber points out, and they basically won. Nobody at this point (at least, that I hear) complains about Lightning cables. Ditching the 3.5mm jack might be a bad idea, but Apple does have a track record of doing this, which is probably why they think they can get away with it now.

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

#56

Post by rayiner »

treehau5 wrote: post #10
adrenalinelol wrote: post #6

You aren't forced to buy a new iPhone, better yet the one you have probably doesn't really need to be upgraded at all. Apple will understand you're displeasure if you vote w/your wallet; they won't care about your displeasure if you tweet them or complain in the comments section.

You aren't forced, just coercively "suggested" into it, via updates pushed out by the carrier that inevitably make your phone run slower than a Celeron laptop from the early 2000s

You don't have to upgrade your iOS.

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

#57

Post by trowawee »

gambiting wrote: post #54
ghshephard wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I came here to say just this, but you captured every though I had, and better. USB-C finally has the chance to be the universal adapter for "phone sized" devices (there will probably have to be a micro-USB C for things that are tinier) - and if Apple really wanted to show courage/leadership, they would replace their lightning ports with a standard that every device in the world is moving to. I'd have no problem with…

I do - you now can't charge your phone and listen to music at the same time, unless you have some weird Y-splitter-type cable. Can we have two usb-c ports on phones?

This is a thing that was concerning me. One port means I am either charging or listening to music, never both (at least, not with good headphones).

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

#58

Post by rikkus »

xivzgrev wrote: post #42

"Raise your hand if the thing you wanted most from your next phone was either fewer ports or more dongles. I didn’t think so. You wanted better battery life, didn’t you? Everyone just wants better battery life." raises hand to second point Show me a phone battery that lasts a week between charges, and I shall show you my wallet

http://webcusp.com/ulefone-joins-the-6200-mah-battery-club-w...

Might not be a whole week, but I'm assuming you'll be buying one?

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

#59

Post by mschuster91 »

The only reason why the 3.5mm TRRS needs to die is the vile hack that has been done to the mike channel to use it for control button commands - which are not standardized between anyone, actually.

But I am afraid that the accessory/phone/speaker industries plainly want to do one thing: make more money. Given that you can get a relatively good pair of in-ears for <€25, and with USB-C you can sell it for €50+, just because it has active circuitry...

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

#60

Post by 6stringmerc »

When I see Pro and Pro-sumer level audio equipment move away from 3.5mm and 1/4" jacks to...whatever...then I'll start paying attention. Otherwise the downstream is already suspect quality (earbuds, variable bitrate streaming, high-noise environments, etc) so whatever cable or wireless connection consumers prefer is kinda sorta an afterthought to me.
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