Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid • Hacker News Board

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

#91

Post by smt88 » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:33 PM UTC

gambiting wrote: post #31

treehau5 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

At least you get latest updates, unlike phones from literally any other manufacturer. If it's not the top-range model then you can consider yourself lucky to get even one update before the phone is completely forgotten.

Not true of Nexus and some HTC devices. Moto phones used to be the same way, but I'm not sure what Lenovo's doing with that brand. My original Moto X was my favorite phone ever.

Android has a lot of choice, but that also means extra work to find the phone that works for you. I won't even consider a phone that isn't "vanilla" Android and backed by a guarantee of upgrades (so basically I'm stuck on Nexus).

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

#92

Post by thaumasiotes » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:33 PM UTC

shanemhansen wrote: post #73

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 already use my phone's charging port for charging. I'd find it very annoying if I couldn't charge and listen to music at the same time (without buying some sort of USBC hub).

I had a tiny mp3 player for my car, with an audio out and a usb charging port. It still couldn't charge and play at the same time. I was pretty upset after buying a cigarette lighter - USB adapter for it.

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

#93

Post by smt88 » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:35 PM UTC

DougWebb wrote: post #15

dilap wrote: post #11

i just dont get it -- whats the problem with the old analog headphone jack? it works perfectly for me. wheres the benefit in ditching it?

Apple's reasoning is that the problem with the old analog headphone jack is that it won't work with all of the new lightning-based headphones that will be coming out soon. /sarcasm

I'm not sure why you tagged that as sarcasm because it's 100% true. They're creating a market that didn't exist, and they'll be the ones licensing/manufacturing the products.

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

#94

Post by TillE » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:37 PM UTC

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #27

rufius wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Basically all high-end headphones are now made with 3.5mm plugs, bundled with a 1/4" adapter. So why wouldn't you use them with your phone when you're listening to music?

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

#95

Post by smt88 » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:38 PM UTC

jwebb99 wrote: post #77

I don't understand this push to get rid of the analogue headphone jack. It's a solution in search of a problem--like removing physical buttons from the Kindle...the alternative (touch screen page turns) is more high-tech, but not as pleasant. I'm sure audophiles would appreciate a digital interface for their headphones, but everyone else is perfectly content to use cheap $5 earbuds for their highly compressed audio f…

> It's a solution in search of a problem

It does solve a problem. It solves the problem of Apple having less money than it wants to have. It just doesn't solve a consumer problem.

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

#96

Post by campezzi » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:42 PM UTC

I would normally agree, but Apple has a good track record of yanking out things that were considered crucial and turned out to be relics from the past in desperate need of innovation (or replacement). My optimistic prediction: the increased demand for wireless headphones will drive manufacturers to constantly improve their products and drop prices to remain competitive - two years from now, we won't even remember the day our phones had a headphone jack.

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

#97

Post by r721 » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:42 PM UTC

gergles wrote: post #81

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 now you can walk with your phone in your pants pocket or purse (or anywhere), without a wire dangling! Citation needed. Have you actually used Bluetooth headsets? Unless the phone has unimpeded LOS to the headset, expect the sound to drop samples, or introduce static, or otherwise be shitty and horrible. Have your phone in a pocket on the other side of your body from where your headphones' antenna is? Enjoy shi…

Additional problems:

1. Hassle with batteries

2. I'm not really sure but from quick research it seems most of wireless headphones still use lossy codecs for signal transmission.

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

#98

Post by deelowe » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:43 PM UTC

sp332 wrote: post #78

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!)?

We're trying to put headphones, a microphone, and remote controls into this connector. It's already kinda flaky with a 3.5mm form factor, and detecting when something is plugged in is a hard problem that gets even harder when you shrink it.

> It's already kinda flaky with a 3.5mm form factor

No it's not.

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

#99

Post by deelowe » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:44 PM UTC

ju-st wrote: post #50

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 thickest feature on most phones is the camera

This needs to be higher. Take a phone a part and you'll see that the headphone jack isn't the constraint.

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

#100

Post by smt88 » Wed, Jun 22, 2016, 2:44 PM UTC

Let's assume for a minute that this isn't a naked attempt at making more money off of accessories.

The post-Jobs Apple (or maybe even Jobs himself) needs to learn that "less" is not always "simpler" and "combining it into one thing" is not always "simpler".

"Simple" also has to factor in history. If we had all spent decades using devices with a single port for power and audio, then this might make sense.

As far as ugly goes, the ports are pretty well-hidden on phones now. Slim? Not sure shaving 1mm off the phone is going to make as much difference as removing a major port.