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The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

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Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#271

Post by dogma1138 »

sigmar wrote: post #215
dogma1138 wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The size of it plus the spec has lanes for analog audio. Wait for a tear down but it isn't a DAC.

Isn't it the exact same size as the lightning earpods though? The spec does has analog audio, but I've yet to see it used (by apple or a third party)

I have doubts that the EarPods are digital also it's not stated anywhere. Some of the lightning docks had some circuitry in them but no DACs. The lightning to 30pin converter works with older DAC-less audio setups/docks.

Overall my hunch is that it's not digital only yet.

Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#272

Post by zepto »

aikah wrote: post #43
zepto wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true. The os switches off the analog jack when the internal speaker is used or when sound is routed to a Bluetooth headphone or speaker. Clearly the OS can deny an analog jack.

my point is, an os can check whether an analog jack is authorized to work or not, an analog jack is an analog jack. On the other hand, a DRM system can be implemented with any digital accessory.

Also not true - there is no reason they couldn't implement a digital handshake over 3.5mm jacks to identity approved devices. It's just wires.

Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#273

Post by c22 »

stinkytaco wrote: post #85
wfo wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has been very good at predicting (or perhaps directly causing) the demise of certain technologies: the disk drive, the CD drive, the ethernet port. They removed them much to the chagrin of many a loyal customer, and a few years later they nearly ceased to exist across the entire industry (we're still waiting on the ethernet port to go away but give it time). How many times will it take you forgetting your dongl…

Floppy disks, optical disks, ethernet were all replaced by unencumbered standards and they all lead to a superior experience (well, maybe not ethernet, but there are definitly advantages to wireless). If you're old enough to have used a floppy disk drive you do not miss them. Any time you introduce two way communication, you introduce the possibility of DRM, but that does not guarantee it. I can still use my HDMI wit…

I don't miss the slowness, low capacity, or durability of floppy disks but they had features I do miss, like:

Physical write protect switches

Large space for writing a label

Small enough to fit in your pocket but large enough not to get lost from your pocket

Cheap enough not to care about

Disk could be ejected but still sitting in the drive not sticking out far enough to be a bother

Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#274

Post by zepto »

Elrac wrote: post #54
zepto wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also not true - the analog jack is bidirectional, so there is no reason that devices should not be required to handshake when plugged in.

I believe you're wrong about that. A headphone socket can report whether there's a jack plugged in or not - that one bit of information is the total extent of traffic in the reverse direction. There is no electronic standard for back talk from analog audio devices, and it would be pointless for Apple to try, because no analog device currently on the market would comply with it.

I'm not wrong. Apple could implement a new standard for handshaking. Only approved devices would implement it or identify themselves correctly. Current analog devices would be treated exactly as they will be using the adapter shipped with the iPhone 7.

Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#275

Post by jshevek »

zepto wrote: post #270
jshevek wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple has already publicly stated this is not about DRM I'm not sure why anyone considers this relevant. It is not like apple is signing a contract which would allow us to sue them if they "change their minds".

If we ignore what they say, we can make up any conspiracy theory we like about them. Fun!

I'm not sure why you would want to make up conspiracy theories, but if you are considering whether a theory (conspiracy or otherwise) may be true, the non-actionable claims made by a marketing savvy company should not have any weight in your evaluation of that theory.

Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#276

Post by jshevek »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #266
jshevek wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple has already publicly stated this is not about DRM I'm not sure why anyone considers this relevant. It is not like apple is signing a contract which would allow us to sue them if they "change their minds".

Not only has Apple stated this isn't about DRM but throughout their recent history they've tended to back up their anti-DRM stance be getting the music labels to drop it at a time when that was pretty controversial. Any statement from them should hold some weight considering this whole debate is a conspiracy theory at best.

> Any statement from them should hold some weight considering this whole debate is a conspiracy theory at best.

Those are two separate issues. Whether or not the "whole debate is conspiracy theory at best" has no bearing on whether a statement like this from apple should hold any weight. Apple's claim may or may not be true, but we should look to other sources of evidence to evaluate this, and completely disregard 'because apple said so'.

Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#277

Post by blacksmith_tb »

anexprogrammer wrote: post #110
agentgt wrote: post #34

> Besides, with only Apple earbuds currently supporting the Lightning audio connection, the only way to connect an iPhone 7 to a recording or mixing device will be over the suboptimal Bluetooth connection or a dongle provided by Apple. If you are recording stuff from your iPhone using the 3.5mm jack you are already suboptimal perhaps even to the bluetooth. For one you are going through the iPhone DAC (luckily the iph…

There was the Arcam rDock and drDock (sadly discontinued) with Burr-Brown DACS. It carried a disctintly audiophile price mind you. I know there's a few others out there.

Apple makes a Lightning to USB Camera dongle which should be able to drive an external usb DAC (app-dependent I expect, though). I assume that iOS could take away the ability to do that, however.

Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#279

Post by djrogers »

dTal wrote: post #183
stinkytaco wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Floppy disks, optical disks, ethernet were all replaced by unencumbered standards and they all lead to a superior experience (well, maybe not ethernet, but there are definitly advantages to wireless). If you're old enough to have used a floppy disk drive you do not miss them. Any time you introduce two way communication, you introduce the possibility of DRM, but that does not guarantee it. I can still use my HDMI wit…

>If you're old enough to have used a floppy disk drive you do not miss them. I am, and I do. Floppies were ubiquitous, durable, reusable, and cheap enough to give away. There's no replacement today - flash drives are the closest thing but when was the last time someone handed you one with no expectation of getting it back? Or bought a box of 50? Sneakernet became much less vibrant with the death of the floppy.

Floppies were NOT durable, and I just bought a box of 10 8GB USB sticks for under $20 - that's similar to the cost of the 1.44MB floppies we used to buy.

Re: The End of Headphone Jacks, the Rise of DRM

#280

Post by bitwize »

cmdrfred wrote: post #137
bitwize wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When Apple removed the floppy drive, CD drive, and ports older than USB, everyone else followed. What do you think is going to happen to Android phones' headphone jacks?

While my laptop doesn't have a floppy drive anymore. It does have a DVD drive and USB ports. Who is this 'everyone'?

"ports older than USB" meant serial and, later, ethernet.

My new-issue Dell work laptop lacks an optical drive and Ethernet. My dad just bought an even beefier Dell laptop and the first thing he asked was "where's the DVD drive?" Dell offered to send him a free external USB optical drive, but told him that internal optical drives were simply not an option on that make of laptop.

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