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I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

fastcompany.com

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Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#31

Post by paulcole »

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #25
sxg wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Removing the audio jack helped make the phone waterproof, which could be pretty vital. The decision is complicated because we're comparing the tangible loss of the audio jack against the intangible gain of a lower prevalence of water damage for iPhones.

Sony make perfectly waterproof devices with headphone jacks. It's a solved problem.

How do the internal components/manufacturing process compare between Sony devices and iPhones? I only ask because it seems like you’re an expert in this topic.

Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#32

Post by jamesrcole »

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #3

The blog ends with the best and most insightful comment: And no human’s life is measurably better since Apple had the “courage” to remove the 3.5 mm jack. But a lot of our lives are just a little worse. The author also points towards active de-standardisation between Android and iOS: "if only there was one universal audio port they both could use" Apple gets an advantage from this with their iron-grip on compatible p…

Personally, I detest wired headphones. I find they always get caught on things while I'm wearing them, and because of the neck problems I have that's a big issue for me (and as well as that, they'd always get tangled up in my bag, which was a bit of a hassle).

So I'm personally glad they've removed the headphone jack, because it will help push wireless into the mass market (and bring down prices) at a faster rate than it otherwise would have.

Now of course, there's lots of people who don't find it a positive like I do. My point is not that everyone should find the jack removal great, my point is that it's wrong to claim that it's a disadvantage for everyone.

On a separate note, people like to shit on Apple for that "courage" claim, but even if removing the jack was a bad decision, I think it's fair to call it a courageous one, because they knew well that they'd get a lot of shit for making that decision. Look at what gets said every time the headphone jack issue is brought up on HN.

Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#33

Post by nathanaldensr »

paulcole wrote: post #28
BLKNSLVR wrote: post #3

The blog ends with the best and most insightful comment: And no human’s life is measurably better since Apple had the “courage” to remove the 3.5 mm jack. But a lot of our lives are just a little worse. The author also points towards active de-standardisation between Android and iOS: "if only there was one universal audio port they both could use" Apple gets an advantage from this with their iron-grip on compatible p…

What about the people who sell Bluetooth headphones? I’d think of some of them are doing better? Or what about the people who worked on the AirPods? Or god forbid the people who like AirPods (or other Bluetooth headphones) more than any wired ones?

False dichotomy. The choice is not only between 3.5mm jacks and Bluetooth; there are thousands of models of devices that support and have supported both.

Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#34

Post by baobrain »

ngngngng wrote: post #26
Nerdfest wrote: post #7

After saying I'd never get a phone without a headphone jack until Bluetooth codecs improved, I ended up getting a Pixel2XL through "reward points". It's a great phone ... and I've "only" been needed a headphone jack a dozen or so times in the six months I've had it. Not for headphone, but for other audio input or output requirements. What an absolutely idiotic idea. I've started leaving those stupid dongles everywher…

The more I have my pixel 2 xl the more I miss the headphone jack. I lost the dongle long ago and have no idea where to buy a new one. Google doesn't seem to sell them and everywhere online says the don't even work.

A simple google search returns this as the first result:

https://store.google.com/us/product/usb_c_headphone_adapter?...

Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#35

Post by wickedOne »

apple ditched the floppy drive with the release of their g3 hardware, the ethernet port with the macbook air (and built in cd/dvd drive), before that they ditched the serial & parallel port, etc.

any of us still missing those?

needless to say that it kinda sucks when a new device forces you to buy new adapters / peripherals, but in the long run, is this really an issue?

Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#36

Post by baroffoos »

tanbog wrote: post #6
abtinf wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "if only there was one universal audio port they both could use" Bluetooth?

If I had a dollar for every time bluetooth failed between two devices...

Bluetooth has been better for me 80% of the time and then that last 20% is a huge pain where as AUX is consistently a little bit worse but it never totally lets you down.

Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#38

Post by 51Cards »

I've hung onto my first generation Pixel for largely this reason. There isn't a lot in the new models to entice me to switch however the loss of the 3.5mm port was the tipping point for me not to purchase either of the updates. I just put a new factory battery in my Pixel ($90 CAD) and it's back to like new again. At the moment I think I'll hold on to it for at least another year.

Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#39

Post by mh8h »

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #3

The blog ends with the best and most insightful comment: And no human’s life is measurably better since Apple had the “courage” to remove the 3.5 mm jack. But a lot of our lives are just a little worse. The author also points towards active de-standardisation between Android and iOS: "if only there was one universal audio port they both could use" Apple gets an advantage from this with their iron-grip on compatible p…

Removing the headphone jack makes the waterproofing easier and more effective.

Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back

#40

Post by CamperBob2 »

tonmoy wrote: post #15
jacknews wrote: post #12

I don't think I've ever used my phone headphone jack (still 3.5mm), but I will absolutely never buy a laptop without 3.5mm. The article is spot on, no-one is served by this change, except manufacturers.

Except people who don’t use headphones now don’t have to carry a heavier, bigger, power hungry power ADC everywhere they go.

An ADC weighs a fraction of a gram, costs next to nothing in volume, and consumes microamperes at most when not being used.

In fact, it may even be integrated on the SoC, meaning it's still present but with nothing to do. Would need to have a look at some teardown photos to be sure.

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