Why not instead use the 3.5mm standard for serial port and charging capability as well? now that would make a lot of people happy
I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
251–260 of 741 posts
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#252Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am happy to discuss with anyone who downvotes as to why they disagree with me. My comment may be tangental but is completely relevant to the discussion and reinforces points made in the article.
There's a few people on HN who seem to have a weirdly emotional affection for the iPhone's lack-of-headphone-jack. One guy argued that it was all worth it because it reduces dust infiltration, another because it makes it more water-resistant. (Yeah.) I can see why someone who's never used wired earbuds wouldn't care one way or another, but I really don't understand this sort of attachment.
> another because it makes it more water-resistant.
This, at least, doesn't hold at all. My last flip-phone [0] was water-resistant and still had a headphone jack - it just had a rubber cover you had to pull up to reveal it. The charging port was also protected by the same cover.
[0] https://www.cnet.com/reviews/samsung-rugby-sgh-a837-review/
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#253Apple has had great success in the past by pushing new standards in computer peripherals, deprecating old standards, and generally moving the industry forward by fiat. I think we've all benefitted somewhat from this attitude, even if it was inconvenient. The distinction here is that the 3.5mm standard isn't/wasn't a computer peripheral standard. It is/was an audio industry standard. There are many uses for 3.5mm that…
The $15 adapter is most likely of similar quality as the DAC and other audio components in the phone, so I don’t see the point. (Also, most people I know with $1000 headphones use an external audiophile-grade DAC anyway.)
exactly, like what other phones provide. for example, the lg v series phones.
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#254I don't miss the headphone jack a bit. Apple forced me into trying bluetooth headphones and so far I've not looked back. For cases when I want a cabled connection after all (like in airplanes), I just use the adapter. I had it a few times in the past that I used cabled headphones, ripped on the cable and smacked my phone on the floor by accident.
Personally, the one time where the lack of a headphone jack is especially annoying is an airplane, especially the planes that only have "person device entertainment". You can't charge the phone and listen to the movie at the same time.
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#255Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a pair of Bluetooth headphones that can actually go both ways. It has a wired and wireless mode. The wireless mode is great for exercise and chores, but if I forget to charge them I can still use them.
Is the quality of sound still the same in the wired mode? I have one like this, but the quality of sound in the wired mode is too atrocious to even think of it as an option. So while it ticks a "feature" on the box, it is, for all practical purposes, simply a bluetooth headphone. Not sure, but it appears that the bypass around the amplifier (which requires power) is just not designed right.
The normal behaviour for Bluetooth headphones is that they have a better sound quality while wired. There must be something wrong with your phone/cable/headphones.
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#256We need to take into account _Accessibility_. A large use case that I've found most people seems to miss are individuals who are older and don't have much experience with bluetooth or wireless technology. I'm fine with Apple removing the headphone jack, but they've alienated so many people to find their own path when they don't include the adapter. Anecdotal example: I recently purchased headphones for my 65-year old…
maybe an industry standard that works like AirPods pairing?
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#257Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just finished Snow Crash! It's really good; as I was reading it I would stop and check the date it was authored. It holds up very well.
Snow Crash is great. I actually just finished Zodiac yesterday and only realized after the fact that it's 30 years old. I'm starting Seveneves now, and it's already blowing my mind.
I've been meaning to read a number of different things, many from friends I've convinced to jot down in my reading suggestions spreadsheet.
It took a new local library opening up, and a holiday, for me to finally get to Snow Crash. I suspect I might be reading a few more of his works very soon.
I don't think I've read any of the others, though I may have started Seveneves at some point, but I did read "The rise and fall of D.O.D.O." (just before Snow Crash in fact!) which I highly highly recommend as well.
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#258Earlier quoted context omitted.
i guess my point is that i don’t see how that follows. if bluetooth headphones are so great compared to wired headphones, then wasn’t that incentive and market already there? in fact, it just shows the truth, in that apple just wants to be able to sell more and more dongles and bluetooth headphones, so they force this onto their users.
You say you don't see how it follows, yet you yourself say it will cause more wireless headphones to be sold. And if it causes Apple to sell more wireless headphones, then it will also cause other manufacturers to sell more wireless headphones. Greater volume of sales will bring down the price of wireless headphones. > in fact, it just shows the truth, in that apple just wants to be able to sell more and more dongles…
"The idea that this is simply a cheap cash-grab sounds like a conspiracy theory to me."
Conspiracy theories are sometimes true.
In this case, vendor lock-in is Apple's bread and butter, and it doesn't take any mental gymnastics at all to recognize that removing a standard and universal port without any actually good reason fits that pattern remarkably well.
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#259100% agree with this. Its pretty interesting that I almost never use headphones anymore now because bluetooth headphones require a few things: 1) preplanning/foresight in charging the headphones 2) refer to number 1. I have 2 really nice pairs of bluetooth headphones, and almost NEVER use them. Guess what pair gets used almost daily? my 15 year old beyerdynamic DT770s. 3.5mm or ¼" plug, closed back. Not really the mo…
I also still use my DT770s as my daily headphones when I'm at my computer. I wish I had bought the Pro version way back when, as I believe it has detachable cables, and also higher resistance... it's difficult to modulate the volume on my desktop, as even 4-6% can be loud enough in some circumstances and there's not a lot of room for fine control at that level. In any case, I have had mine around the same length of t…
Just as an FYI you can buy adapters that increase impedance on your headphones very cheaply on eBay. If you are looking to change sensitivity without changing impedance (which has some effects on sound signature), iFi makes the “Ear Buddy” and “iEMatch” products that are a bit more expensive, but do what they claim on the tin.
Re: I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back
#260Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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. Doing something you know will be unpopular is not automatically "courageous". Sometimes it's just stupid. I'm sure you can think of plenty of examples.
Even if it was stupid, that doesn't stop something from being courageous.
What stops it from being courageous isn't that it's stupid, but that "taking a lot of shit" isn't inherently dangerous. Apple's a behemoth with a captive audience, and their past history taught them that they could push I/O changes on their customers with little risk. Little risk = no courage needed.