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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

#261

Post by snaky »

metafunctor wrote: post #239

Based on all the other comments here I'm probably in the minority, but I still think the author should just get some decent Bluetooth headphones. I have AirPods and Sennheiser Momentums. I'm looking forward to another year of my life when I don't need to untangle a mess of wires in my jacket pocket every day. Battery life is very good, and I haven't had any problems with running out of juice on these.

That's great, but that's not the point. The point is

> 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 headphone jack don't disable BT you know.

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

#262

Post by barbs »

dvcrn wrote: post #163

I 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.

You couldn't make the decision to try bluetooth headphones yourself??

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

#263

Post by buboard »

whiddershins wrote: post #47

Apple 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…

> pushing new standards in computer peripherals

agree about deprecation, but what are the standards that they pushed on to the rest of the industry? i m not knowledgeable on the matter

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

#264

Post by 0x38B »

marzell wrote: post #219
S_A_P wrote: post #17

100% 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…

For what it's worth, I use the USB-to-3.5mm dongle with my Pixel 2, and my earbuds with mic work great.

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

#265

Post by skgoa »

pookieinc wrote: post #213

We 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…

> they've alienated so many people to find their own path when they don't include the adapter.

My iPhone came with an adapter, though. I continue using the same headphones as I did with my old phone.

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

#266

Post by yellowapple »

jamesrcole wrote: post #214
xg15 wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree with you, I'd just question why that particular kind of courageousness is relevant to the discussion.

My point is that there isn't some different kind of courage that separates this from everyday notions of "courage". Many people mock the idea that removing the headphone jack required any courage.

No, we're mocking the idea that Apple would use "courage" as an excuse for stupidity while also pointing out that they go hand in hand. Yeah, a guy running up to a bear and punching it in the face is "courageous", but it should be no surprise when the bear gets sick of the guy's antics and decides that it's maul o'clock.

In this simile, the consumers are the bear, and Apple is the moron punching it.

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

#267

Post by skgoa »

astrostl wrote: post #179
PhasmaFelis wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's a pain in the ass to have to carry around another fiddly bit of tech gear which should have been completely unnecessary. Yeah, it's petty. But literally no one benefits from the absence of jack (or at least no user), so why inflict even a petty annoyance on some users with nothing gained for it?

I don’t use wired headphones, but I imagine that I would just leave the adapter on them 24/7?

Correct. It really isn't a big deal.

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

#268

Post by nickm12 »

whiddershins wrote: post #47

Apple 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…

> Additionally, the audio industry has a different obsolescence timeline than computer equipment

This I have studio headphones I bought in 1995 that I still use nearly daily (albeit not with my phone). I've replaced the earpads on them at least 5 times.

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

#269

Post by jackjeff »

asdff wrote: post #130
wickedOne wrote: post #35

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?

The blutooth headphone is a different device than a regular headphone. They have worse sound quality, which might not be so noticable, but they also have to pair and the wireless connection isn't reliable. The headphones are also another device that needs to be charged and has a battery, and in the case of the AirPods, the battery is in bad shape after a year and the device must be replaced. In the case of the ports…

I use my AirPods a lot (like 1h to 2h daily for commuting and chores) and after one and a half year, I have no battery issues. I don’t recall depleting the battery ever.

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

#270

Post by jamesrcole »

yellowapple wrote: post #266
jamesrcole wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My point is that there isn't some different kind of courage that separates this from everyday notions of "courage". Many people mock the idea that removing the headphone jack required any courage.

No, we're mocking the idea that Apple would use "courage" as an excuse for stupidity while also pointing out that they go hand in hand. Yeah, a guy running up to a bear and punching it in the face is "courageous", but it should be no surprise when the bear gets sick of the guy's antics and decides that it's maul o'clock. In this simile, the consumers are the bear, and Apple is the moron punching it.

Say they're stupid all you like, but whether something is "courageous" and whether something is "stupid" are completely separate issues.
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