I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back • Hacker News Board

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

#541

Post by mattmg83 » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:08 PM UTC

jamesrcole wrote: post #32

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 tha…

As a frequent long flight traveler I have range anxiety on my wireless headphones. I like the 3.5mm jack guarantees me one less device or peripheral to worry about, it just works (even if the noise cancellation may stop working when the battery dies, sound still goes through)

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

#542

Post by Chris_Chambers » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:09 PM UTC

Who should we blame when the pair of headphones we buy off Amazon winds up being a counterfeit with some sort of zero day exploit and malware payload that gets injected into our phones because the headphones have a full USB connection instead of a simple implicitly sandboxed audio stream?

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

#543

Post by mikewhy » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC

dwighttk wrote: post #466

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is why, I'm assuming, the author added the last bit, which sounds like it covers your exact experience: every time I have had to use wired earphones since have been worse than if I had my AirPods on me

I’m simply countering the absurd blanket statement “...no human’s life is measurably better...” Mine is. The statement is false.

But airpods could have still been developed in a 3.5mm world.

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

#544

Post by scarface74 » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC

_archon_ wrote: post #530

scarface74 wrote: post #503

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple removed the CD drive when it was still popular.

This was done with a replacement on hand which was more functional, more reliable, and easier to use. BT is not any of these things.

AirPods are more functional, just as reliable, and are just as easy to use.

Admittedly, far more expensive. But wired headphones come with iPhones

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

#545

Post by mikewhy » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:12 PM UTC

grecy wrote: post #60

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…

> 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. Eh, you could have said the same thing when they removed serial ports, 3.5" floppy drives, CD drives, etc. etc. etc. Yes, the world is moving forward. Yes, it's a little inconvenient.

So why do their new computer models from this year have the 3.5mm jack?

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

#546

Post by tjoff » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:19 PM UTC

yoz-y wrote: post #535

tjoff wrote: post #511

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For one very niche use-case. No wireless technology is a replacement for the headphone jack. It will probably be decades before we have anything decent (though I'm not hopeful).

It's not really niche. The GP's problem is solved because pairing effectively becomes "put these two things close together and open the box".

If it only works on one device it is pretty niche and hardly a replacement for the headphone jack...

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

#547

Post by novaRom » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:20 PM UTC

wish5031 wrote: post #272

skgoa wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

anecdotally, the adapter Apple provided me broke after about three weeks, and it seems like most of my family/friends are in similar situations

Most of Apple original cables are getting broken pretty much quickly. This is my experience. Why is that?

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

#548

Post by nathan_long » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:21 PM UTC

fouc wrote: post #506

TeMPOraL wrote: post #488

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can understand and feel your fathers frustration trying to use wireless headphones, on the other side if they never ever get rid of the headphone jack then users are going to end up never getting trained on how to use wireless headphones. But why do you want to get rid of the headphone jack? For iPhone, this is a direct downgrade, loss of very useful functionality. That's why people are complaining; while compani…

> But why Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward.

> Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward.

And sometimes you have to take a step back because someone pushes you.

I'm old enough to remember getting a cordless home phone. Being able to walk around the house and talk instead of sitting by the phone jack was awesome. And there was very little downside, because whenever you weren't using the phone, you put it on the cradle and it was charging.

Ethernet to WiFi was similarly good. I like that I can sit anywhere in or near my house and use the internet. There's not much downside.

But headphones? If I'm listening to a podcast on my phone, I'm going to have my phone on me. I'm not going to walk away from it because then I couldn't control the playback.

A wireless connection to something I'm going to be touching while I use it anyway doesn't do anything for me. I get zero freedom of movement from that. It just means another thing to configure, another thing to charge, another way things can be incompatible or fail.

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

#549

Post by dangerface » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:22 PM UTC

jamesrcole wrote: post #372

Tade0 wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that's has been the case for years now - well before this change. What I'm saying is that I don't see any change that could be attributed specifically to the trend of removing headphone jacks from phones.

Reasons for saying it has an impact. 1) Prices have noticeably come down since they've been removed. This in itself is not proof, but at the same time, what is your proof that these phones have nothing to do with it? 2) Removing the headphone jack has given greater impetus for manufacturers to produce wireless headphones, and to produce lower-end models. More volume, more competition. 3) Removing the headphone jack h…

1) I bought a pair of bluetooth headphones from china about three years ago for $20, the price hasn't dropped.

2) Aliexpress has nearly 100k results for bluetooth headphones there has always been plenty of competition, they are still shit. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=S...

3) I agree with this more people have spent alot of money on bluetooth headphones that don't work, how is this a benefit to anyone but the corporations that profit from it?

As you said yourself you can get bluetooth headphones for $20, but you wouldn't because they are shit. We don't need lower prices we need better value headphones, removing the headphone jack has done nothing to help this.

There where cheap and shitty, wired and wireless headphones before they removed the headphone jack, there are cheap and shitty wired and wireless headphones after, the market is not better off and the customers are especially not better off.

Edit- AirPods are the first decent bluetooth headphones, they are the competition not the lack of a jack. Look at that aliexpress link its not even a competition they are just copying the style and shoving the same shitty gear inside.

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

#550

Post by jamesrcole » Tue, Nov 27, 2018, 2:24 PM UTC

dangerface wrote: post #540

jamesrcole wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 tha…

> it will help push wireless into the mass market They are already in the mass market the problem is they suck. I have tried a bunch of cheap Chinese bluetooth headphones that cost from $20-$60 they all sound like $5 wired headphones have about 2 hours battery life and break after a month. I have tried bluetooth head phones that where $200 beats by drea they worked as well as the Chinese headphones they just cost 10…

> They are already in the mass market

...and the headphone jack was removed several years ago, so what's your point?

What I'm saying is that it's makes the prices go down. That means better quality ones will get cheaper.

The bluetooth headphones I use are fine. I've heard most people say that AirPods are great.

> Removing the headphone jack has forced people to spend a lot of money

How is it forcing anything on anyone? One, you don't have to buy the phone, and two, you can use the supplied lightning-adapter headphones, or use an adaptor.