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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

#161

Post by usaphp »

electic wrote: post #74
new299 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or you could use standard bluetooth headphones?

Again, the quality is low on those and pairing is an issue. As said, they could have worked with the industry on that however they went with their own proprietary chip and protocol.

What makes you think that a quality of Bluetooth headphones is low? Bluetooth channel has more than enough to bandwidth to pass indistinguishable quality audio. And as for pairing issues, I noticed that issue is not in Bluetooth but in poor chips manufacturers use in their cheap products.

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

#163

Post by TheGRS »

michrassena wrote: post #138

The discussion seems to be easily diverted into one about audio, but I think something that I've not seen in discussion about this issue is the way some app makers have used the analog audio port as a data jack. I've long had the impression this was a workaround that was begrudgingly tolerated by Apple. Though we've all heard about how heavy-handed their app store policies are, so maybe I'm imagining things. But anyw…

Yea the one that comes to mind for me would be the card swiper by Square and other companies. That thing is amazing for small businesses, especially mobile food carts. I'm starting to see many are moving over to the card reader however, which I'm not sure if that is lightning-based or not.

Anyway, I think that is a great point. Smart phones need a good serial port for 3rd-party hardware. USB would work, but everyone uses a different standard. Is the lightning port any easier or more difficult to work with? I imagine there's some sort of cost to using a proprietary port like that as well.

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

#164

Post by k-mcgrady »

exabrial wrote: post #106

Other people getting screwed: Custom IEM wearers. I had a $300 set of Alclair Audio IEMs made so I can use an in-ear audio system on stage while making live music. These use impressions that an audiologist takes of your ear canals for an _exact_ fit that completely seals your ear. There's not a snow-balls chance in hell I would have these be wireless, or a proprietary standard: 1) Latency. Anything over 2ms is not ac…

>> "3) Removing the 3.5mm pretty much means Apple is exiting professional audio because it's now incompatible with 100% of everything."

They removed it from the phone, nothing else. In what scenario are you using an iPhone with custom IEM's in a professional audio setting?

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

#165

Post by rayiner »

HeadphoneJackGate is really a damning indictment of the tech industry. The usability of Apple products for ordinary people has been sliding downhill for years due to trendy-but-idiotic features like hidden UI, flat UI, and gestures (and various abominations combining the three). But the lack of a headphone jack (a total non-issue thanks to the included adapter) is what the tech press gets worked up over...

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

#166

Post by danielhooper »

mxfh wrote: post #72
sigmar wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>why is that any different than the OS influencing what gets sent to the 3.5mm jack? Their issue seems to be that it is not analog. The lightening port and bluetooth connection are two-way data connections, and the phone will be able to identify what is attached (rather than just outputing an analog signal). Here's the quotes that make that clear- > But intentionally or not, by removing the analog port, Apple is givi…

So exclusive releases for specific hardware IDs are feasible. A not so far fetched Scenario extending on the exclusive iTunes release practice: Popular new Artist - New Album: Listen before everyone else exclusively on beats

Sounds unlikely seeings as they already have Apple music as an exclusive distribution channel to Apple customers.

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

#167

Post by drewbug »

Yetanfou wrote: post #105

That Apple wants their users to only use 'approved' peripherals with their stuff (i.e. only those from which they get a share of the profits) under the guise of 'user experience' and 'convenience' does not mean the rest of the world will suddenly give up on their analogue headphones. Apple users will be able to buy dongles (which have to be Apple-approved, so Apple will still get their share of the profits leading to…

Are we sure ears aren't digital?

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

#168

Post by dogma1138 »

sigmar wrote: post #152
azinman2 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So use the dongle?

The dongle: probably has a poor quality DAC, gets lost easily, and prevents the phone from being charged or tethered to a computer.

The dongle is a passive converter the lightning interface has a pinout for analog audio.

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

#169

Post by citruspi »

stonogo wrote: post #157
mbrd wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you're joking, and I'm not agreeing with the headphone jack decision, but the dongle is $9. http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMX62AM/A/lightning-to-35-...

I have four android phones. None of them cost me a dime. They all have headphone jacks.

> None of them cost me a dime

How so? If they were through carriers, you probably still paid for part of it through your monthly bill, and part of it was subsidized by your carrier.

Either way cmdrfred's

> An Android phone costs less than the dongle.

is incorrect. Most people are paying for their phones in some way, whether Android or iOS, whether directly or via their carrier, and the dongle is free with the phone.

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

#170

Post by [deleted] »

exabrial wrote: post #106

Other people getting screwed: Custom IEM wearers. I had a $300 set of Alclair Audio IEMs made so I can use an in-ear audio system on stage while making live music. These use impressions that an audiologist takes of your ear canals for an _exact_ fit that completely seals your ear. There's not a snow-balls chance in hell I would have these be wireless, or a proprietary standard: 1) Latency. Anything over 2ms is not ac…

[deleted]
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