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

fastcompany.com

191–200 of 741 posts

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

#191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Use another brand phone? It couldn't really be simpler, free market and all. Wireless things suck, I've never considered bluetooth for anything and I really, really hate my bluetooth keyboards. They have nice keys and petite builds, but I haven't used any of them for years now (one Apple, another also with great build). Can't be bothered for batteries, can't be bothered with bluetooth for different linux distros, des…

> They're not not noise, even if not perceived (microwaves for instance make me want to leap out of the room, it's like a screeching feeling.) I don't want to second-guess you, but that sounds more like a high-frequency sound from the microwave mechanism than anything directly caused by microwave radiation. Can you hear the "mosquito sound"? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKl_sTh0oHE

I mean, it could be, but I meant like a completely silent sound feeling, there is no sound (well, the microwave oven is noisy, but that bothers me as much as a blabbering TV, which is nearly not as much as this complete screeching silence.) To add to it, it gets 100x more bothersome if I'm within a foot of the oven, whereas being in the same room is still very upsetting and being just outside the doorstep feels more comfortable.

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

#192
post #2

Its sad to see the contortions my boyfriend makes to support his purchase of a headphone jack free android, despite his desire for high quality audio (he hates bluetooth with a passion). USB C to 3.5mm adapters are cheap, but break at the drop of a hat. His integrated speaker meanwhile has blown, and makes for terrible calls. Headphone jacks serve a useful purpose, most phones could still have them without compromisi…

If he desires high quality audio he should buy a separate DAC/Amp or a dedicated audio player. DACs in cell phones are mediocre at best and you can get better sound (and headphone jack support) elsewhere.

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

#193
An unrelated note: there seems to be lot of comments in this thread that are downvoted just because people disagree with them.

I would prefer a culture where comments that you agree with are upvoted, comments that you disagree on you offer an alternative point of view, and only comments that are completely deragatory to the quality of discussion are downvoted.

Thanks!

And yeah, I love my 3.5 mm jacks, sometimes tech matures to a point where it really does not need to change for centuries.

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

#194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can waterproof the dozen or so connections of the smaller USB-C, but not the three or four from the jack? Somehow Apple can't emulate something Sony and others have done for decades? I have more faith in Apple manufacturing ability.

Sorry, I thought the confidence in your original post meant that you worked for Apple and had insider information. Pardon my error.

I'm amazed how condescending you can be about such a simple and easily proven concept!

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

#195
post #19

Earlier 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.

It's as if the presence of the headphone jack offends them. Like, what significant negative does having a headphone jack have?

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

#196
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I just keep mine hooked up to my wired headphones. This works great, until... You leave the pair of headphones with the dongle behind by mistake and spend the rest of the day frustrated because you have access to a perfectly good pair of headphones but no the dongle. Or you stick to one primary pair of headphones and are frequently taking the dongle on and off making it even easier to misplace or leave behind.

If you’re constantly switching then it may be a good idea to buy another dongle.

If you have to switch between lightning and 3.5mm constantly, how in the world does buying another dongle help?

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

#197
post #141

Earlier 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.

This is almost certainly just a me thing, but just in case: I got some Bluetooth headphones that seemed to sound terrible wired, but it turned out to that the cable had to be pushed and rotated to lock into the headphones at that end. If you really mean atrocious atrocious (and especially if it’s Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT), this might be it?

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

#198

Earlier 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.

Well yes, it's technically courageous, in the sense that punching a random person on the street is courageous.

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

#199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that argument is justification works for removing any technology, whether superior or not. If you allow only one technology, it will be cheaper irrespective of whether the disallowed technology is better or not. This makes Apple’s decision worse. It’s an admission that wireless audio is an inferior technology, and that the only way for it to succeed is by removing the alternative, ans/or making it significantly w…

I think wireless headphones are a good thing, so making them cheaper is a good thing. As you can see in my original comment, I'm just saying this is my view, and I know many people see it otherwise.

I can see your point but I disagree that it's worth it. I think wireless would have gotten better even if we did not remove the headphone jack.

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

#200
post #15

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.

How does the microphone on the phone work then?
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