This whole debacle isn't just limited to the iPhone though.
It will have repercussions everywhere when others decide to drop support.
This is not at all comparable.
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Buzzfeed: Inside iPhone 7: Why Apple Killed The Headphone Jack
- Thread starter Jeffrey
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It will have repercussions everywhere when others decide to drop support.
That's a good question and a real concern.
There are no USB-C chipsets (in 2016) currently able to perform the functions of Lightning (which was released in 2012). HDMI-out over USB-C was just standardized this week (and requires new, non-extant hardware). USB-C itself was created largely as a response to the benefits of Lightning over mini/micro-USB-A/B.
The AirPods use Bluetooth. They can be used with non-Apple devices. Non-Apple Bluetooth headphones can also be used with the iPhone 7. FWIW, the AirPods are actually competitively priced compared to the wireless earbud competition (and have significantly more compelling features than said competition).
As noted previously, Square moved to Bluetooth connectivity over a year ago. The headphone-jack based reader is a legacy device that only works with older credit cards.
Never let facts get in the way of incredulous complaining.
Kung Fu Jedi
Member
Why is everyone saying they're going to lose the dongle? You're already carrying around your headphones presumably. Snap the dongle into place on the end of the plug and leave it there. As long as you don't lose your headphones, you should be fine, right?
I'm amazed at the number of threads being made on this subject. I know people are upset, but there have been an insane number of threads made over the past couple of weeks, even before the decision was officially announced. Bottom line is, if this isn't something you can find a way to live with, move on to another phone. But be aware, at least some Android phones are sure to follow suit. This is probably a trend that is going to gain traction, and we'll all have to deal with in some way sooner or later.
I'm amazed at the number of threads being made on this subject. I know people are upset, but there have been an insane number of threads made over the past couple of weeks, even before the decision was officially announced. Bottom line is, if this isn't something you can find a way to live with, move on to another phone. But be aware, at least some Android phones are sure to follow suit. This is probably a trend that is going to gain traction, and we'll all have to deal with in some way sooner or later.
The port space.
Uno Venova
Banned
People have created a negative for a small accessory that's mostly dependent on their own responsibility.
Mammoth Jones
Member
The quality of Bluetooth is good to me. But probably sounds like dogshit to anyone with a trained ear.
Not to mention various connection issues.
This is the first time I've ever encountered it, as I typically don't participate in threads involving developments with Apple (because I usually don't care). But I have to say, Apple loyalists take corporate shilling to levels I honestly didn't think were possible.
I have an embarrassing number of mid-range headphones which I used to rotate for portable use, but they've been collecting dust ever since I picked up the Bose QC35s. Audio quality is passable, if I were to be picky about it, but the sheer convenience of wireless is liberating and is more than worth the slight hit in audio quality.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
The issue is a lot of us have multiple headphones that we use with our phones currently, so we'd have to buy and keep track of multiple dongles, or hassle with keeping one dongle with us at all times etc. Myself I have headphones in: my office at work, my briefcase, my car (for use at gym or when out and about without my briefcase) and two at home (earbuds for running, nicer headphones for regular use).
Listening while charging is an issue too, as I do that pretty often at work as my phone needs a mid day charge pretty regularly (especially since Pokemon Go).
Even with that said, I'm not opposed to standards moving away from the 3.5mm jack. But it needs to be an industry wide standard so I can just buy new headphones that work with every new gadget I buy and not have to hassle with adapters for proprietary plugs like Lightning cables. I also just have zero interest in wireless headphones as I'm utterly fed up with how many gadgets I have to fuss with keeping charged as is. If anything I'd like to downsize those rather than add more to the mix.
So I'll just stick with my 6s despite being on the Apple Upgrade plan, and when it gets to a point of needing replaced as it's too slow on/can't update to whatever new iOS version I'll reassess then. I'm really at the point of realizing I don't need flagship phones since I use my iPad the vast majority of the time, so I'd likely just buy an older and cheaper phone at that point rather than dropping so munch on an iPhone or Galaxy or whatnot.
AirPods are so clever.
iPhones are in your pocket so noone can see you have an Apple, but now you wear the branding on your face.
Then they are earplugs without any tether, so if one drops out of your ear while on a bicycle you lose it and need to pay $150 for new ones.
It's ridiculously expensive advertisement people actually pay to wear around.
Brilliant!
$$$$
iPhones are in your pocket so noone can see you have an Apple, but now you wear the branding on your face.
Then they are earplugs without any tether, so if one drops out of your ear while on a bicycle you lose it and need to pay $150 for new ones.
It's ridiculously expensive advertisement people actually pay to wear around.
Brilliant!
$$$$
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
Why are people wishing for this to flop? Just because of the headphone jack? It brings so many new features. It doesn't deserve to flop at the slightest. Waterproof, super fast, new awesome color... I mean come on.
Are the headphones compatible with existing (and competing) phone products?
It's the same phone, faster, a bit more water resistant... and with a major feature removed. 7 is a terrible value proposition even compared to the 6s, which was excellent.
Why would one want to? If you're that deep into apple to buy their crappy headphones at 160$ there is no need to consider other devices.
TimFL
Member
You can use the AirPods with other bluetooth enabled devices according to their website.
the point is that there is other stuff there (haptic system, ISP, battery, etc)
camera and screen are significantly better. between those two improvements, IPx7 water resistance and the normal speed improvements we've come to expect, it's actually probably a better value upgrade than the 6s was.
The past is alive and well literally everywhere. It's the worst argument. "Ancient" technology literally in use everywhere. And what exactly is ancient about it? Apple isn't only packing an adaptor, but another pair of wired headphones. So if the wire isn't what is ancient, is it just the damn port itself that no one knows exactly what it improves at all?
It's ridiculous marketing spin, and the fact people defend it is mind boggling. But it's par for the course for Apple fans.
When the iPhone 5 came out they had some stupid ad where they claimed small screens were superior design, with Apple die hards rejoicing. Then they release the 6 and 6 plus, the best selling iPhones ever
It's a company whose nearly entire profit comes from this single product. They have fucking everything to lose.
Do they still make these?
If I'm jumping ship I'd still want a device to use all my purchased games and apps on
Yes. Currently has an iPhone 6-class A8 CPU.
Also, I bet the iPad keeps the 3.5mm for a bit longer, since it's not as space constrained.
D
Deleted member 12837
Unconfirmed Member
Can someone explain why the adapter is such an inconvenience to use? I'm not talking about the "not being able to charge while listening" argument, since that's separate.
It comes with the phone for free, costs $9 to replace, and is basically just a 2-3 inch extension to your headphone cable.
What am I missing?
It comes with the phone for free, costs $9 to replace, and is basically just a 2-3 inch extension to your headphone cable.
What am I missing?
Al-ibn Kermit
Junior Member
I don't care about sound quality. I just hate the fact that you would have to juggle multiple sets of headphones for different proprietary ports.
For instance take my gf who needs a new laptop and wants a new phone too. Her top choices were macbook and iPhone but then the lightning headphones won't work with her Apple laptop...that's so fucked up since it means you either have to carry around a dongle or pay as much as a Surface Pro keyboard for something you have to worry about keeping charged.
Bluetooth is fine for pairing with your car but this level of proprietary bullshit is crazy. I know their philosophy is to minimize the number of cables and clutter in your life but now you have to carry around a headphone charger or a dongle. I'm not seeing any benefit to the consumer.
For instance take my gf who needs a new laptop and wants a new phone too. Her top choices were macbook and iPhone but then the lightning headphones won't work with her Apple laptop...that's so fucked up since it means you either have to carry around a dongle or pay as much as a Surface Pro keyboard for something you have to worry about keeping charged.
Bluetooth is fine for pairing with your car but this level of proprietary bullshit is crazy. I know their philosophy is to minimize the number of cables and clutter in your life but now you have to carry around a headphone charger or a dongle. I'm not seeing any benefit to the consumer.
If they really want the iPad to be able to replace a laptop or desktop, then they better keep that jack.
are you being sarcastic
The part where people dislike dongles and find them an annoying 'solution' for the most part. Aesthetically terrible, and a royal pain to use especially when people feel they are enduring that for no reason.
If people didnt take additional peripherals into account when buying these devices then no one would ever care about battery life because you can always just attach some battery extender to the end of your phone right?
Marty Chinn
Member
The annoyance of when it's not around and you want to plug something in.
faceless007
Member
Personally, I'm skeptical that the adapter and lightning port are robust enough to withstand the abuse and frequency of connects/disconnects that headphone jacks typically endure. I might plug and unplug my headphones several times a day, the plug might be experiencing force at a weird angle when I stuff my phone in my pocket, if I drop my phone I can count on the headphone plug separating cleanly and not damaging the jack because the cord has good strain relief. By contrast, Apple cords have always had pathetic strain relief and been prone to fraying (go look at the reviews for Macbook power adapters; my own 2013 charger has been fraying on both ends and it just sits on my desk all damn day), and this adapter is going to have to take far more abuse than any of their other adapters. That plus the thinness of the lightning plug and the fragility of the port itself makes me highly doubt these adapters will last that long. I also suspect that's why their priced so low (relative to other Apple cables) -- they know it's going to be frequently replaced.
Somewhat ironically, the two aspects of the headphone jack that Apple disliked the most -- its thickness and the fact that it's rotatable, which helps with strain relief -- are the things that made it one of the most robust and durable plugs ever.
The durability of the lightning port is my concern as well, due to those scenarios you mention. I fear having to loss data on the phone due to not being able to connect/charge the phone anymore. This is something I'm going to be monitoring closely as my wife did pre-order one to replace the 6+ she has (after returned the Note 7 for the battery issue).
The best way to describe it is to use an example.
I have a cheep Chinese tablet I use for school. It has no full USB plug so it requires a OTG dongle to connect to be able to use usb stuff on it. Its an annoying solution to a problem that probably doesn't need to exist. Its something like that.
To be clearer, if apple just made an attachment to the bottom to allow for bot charging and music on the go (not the bulky dock, but like just a normal clip-on type thing that fits to the bottom of your respective model) then i'd probably still call it dumb, unnecessary and poor design, but i wouldn't give it nearly as much shit as I do now...
for the most part, this is apple making the use of standard headphones more annoying and a slight hassle to use when there doesn't need to be one. Literal forced obsolescence. And that's freaking annoying and scary.
Zombie James
Banned
Well, a lot of it has to do with what you've just described. It costs $9 to replace something that could be easily lost and easily broken (from what I hear about Lightening connector reliability) for a feature that used to be built-in and you never had to worry about.
thedrizzle34
Member
Yup you totally can! And they expect that. I dont see this as Apple/Jobs worship as much as identifying that Apple has always been like this, even at the height of the "good old days when they innovated" that people tend to yearn for in their hot takes every year.
The BuzzFeed article title should have been "Outside the iPhone 7", amirite?
I expect Chinese accessory makes to make this kind of "bottom extensions" pretty quickly... as long as lighting audio-out doesn`t require Apple-licensed authorization chips, that is.
I expect Chinese accessory makes to make this kind of "bottom extensions" pretty quickly... as long as lighting audio-out doesn`t require Apple-licensed authorization chips, that is.
In terms of Apple products, I want the 7 to flop and the 6S/SE sales to soar, just to send Apple and all other phone manufacturers a message.
AHA-Lambda
Member
Oh god this schtick again, proclaiming Apple as humanity's vanguard for progress and all that claptrap
You were doing the same thing in another thread yesterday and everyone found it creepy. I swear you're fishing for a tag
fabricated backlash
Member
Only Apple can pull off selling the regression to using adaptors as a feature.
The messiah complex of these blowhards is just amazing,
The messiah complex of these blowhards is just amazing,
Googly Eyes Dog
Banned
I'm shocked that people here actually are defending Apple on this one... at some point you need to just take a step back from the fanboyism and appreciate how greedy and fucked up this situation is.
D
Deleted member 12837
Unconfirmed Member
A couple of inches of extra cord is aesthetically terrible? And you're comparing an external battery to that? Come on, dude...
It seems like people visualize it as a thing dangling out from the phone, which makes them cringe I guess, instead of just an extension to the headphone cable.
Just leave it attached to your headphones?
Maybe that's the disconnect for me. I consider $9 insanely cheap as a cost of replacement. I don't think it's really easily lost -- just leave it attached to a pair of headphones.
I've also never had cable reliability issues but I'm aware that might make me an outlier.
thedrizzle34
Member
I'm glad that Apple has a specific view on what they think is compelling, and are willing to test the market with their time and resources to show it. They're out there trying to sell their product like everyone else. Of course they are not going to use the few seconds they have in front of your eyes to talk about the negatives or possible pain points.
I'm not sure where the vitriol about this comes from in general on the internet. Making products that fit everything and everyone is a fools errand in my opinion. Just don't buy the thing if you don't find it useful for your life.
I'm not sure where the vitriol about this comes from in general on the internet. Making products that fit everything and everyone is a fools errand in my opinion. Just don't buy the thing if you don't find it useful for your life.
CD drives were already on their way out and superceded by superior technology.
The headphone jack is very much current and universal. There is no clearly better technology when you take into account the disadvantages of wireless audio (charging, compatibility, reception, price).
The only way it makes sense to remove it is so Apple can charge for accessories and make money off their Lightning license.
Only viable if you never plug your headphones into anything else.
D
Deleted member 12837
Unconfirmed Member
Is the adapter permanent? You can't remove it temporarily?
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
Sorry. Double posted below.
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