7 ms·

The 19th Century plug that's still being used

11 points by timthorn 11y ago

LeoPanthera 11y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that the thickest component in an iPhone is the camera, not the headphones socket. So removing the socket won't make the phone any thinner, unless Apple goes for a wedge-shaped design, perhaps. Arguments about "high-resolution" audio notwithstanding (there's no need for anything better than "CD quality", you can't hear the difference), I understand that Apple wants to drive technology forward and that wireless audio over bluetooth "should" be the future. But ultimately I feel like the 3.5mm connector is just too entrenched. My headphones use it. My car uses it. Even crazy things like the Square card reader use it. No, it's not ideal, but it is everywhere, and universal. Surely there will be an adapter, but I fear that the adapter will probably have a DAC and an amp in it, and unless they make the adapter bulky, I can't imagine that a teeny-tiny DAC/amp will sound as good as the one currently inside the iPhone.
- brian-armstrong 11y ago
  You make a good point about the Square reader. This would put Apple in a good position to obsolete Square's POS devices, possibly so they can get in the business?
  - cstejerean 11y ago
    Square already has a wireless reader which is currently used for chip cards as well as NFC payments (including Apple Pay). This reader does not currently have a mag stripe reader on it, but I imagine it won't be a huge leap to add it if future iPhone and iPads get rid of the 3.5mm port.
- JulianMorrison 11y ago
  I read the purpose was that they want to add USB-like power supply capability. To drive noise cancelling headphones, for example.
lkbm 11y ago
Sometimes you have to break backwards compatibility to move forward and get better technology, and as painful as it is, and as controversial as it is, switching to a new standard is often the right thing to do. That said, if you're breaking backwards compatibility to move to _proprietary_ technology, you are not working to move us to a new standard. You're breaking from the old standard to create a balkanized set of non-standard technology. Doesn't matter if it's technically superior--if you're not letting people use it for free, you're intentionally creating a worse ecosystem at the expense of consumers and every other vendor.
- bsder 11y ago
  > That said, if you're breaking backwards compatibility to move to _proprietary_ technology, you are not working to move us to a new standard. Agreed. And it's likely not technically or physically superior anymore with the new USB 3.1 plugs.
Theodores 11y ago
Ultimately the new iPhones will come with the new headphones and they will be undoubtedly superb with many third party headphones including Beats. Much like the non standard power adapter, Apple users will just go along with it and, in most cases, not grumble in the least with their new Apple bling. Undoubtedly there will be adapters too, more like a dongle for the old headphones. Apple being Apple could make such adapters only work if they are genuine Apple. Again, users will accept this like they accept ethernet and monitor dongles on their laptops now.
Animats 11y ago
It's time to get rid of connectors on phones. Inductive charging is here. Bluetooth stereo headphones are here. They all have WiFi and a cellular link. White iDweeb earbuds are last-cen. Get rid of the holes, hermetically seal the unit, and make the thing completely waterproof.
- 13of40 11y ago
  Having tried several Bluetooth audio devices over the last couple of years, I'm not sure we're really ready. I've got a Bluetooth speaker in my car that turns itself off in cold weather, an indoor one that talks to iPads and Androids but not Surfaces, and a pair of bluetooth headphones in a box somewhere that are great as long as you like your music sprinkled with random moments of silence. The less half-baked components on the critical between my MP3s and my ear sockets, the better.
  - Animats 11y ago
    "And in my day we had wires to our speakers." Progress marches on.
    - arpa 11y ago
      I prefer engineered simplicity over progress-in-the-name-of-progress. No, wires aren't going away. Because at the end of the day, your speakers are driven by analog signal transmitted via the same wires you abhor; Anything between the DAC and an analogue system (amplifier + speaker) is superfluous, unneeded, bad design, malintent. Oh and I'd love to see 100W RMS speakers driven wirelessly. You could probably boil tea on the excess microwaves.

11 points by timthorn 11y ago

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that the thickest component in an iPhone is the camera, not the headphones socket. So removing the socket won't make the phone any thinner, unless Apple goes for a wedge-shaped design, perhaps. Arguments about "high-resolution" audio notwithstanding (there's no need for anything better than "CD quality", you can't hear the difference), I understand that Apple wants to drive technology forward and that wireless audio over bluetooth "should" be the future. But ultimately I feel like the 3.5mm connector is just too entrenched. My headphones use it. My car uses it. Even crazy things like the Square card reader use it. No, it's not ideal, but it is everywhere, and universal. Surely there will be an adapter, but I fear that the adapter will probably have a DAC and an amp in it, and unless they make the adapter bulky, I can't imagine that a teeny-tiny DAC/amp will sound as good as the one currently inside the iPhone.

brian-armstrong 11y ago
You make a good point about the Square reader. This would put Apple in a good position to obsolete Square's POS devices, possibly so they can get in the business?
- cstejerean 11y ago
  Square already has a wireless reader which is currently used for chip cards as well as NFC payments (including Apple Pay). This reader does not currently have a mag stripe reader on it, but I imagine it won't be a huge leap to add it if future iPhone and iPads get rid of the 3.5mm port.
JulianMorrison 11y ago
I read the purpose was that they want to add USB-like power supply capability. To drive noise cancelling headphones, for example.

lkbm 11y ago

Sometimes you have to break backwards compatibility to move forward and get better technology, and as painful as it is, and as controversial as it is, switching to a new standard is often the right thing to do. That said, if you're breaking backwards compatibility to move to _proprietary_ technology, you are not working to move us to a new standard. You're breaking from the old standard to create a balkanized set of non-standard technology. Doesn't matter if it's technically superior--if you're not letting people use it for free, you're intentionally creating a worse ecosystem at the expense of consumers and every other vendor.

bsder 11y ago
> That said, if you're breaking backwards compatibility to move to _proprietary_ technology, you are not working to move us to a new standard. Agreed. And it's likely not technically or physically superior anymore with the new USB 3.1 plugs.

Theodores 11y ago

Ultimately the new iPhones will come with the new headphones and they will be undoubtedly superb with many third party headphones including Beats. Much like the non standard power adapter, Apple users will just go along with it and, in most cases, not grumble in the least with their new Apple bling. Undoubtedly there will be adapters too, more like a dongle for the old headphones. Apple being Apple could make such adapters only work if they are genuine Apple. Again, users will accept this like they accept ethernet and monitor dongles on their laptops now.

Animats 11y ago

It's time to get rid of connectors on phones. Inductive charging is here. Bluetooth stereo headphones are here. They all have WiFi and a cellular link. White iDweeb earbuds are last-cen. Get rid of the holes, hermetically seal the unit, and make the thing completely waterproof.

13of40 11y ago
Having tried several Bluetooth audio devices over the last couple of years, I'm not sure we're really ready. I've got a Bluetooth speaker in my car that turns itself off in cold weather, an indoor one that talks to iPads and Androids but not Surfaces, and a pair of bluetooth headphones in a box somewhere that are great as long as you like your music sprinkled with random moments of silence. The less half-baked components on the critical between my MP3s and my ear sockets, the better.
- Animats 11y ago
  "And in my day we had wires to our speakers." Progress marches on.
  - arpa 11y ago
    I prefer engineered simplicity over progress-in-the-name-of-progress. No, wires aren't going away. Because at the end of the day, your speakers are driven by analog signal transmitted via the same wires you abhor; Anything between the DAC and an analogue system (amplifier + speaker) is superfluous, unneeded, bad design, malintent. Oh and I'd love to see 100W RMS speakers driven wirelessly. You could probably boil tea on the excess microwaves.