7 ms·

I'm wondering if, at some point, they'll ditch the headphone jack for a second USB-C port. But that would require having USB-C headphones, which Apple might not

I'm wondering if, at some point, they'll ditch the headphone jack for a second USB-C port. But that would require having USB-C headphones, which Apple might not be willing to make.

jonnycowboy 11y ago
Actually it would just mean only supporting wireless bluetooth headphones from now on...
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  Are Bluetooth headphones practical, though? Does Apple even make any of their own?
  - m_eiman 11y ago
    These are awesome, IMHO: https://usa.denon.com/us/product/portableaudio/noisecanceling/ahgc20 https://usa.denon.com/us/product/portableaudio/noisecancelin... Too bad they're expensive. Interestingly they're $275 here in .se, but listed as $399 on the US page.
  - masklinn 11y ago
    > Does Apple even make any of their own? Kinda? Apple owns Beats so http://www.beatsbydre.com/headphones/browse-headphones/wireless-headphones/ http://www.beatsbydre.com/headphones/browse-headphones/wirel...
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]
  - 11526666 11y ago
    Apple owns Beats, so technically, yes, Apple makes the Beats Solo2 Wireless, the Beats Studio Wireless, and the PowerBeats Wireless. I have a pair of Sony BT headphones and they are fine. Audiophiles will complain because of the compression, but they are great for everyday use for the regular folks.
  - joesmo 11y ago
    Certainly not on os x, which can't keep a Bluetooth audio stream going to a device less than a foot away. Apple's wireless implementations, especially Bluetooth, on os x is such shit it might as well not exist. Even keyboards and track pads don't work properly, including the track pad they make which skips. This has been my experience with every single Apple laptop and I can recreate it now with ease. But anything to make my laptop one nano meter thinner, am I right?
    - ProblemFactory 11y ago
      Bluetooth audio works perfectly fine on OSX with some Sony BT headphones I recently got - even through a wall at 5+ meters.
    - synaesthesisx 11y ago
      Try forcing Apt-X codec; I've found it's consistently more reliable than the default.
  - mmahemoff 11y ago
    Although I use Bluetooth headphones on a phone or tablet, I would be disappointed if I was required to use them on a laptop I'm using all day long. Normal usage time is about 4 hours on the cheaper units I use, and that's just playback without any microphone use. Maybe longer on more expensive units, while they are new, but I doubt many would get you through a whole work day of continuous activity. Also, pairing is still fiddly and would probably put off a lot of casual users. (Especially when you have a N-to-N mapping between devices and headphones.) USB-C could still work if there are enough ports. While it's been great having a common standard for headphones across devices (partly thanks to the original iPhone not requiring a custom dongle), it does start to feel a bit of an anomaly in an era where everything is converging on the new USB standard(s).
    - 11526666 11y ago
      You definitely pay for what you get in the battery department. I personally have a pair from Sony claimed to get 20 hours of battery life on a charge. I've never fully tested the claim, but they are more than enough to make it through a couple workdays without charging.
    - freehunter 11y ago
      I use an LG Tone headset (I'm a consultant, on the phone almost all day). I usually charge mine once a week or maybe slightly more often. Maybe two or three hours of usage per day. The battery is really good, the quality is pretty good, but like you said, pairing can be a nightmare sometimes. I actually had to reboot my computer yesterday to get the Bluetooth driver to work properly. It's early days for Bluetooth headphones yet, but they're making really good progress.
- cr1895 11y ago
  >Actually it would just mean only supporting wireless bluetooth headphones from now on... Why? USB DACs exist. I use one all the time with my apple stuff.
- orkoden 11y ago
  Where do you usually charge bluetooth headphones? On USB ports.
mattdotc 11y ago
>USB-C headphones, which Apple might not be willing to make. And I, as part of a seemingly and disappointingly small subset of users, will refuse to ever buy.
- cr1895 11y ago
  Would you refuse to buy headphones that have an integrated amplifier and dac and a USB connector, or would you refuse to buy a dedicated amp/dac with which you could use any headphones?
  - mattdotc 11y ago
    >Would you refuse to buy headphones that have an integrated amplifier and dac and a USB connector. If those headphones don't unplug from the amp to allow me to use a 3.5mm stereo jack. Yes. >or would you refuse to buy a dedicated amp/dac with which you could use any headphones? I would not refuse that. I try to avoid buying products which have non-standard connectors that limit connectivity with other devices. I only buy headphones with a standard 3.5mm stereo jack because I have a ton of different devices and I don't want to limit myself to audio devices which only have a USB port or Bluetooth chip. That's just silly in my eyes. If the headphones have a stereo jack then my opinion of them might be different, but still dependent on their quality.
Alphasite_ 11y ago
I'm fairly sure the reason we don't have a second USB C jack is because it would necessitate a second thunderbolt chipset (as I imagine they would want one on either side of the machine) and that is a problem on several fronts?
coldtea 11y ago
You know what would be fun? (for some perverse sense of fun)? If they added a lighting port on Macs too. Suddenly all kinds of peripherals for iPhone/iPad could be reused with Macs too (with the appropriate driver updates).

I'm wondering if, at some point, they'll ditch the headphone jack for a second USB-C port. But that would require having USB-C headphones, which Apple might not be willing to make.

jonnycowboy 11y ago

Actually it would just mean only supporting wireless bluetooth headphones from now on...

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
Are Bluetooth headphones practical, though? Does Apple even make any of their own?
- m_eiman 11y ago
  These are awesome, IMHO: https://usa.denon.com/us/product/portableaudio/noisecanceling/ahgc20 https://usa.denon.com/us/product/portableaudio/noisecancelin... Too bad they're expensive. Interestingly they're $275 here in .se, but listed as $399 on the US page.
- masklinn 11y ago
  > Does Apple even make any of their own? Kinda? Apple owns Beats so http://www.beatsbydre.com/headphones/browse-headphones/wireless-headphones/ http://www.beatsbydre.com/headphones/browse-headphones/wirel...
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- 11526666 11y ago
  Apple owns Beats, so technically, yes, Apple makes the Beats Solo2 Wireless, the Beats Studio Wireless, and the PowerBeats Wireless. I have a pair of Sony BT headphones and they are fine. Audiophiles will complain because of the compression, but they are great for everyday use for the regular folks.
- joesmo 11y ago
  Certainly not on os x, which can't keep a Bluetooth audio stream going to a device less than a foot away. Apple's wireless implementations, especially Bluetooth, on os x is such shit it might as well not exist. Even keyboards and track pads don't work properly, including the track pad they make which skips. This has been my experience with every single Apple laptop and I can recreate it now with ease. But anything to make my laptop one nano meter thinner, am I right?
  - ProblemFactory 11y ago
    Bluetooth audio works perfectly fine on OSX with some Sony BT headphones I recently got - even through a wall at 5+ meters.
  - synaesthesisx 11y ago
    Try forcing Apt-X codec; I've found it's consistently more reliable than the default.
- mmahemoff 11y ago
  Although I use Bluetooth headphones on a phone or tablet, I would be disappointed if I was required to use them on a laptop I'm using all day long. Normal usage time is about 4 hours on the cheaper units I use, and that's just playback without any microphone use. Maybe longer on more expensive units, while they are new, but I doubt many would get you through a whole work day of continuous activity. Also, pairing is still fiddly and would probably put off a lot of casual users. (Especially when you have a N-to-N mapping between devices and headphones.) USB-C could still work if there are enough ports. While it's been great having a common standard for headphones across devices (partly thanks to the original iPhone not requiring a custom dongle), it does start to feel a bit of an anomaly in an era where everything is converging on the new USB standard(s).
  - 11526666 11y ago
    You definitely pay for what you get in the battery department. I personally have a pair from Sony claimed to get 20 hours of battery life on a charge. I've never fully tested the claim, but they are more than enough to make it through a couple workdays without charging.
  - freehunter 11y ago
    I use an LG Tone headset (I'm a consultant, on the phone almost all day). I usually charge mine once a week or maybe slightly more often. Maybe two or three hours of usage per day. The battery is really good, the quality is pretty good, but like you said, pairing can be a nightmare sometimes. I actually had to reboot my computer yesterday to get the Bluetooth driver to work properly. It's early days for Bluetooth headphones yet, but they're making really good progress.
cr1895 11y ago
>Actually it would just mean only supporting wireless bluetooth headphones from now on... Why? USB DACs exist. I use one all the time with my apple stuff.
orkoden 11y ago
Where do you usually charge bluetooth headphones? On USB ports.

mattdotc 11y ago

>USB-C headphones, which Apple might not be willing to make. And I, as part of a seemingly and disappointingly small subset of users, will refuse to ever buy.

cr1895 11y ago
Would you refuse to buy headphones that have an integrated amplifier and dac and a USB connector, or would you refuse to buy a dedicated amp/dac with which you could use any headphones?
- mattdotc 11y ago
  >Would you refuse to buy headphones that have an integrated amplifier and dac and a USB connector. If those headphones don't unplug from the amp to allow me to use a 3.5mm stereo jack. Yes. >or would you refuse to buy a dedicated amp/dac with which you could use any headphones? I would not refuse that. I try to avoid buying products which have non-standard connectors that limit connectivity with other devices. I only buy headphones with a standard 3.5mm stereo jack because I have a ton of different devices and I don't want to limit myself to audio devices which only have a USB port or Bluetooth chip. That's just silly in my eyes. If the headphones have a stereo jack then my opinion of them might be different, but still dependent on their quality.

Alphasite_ 11y ago

I'm fairly sure the reason we don't have a second USB C jack is because it would necessitate a second thunderbolt chipset (as I imagine they would want one on either side of the machine) and that is a problem on several fronts?

coldtea 11y ago

You know what would be fun? (for some perverse sense of fun)? If they added a lighting port on Macs too. Suddenly all kinds of peripherals for iPhone/iPad could be reused with Macs too (with the appropriate driver updates).