4 ms·

Anecdotal evidence. You got lucky. Due to the sheer length of a 3.5 plug, and the sturdy design of most of these plugs, a small amount of lateral force can easi

Anecdotal evidence. You got lucky. Due to the sheer length of a 3.5 plug, and the sturdy design of most of these plugs, a small amount of lateral force can easily wreck the socket in a split-second; and small amounts of damage over time can easily accumulate. I don't know if the lightning connectors are any better, but just by the fact that they're shorter, i'd hope they'd get removed from the socket, or just have the plug break, instead of the socket.

riprowan 10y ago
Are you actually arguing that a USB-C / Lightning connector will be more reliable than a 3.5mm analog connector? You'll have to produce data to back that up.
- Mithaldu 10y ago
  I was using the wrong word, s/jack/socket/, now it should make more sense. As to your data: Basic physics. Any plug in a socket is a lever. Its length determines to how much force any force impacting the part outside the device is translated to, at the end of the lever; inside the device. USB-C plugs are shorter than 3.5mm plugs. Thus, they're less likely to wreck your phone, and more likely to wreck themselves.
  - pritambaral 10y ago
    > Its length determines to how much force any force impacting the part outside the device is translated to, at the end of the lever; inside the device. > Thus, they're less likely to wreck your phone, and more likely to wreck themselves It's not about the force, since that goes both ways (because Newton's third law). It's about how deep damage may happen or how sooner will a jack give in before the socket does. 3.5mm plugs usually have more strength than lightning plugs (but not more than the USB-C plugs I've seen), so it is understandable if lightning plugs destroy themselves before dealing much damage to the socket. But a shorter lever (of considerable strength to not break first) will apply the same amount of force over a smaller area than a longer lever. Less area => more pressure => more damage to socket. This is exactly why I can (and have done so for the last three years, same phone) pick my phone up with the earphones, but not with the end of its microUSB cable: the shorter socket cannot handle the weight of the phone.

riprowan 10y ago

Are you actually arguing that a USB-C / Lightning connector will be more reliable than a 3.5mm analog connector? You'll have to produce data to back that up.

Mithaldu 10y ago
I was using the wrong word, s/jack/socket/, now it should make more sense. As to your data: Basic physics. Any plug in a socket is a lever. Its length determines to how much force any force impacting the part outside the device is translated to, at the end of the lever; inside the device. USB-C plugs are shorter than 3.5mm plugs. Thus, they're less likely to wreck your phone, and more likely to wreck themselves.
- pritambaral 10y ago
  > Its length determines to how much force any force impacting the part outside the device is translated to, at the end of the lever; inside the device. > Thus, they're less likely to wreck your phone, and more likely to wreck themselves It's not about the force, since that goes both ways (because Newton's third law). It's about how deep damage may happen or how sooner will a jack give in before the socket does. 3.5mm plugs usually have more strength than lightning plugs (but not more than the USB-C plugs I've seen), so it is understandable if lightning plugs destroy themselves before dealing much damage to the socket. But a shorter lever (of considerable strength to not break first) will apply the same amount of force over a smaller area than a longer lever. Less area => more pressure => more damage to socket. This is exactly why I can (and have done so for the last three years, same phone) pick my phone up with the earphones, but not with the end of its microUSB cable: the shorter socket cannot handle the weight of the phone.