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I don't think abandoning the headphone jack is a bad idea. I think abandoning it for lightning is a bad idea. Is apple so desperate for hardware money that th

by Navarr 10y ago

I don't think abandoning the headphone jack is a bad idea. I think abandoning it for lightning is a bad idea. Is apple so desperate for hardware money that there is not a single "open" connector on the iPhone? Why Lightning as opposed to USB-C? Why make it so that people need a completely different set of headphones just for apple devices? (Bluetooth not withstanding)

thirdsun 10y ago
Of course you won't buy new headphones. You'll buy adaptors - buying an Apple-specific headphone would be insane in my opinion.
- coldtea 10y ago
  Or you know, you wont buy anything. In the future, Bluetooth headphones will be the norm.
  - TillE 10y ago
    Even in a distant-future fantasy world where everything works perfectly, charging your headphones still sucks.
  - smt88 10y ago
    I've had Bluetooth headphones for years and still prefer wired headphones unless my phone is charging. BT headphones discharge very quickly, have terrible audio quality, and are somewhat uncomfortable due to the added weight.
    - coldtea 10y ago
      Depends on the BT headphones. I've had 7+ hours of listening (normally don't go around wearing headphones for more than that in a day), and good audio quality with Parrot Zik (and they even use bluetooth 3, and not the lighter on battery and better 4 version).
      - y4mi 10y ago
        and they cost $400! headphones with pretty good sound quality start at $50 and get diminishing returns around $150...
        coldtea 10y ago
        Well, I've bought them for $220 -- version 2.0 whereas now they are at 3.0, but still. And I have studio monitor headphones too, but still prefer those for casual listening. >headphones with pretty good sound quality start at $50 and get diminishing returns around $150... You'd be surprised. Of course the ones we talk about also have BT wireless operation, noise cancelling and even touch sensitive case (to control volume/forward/stop etc) -- to justify the higher asking price, but even without those things, a good $250 or $300 headphone will be much better than a good $150 one, pretty similarly to a $50 vs $150. If you look for diminishing returns, that would start around the $400-500 mark.
arcticbull 10y ago
Bluetooth LE is open for use on iOS devices without license fees, AFAIK it's the only one.
ZenoArrow 10y ago
> "Why Lightning as opposed to USB-C?" Why use either? One of the main reasons behind this push to get rid of the 3.5mm jack is DRM. Is that something you really want?
floatrock 10y ago
> Why Lightning as opposed to USB-C? Lightning is not a D-shaped so you avoid the "oh I put it in upside down, no wait, I was right the first time." In that respect, it is the superior design. For power and data. For headphones, I want the ability to charge and listen to something at the same time (eg working at my desk, going on long trips in a car that's more than 2 years old, etc)
- aianus 10y ago
  > Lightning is not a D-shaped so you avoid the "oh I put it in upside down, no wait, I was right the first time." What? USB-C is reversible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_Type-C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_Type-C
- Navarr 10y ago
  > you avoid the "oh I put it in upside down, no wait, I was right the first time." The same is true for USB-C > For power and data. The same is true for USB-C > going on long trips in a car that's more than 2 years old Lightning has maybe 2 years of existence on USB-C - that's a very small space of tech in-between microUSB and USB-C

by Navarr 10y ago

thirdsun 10y ago

Of course you won't buy new headphones. You'll buy adaptors - buying an Apple-specific headphone would be insane in my opinion.

coldtea 10y ago
Or you know, you wont buy anything. In the future, Bluetooth headphones will be the norm.
- TillE 10y ago
  Even in a distant-future fantasy world where everything works perfectly, charging your headphones still sucks.
- smt88 10y ago
  I've had Bluetooth headphones for years and still prefer wired headphones unless my phone is charging. BT headphones discharge very quickly, have terrible audio quality, and are somewhat uncomfortable due to the added weight.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    Depends on the BT headphones. I've had 7+ hours of listening (normally don't go around wearing headphones for more than that in a day), and good audio quality with Parrot Zik (and they even use bluetooth 3, and not the lighter on battery and better 4 version).
    - y4mi 10y ago
      and they cost $400! headphones with pretty good sound quality start at $50 and get diminishing returns around $150...
      - coldtea 10y ago
        Well, I've bought them for $220 -- version 2.0 whereas now they are at 3.0, but still. And I have studio monitor headphones too, but still prefer those for casual listening. >headphones with pretty good sound quality start at $50 and get diminishing returns around $150... You'd be surprised. Of course the ones we talk about also have BT wireless operation, noise cancelling and even touch sensitive case (to control volume/forward/stop etc) -- to justify the higher asking price, but even without those things, a good $250 or $300 headphone will be much better than a good $150 one, pretty similarly to a $50 vs $150. If you look for diminishing returns, that would start around the $400-500 mark.

arcticbull 10y ago

Bluetooth LE is open for use on iOS devices without license fees, AFAIK it's the only one.

ZenoArrow 10y ago

> "Why Lightning as opposed to USB-C?" Why use either? One of the main reasons behind this push to get rid of the 3.5mm jack is DRM. Is that something you really want?

floatrock 10y ago

> Why Lightning as opposed to USB-C? Lightning is not a D-shaped so you avoid the "oh I put it in upside down, no wait, I was right the first time." In that respect, it is the superior design. For power and data. For headphones, I want the ability to charge and listen to something at the same time (eg working at my desk, going on long trips in a car that's more than 2 years old, etc)

aianus 10y ago
> Lightning is not a D-shaped so you avoid the "oh I put it in upside down, no wait, I was right the first time." What? USB-C is reversible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_Type-C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_Type-C
Navarr 10y ago
> you avoid the "oh I put it in upside down, no wait, I was right the first time." The same is true for USB-C > For power and data. The same is true for USB-C > going on long trips in a car that's more than 2 years old Lightning has maybe 2 years of existence on USB-C - that's a very small space of tech in-between microUSB and USB-C