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It's a bit hard to have a reasonable discussion about this without knowing the features of what it's being replaced with. Lightning connector, sure, but what do

It's a bit hard to have a reasonable discussion about this without knowing the features of what it's being replaced with. Lightning connector, sure, but what does that get me? Until we get an answer to that I don't really know what to be upset about.

TillE 10y ago
For the sake of argument, maybe assume the best case scenario of analog output through a very simple Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter. That would be annoying, but maybe not the dealbreaker it could be if Lightning is only capable of digital output.
- Oletros 10y ago
  Right now, Lightning is only capable of digital audio
  - mikeash 10y ago
    If Apple felt there was utility in keeping the DAC in the phone, they could easily add analog capability to Lightning and say that their new headphones require iPhone 7. They might go digital for other reasons, of course.
    - Oletros 10y ago
      What? The DAC can't be pulled of from the phone. It is needed for the speaker
      - mikeash 10y ago
        Good point, although it could become a lower-quality mono DAC in a Brave New Digital Headphones World.
- semi-extrinsic 10y ago
  My new laptop has, for no good reason other than thinness, decided to be without an Ethernet port. To compensate it came with a USB Type C Ethernet adapter, about the size of a zippo lighter. In what world does it make sense to shave a millimeter off the device itself, but then require me to be dragging half a dozen adapters around? I'm already packing AC adapter, HDMI->VGA adapter, USB hub and this new Ethernet adapter everywhere I go. I bet these are approachng the same volume as the laptop itself.
  - whamlastxmas 10y ago
    A world in which less than 1% of users will ever use that ethernet dongle. If you needed all of those ports, you bought the wrong laptop.
    - semi-extrinsic 10y ago
      Well, it's a 15" Dell Precision. It's supposed to be a "mobile workstation". If it was a Macbook Air or something, I wouldn't be complaining.
ascagnel_ 10y ago
In an ideal world, Apple would come up with a replacement analog jack that's not as deep (less depth translates to more battery space without necessarily making the phone thicker or heavier). The jack is ~50 years old, and there are issues with it, so there's space for improvement. Going all digital sounds like a crappy idea, though. The phones have good DACs, and you generally don't get enough crosstalk inside a phone to justify moving the DAC outside the hardware with a dongle/box.

TillE 10y ago

For the sake of argument, maybe assume the best case scenario of analog output through a very simple Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter. That would be annoying, but maybe not the dealbreaker it could be if Lightning is only capable of digital output.

Oletros 10y ago
Right now, Lightning is only capable of digital audio
- mikeash 10y ago
  If Apple felt there was utility in keeping the DAC in the phone, they could easily add analog capability to Lightning and say that their new headphones require iPhone 7. They might go digital for other reasons, of course.
  - Oletros 10y ago
    What? The DAC can't be pulled of from the phone. It is needed for the speaker
    - mikeash 10y ago
      Good point, although it could become a lower-quality mono DAC in a Brave New Digital Headphones World.
semi-extrinsic 10y ago
My new laptop has, for no good reason other than thinness, decided to be without an Ethernet port. To compensate it came with a USB Type C Ethernet adapter, about the size of a zippo lighter. In what world does it make sense to shave a millimeter off the device itself, but then require me to be dragging half a dozen adapters around? I'm already packing AC adapter, HDMI->VGA adapter, USB hub and this new Ethernet adapter everywhere I go. I bet these are approachng the same volume as the laptop itself.
- whamlastxmas 10y ago
  A world in which less than 1% of users will ever use that ethernet dongle. If you needed all of those ports, you bought the wrong laptop.
  - semi-extrinsic 10y ago
    Well, it's a 15" Dell Precision. It's supposed to be a "mobile workstation". If it was a Macbook Air or something, I wouldn't be complaining.

ascagnel_ 10y ago

In an ideal world, Apple would come up with a replacement analog jack that's not as deep (less depth translates to more battery space without necessarily making the phone thicker or heavier). The jack is ~50 years old, and there are issues with it, so there's space for improvement. Going all digital sounds like a crappy idea, though. The phones have good DACs, and you generally don't get enough crosstalk inside a phone to justify moving the DAC outside the hardware with a dongle/box.