4 ms·

We've heard the same line when Apple ejected the 5.25" floppy, 3.5" floppy, Centronix parallel port, RS232 serial port, FireWire, and a whole bunch of other "un

We've heard the same line when Apple ejected the 5.25" floppy, 3.5" floppy, Centronix parallel port, RS232 serial port, FireWire, and a whole bunch of other "universal demand" connectors. I really want to say this one is more awkward than others...but it's not. We've gone thru dongle & wireless solutions before, and came out better for it. Bluetooth headphone sales are about to exceed wired headphone sales. And Apple still sells the iPhone 6s & SE with 3.5mm jacks.

kbart 10y ago
"We've heard the same line when Apple ejected the 5.25" floppy, 3.5" floppy, Centronix parallel port, RS232 serial port, FireWire, and a whole bunch of other "universal demand" connectors." All these tech were already obsolete by the time Apple got rid of them; 3.5 mm jack is not such case. I'm not using Apple products, but if I would, I'd be mad that I can't use my headphones anymore and must buy new ones that doesn't provide much/any benefit.
- ygra 10y ago
  There is an adapter included. While certainly inconvenient, it's still a far way off of »I cannot use my headphones anymore and have to buy new ones«.
  - kbart 10y ago
    There's also RSR232 <> USB adapter, but we don't say that modern laptops have RS232 and that's not the point anyway.
    - ygra 10y ago
      We don't say modern laptops have RS232, but we also don't say »Gee, I bought a new laptop and suddenly cannot use this serial device anymore because there is no way of attaching it to the laptop« (despite the fact that in this hypothetical scenario the laptop comes with a suitable adapter that makes everything work).
- miguelrochefort 10y ago
  > I'm not using Apple products, but if I would, I'd be mad that I can't use my headphones anymore and must buy new ones that doesn't provide much/any benefit. You still can. They even include an adapter in the box. What more can you ask?
  - warmblood 10y ago
    To charge the device while using the audio output? That my mother can continue to use her card swipe reader for her small hair salon? I'm not sure what it's like to have an imagination that cannot conceive even one very common use case where this adapter concept falls short. This dismissiveness is the reason we need influential voices to speak for the user in the design process.
    - throwanem 10y ago
      You're not wrong about that. But your mom's Stripe reader will still work. It's just a microphone. The adapter will support it. The concern over charging is merited, but it will not be long before a dual adapter hits the market.
      - warmblood 10y ago
        I believe that reliance on the hypothetical arrival of adapters is bad design. Most especially in the case of those adapters relying on a single proprietary connection standard that has the potential to change or deny compatibility in software at the will of the vendor.
      - threeseed 10y ago
        Basic dual adapter already hit the market yesterday: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/belkin-introduces-lightning-audio--charge-rockstar-for-iphone-7-and-iphone-7-plus-300324973.html http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/belkin-introduces-li...
        throwaway2016b 10y ago
throwaway2016b 10y ago
Unlike all of those technologies, analog audio is basically a solved problem. You can plug decades old headphones into a modern smartphone, or modern headphones into an ancient transistor radio, and it all Just Works. It was a beautiful triumph of engineering, some small refuge of permanence in this age of planned obsolesce and change for the sake of change. The real goals behind the removal of the headphone jack are DRM, extracting more money out of their peripheral industry, and the chance to make another kooky fashion statement.

kbart 10y ago

"We've heard the same line when Apple ejected the 5.25" floppy, 3.5" floppy, Centronix parallel port, RS232 serial port, FireWire, and a whole bunch of other "universal demand" connectors." All these tech were already obsolete by the time Apple got rid of them; 3.5 mm jack is not such case. I'm not using Apple products, but if I would, I'd be mad that I can't use my headphones anymore and must buy new ones that doesn't provide much/any benefit.

ygra 10y ago
There is an adapter included. While certainly inconvenient, it's still a far way off of »I cannot use my headphones anymore and have to buy new ones«.
- kbart 10y ago
  There's also RSR232 <> USB adapter, but we don't say that modern laptops have RS232 and that's not the point anyway.
  - ygra 10y ago
    We don't say modern laptops have RS232, but we also don't say »Gee, I bought a new laptop and suddenly cannot use this serial device anymore because there is no way of attaching it to the laptop« (despite the fact that in this hypothetical scenario the laptop comes with a suitable adapter that makes everything work).
miguelrochefort 10y ago
> I'm not using Apple products, but if I would, I'd be mad that I can't use my headphones anymore and must buy new ones that doesn't provide much/any benefit. You still can. They even include an adapter in the box. What more can you ask?
- warmblood 10y ago
  To charge the device while using the audio output? That my mother can continue to use her card swipe reader for her small hair salon? I'm not sure what it's like to have an imagination that cannot conceive even one very common use case where this adapter concept falls short. This dismissiveness is the reason we need influential voices to speak for the user in the design process.
  - throwanem 10y ago
    You're not wrong about that. But your mom's Stripe reader will still work. It's just a microphone. The adapter will support it. The concern over charging is merited, but it will not be long before a dual adapter hits the market.
    - warmblood 10y ago
      I believe that reliance on the hypothetical arrival of adapters is bad design. Most especially in the case of those adapters relying on a single proprietary connection standard that has the potential to change or deny compatibility in software at the will of the vendor.
    - threeseed 10y ago
      Basic dual adapter already hit the market yesterday: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/belkin-introduces-lightning-audio--charge-rockstar-for-iphone-7-and-iphone-7-plus-300324973.html http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/belkin-introduces-li...
      - throwaway2016b 10y ago

throwaway2016b 10y ago

Unlike all of those technologies, analog audio is basically a solved problem. You can plug decades old headphones into a modern smartphone, or modern headphones into an ancient transistor radio, and it all Just Works. It was a beautiful triumph of engineering, some small refuge of permanence in this age of planned obsolesce and change for the sake of change. The real goals behind the removal of the headphone jack are DRM, extracting more money out of their peripheral industry, and the chance to make another kooky fashion statement.