7 ms·

Mob opinion is generally not the best gauge of reality. Look at all the shit people are posting about Apple removing an ancient analog audio port, vs how many

Mob opinion is generally not the best gauge of reality. Look at all the shit people are posting about Apple removing an ancient analog audio port, vs how many people are posting about Samsung the phone that self combusts.

Marazan 10y ago
That's because unless your Samsung actually blows you up there isn't a perceivable effect vs making me have to buy new headphones if I get the latest iPhone.
- stephenr 10y ago
  > That's because unless your Samsung actually blows you up there isn't a perceivable effect There is a real risk of the Samsung causing a great deal of damage and/or injury. It's been fucking banned by most major airlines because of the risk, and after much typical Samsung fucking about, have issued a full recall. > vs making me have to buy new headphones if I get the latest iPhone. Why. Why do you need to buy new headphones? Either you a) genuinely aren't aware they include a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box, but somehow feel the need to comment about an aspect you've apparently spent 0 seconds researching; or b) you know damn well they include an adapter and you're being disingenuous. This type of thing is exactly what I'm talking about. You downplay a literal health and safety risk "eh, it won't happen to me" but trump up complaints about "i can't use my headphones" which are not even accurate.
  - GTP 10y ago
    Including the jack to lightning adapter appears to me like a contradiction: it's like saying "we remove the audio jack but we know that you need it".
    - stephenr 10y ago
      Your complaint is that they're including a free adaptor? I know its "cool" to be anti-Apple, but you're clutching at straws.
      - egeozcan 10y ago
        > I know its "cool" to be anti-Apple I sincerely doubt that someone would be anti-Apple on HN just because it's cool. What Apple is doing is a conscious choice of direction, which has a lot of potential for discussion. What Samsung did is catastrophic, yes. However, it doesn't have any depth for discussion. Yes they messed up big time, and yes the situation has been down-played, but in the end, it affects Samsung market share and the health of the poor people who got affected. Discussing the market-share of Samsung and their policies doesn't have any meaning, and for the people, you can only hope that the authorities take enough precautions. On the other hand, Apple has been making decisions, which, in the end, can affect far more many people, regardless of their usage of Apple products, in a good or bad way, for a far longer term. It is a statement, at the very least. Or maybe I'm exaggerating, that's also possible.
      - stuaxo 10y ago
        This is silly. I know me - I lose stuff, I don't need one extra thing to lose, and I am not buying lightning headphones.
      - GTP 10y ago
        No, my complain is that they're removing a standard port in favour of their own propietary alternative while they know that a lot of users would be more comfortable with the standard one. I also think that using the lightinig port has no real advantage over the audio jack but I admittedly don't know much about lightning, so maybe somebody can prove me wrong. (Removing a component from the phone isn't in my opinion an advantage because the audio jack uses a very tiny space and removing it gives you far less choices if you want to buy a new pair of headphones).
    - dexterdog 10y ago
      More like, "We know you might need it." I plug audio in quite infrequently on my Note as I use bluetooth most of the time. Kill them for introducing a new, proprietary standard for wireless audio, but not for removing the jack which in my case is just a dust magnet which frequently requires a cleanout to solve the blocked proximity sensor problem.
      - 7Z7 10y ago
        >a new, proprietary standard for wireless audio Isn't it just Bluetooth?
        dexterdog 10y ago
        You're right. I guess the way they pitched it, given their track record I was just assuming. That being said, I'm not sure what they did that was so world-changing with wireless connectivity since I never had the bluetooth connection problems that they say everybody has.
        macintux 10y ago
        So you can switch a bluetooth device from your phone to your laptop without some weird dance? To me, that's the real magic. Pairing is obviously very slick, but being able to seamlessly transition between host devices is huge.
        dexterdog 10y ago
        With the later versions of bluetooth I don't have a problem with that. Also, we haven't seen this in the wild yet so I'll reserve judgement and praise.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
      Yep. The 3.5mm audio jack comes in the box, so they didn't really remove it, they just moved it off-device. Maybe they could move the battery off-device too and make the iPhone 8 even thinner.
  - wang_li 10y ago
    > a) genuinely aren't aware they include a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box, but somehow feel the need to comment about an aspect you've apparently spent 0 seconds researching; or You've posted about the adapter multiple times now, but unless the adapter has the 3.5mm jack and a power connector allowing a person to use their head phones and charge the phone simultaneously it's not equivalent of the existing functionality.
  - pbhjpbhj 10y ago
    Perhaps they plugin a battery pack when they're using their headphones? Can't just be me that does that.
  - dreamcompiler 10y ago
    Samsung's bad battery does not absolve Apple of sin. Yes, I know they include an adapter. This adapter is a kludge--meaning it adds size and yet another point of failure. More important, when that adapter is used I cannot charge the phone, which means I can't use an iPhone 7 to play music in my car on long road trips. (I have an excellent car audio system, and it has no bluetooth). Without buying yet another kludgy adapter which is manifestly not in the box.
- izacus 10y ago
  Samsung actually blowing up also has no effect on you if you're an iPhone/iOS user and want to update your device for the ecosystem.
kalleboo 10y ago
Apple does seem to create more buzz about things in general (it's their way of marketing, for good or evil) but as for me, the Samsung issue is "Li-ion cells are volatile, sometimes there are bad batches" is not a story. We knew that.. Meanwhile, "the death of analog, open standards" is worth discussing.
- stephenr 10y ago
  Right. A hand-held ticking time bomb is a non-story. An ancient audio port being migrated to a $9 adapter is the end of days. > Meanwhile, "the death of analog, open standards" is worth discussing. Just like the death of the standard floppy disc. And the death of the standard optical disc. And the death of the standard parallel and serial ports. The death of the standard PS2 port. Motorola released a phone earlier this year with no analog 3.5mm jack. Where was the overreaction, the ridiculous petitions and bullshit we see whenever Apple does something?
  - kalleboo 10y ago
    I could go through and refute all of your points with what I believe, but that's just proving my point - there are differing opinions on the matter so it's worth discussing. Nobody is taking the stance that Samsung batteries exploding is a Good Thing. And it's not as if the story doesn't have traction - I'm seeing jokes all over the place about exploding Samsungs. Until someone unearths a story about wilfil negligence (such as when Capacitor Plague was being caused by failed industrial espionage), there's just not much to discuss. We already had the Chinese Batteries discussion recently with the hoverboards. > Where was the overreaction, the ridiculous petitions and bullshit we see whenever Apple does something I addressed this - Apple's marketing is to create massive buzz and expectations with marketing like "perfection" and "magical". Of course there's going to be backlash. They revel in it. They used to market themselves as "the crazy ones". edit: also, Apple also has far bigger market mindshare than Motorola. They alone have the power to bifurcate a market into proprietary standards. With the Motorola phone, people just go "eh" and buy a Samsung. With the Apple, they're still breaking sales records.
  - lostboys67 10y ago
abpavel 10y ago
Note 7 blow rate: 0.01% IPhone 7 jackless rate: 100% If my calculations are correct, then about 10000x more people should write about Apple's jack crucifixion. Also, technology is not "ancient" just because it's 50 years old. Electric motor is over 180 years old, and that's not ancient. It's not ancient if it's used everywhere. If it's used everywhere, it's called modern.
- ajdlinux 10y ago
  Degree to which my life would be affected by losing my mobile's headphones jack - slightly above zero, courtesy of, well, owning Bluetooth headphones. To be fair, I'm sufficiently middle class that I can afford Bose QC35s, but still. Degree to which my life would be affected if my apartment burnt down - uh, lots. Now, there are plenty of other great reasons why I refuse to buy Apple products and stick with the platform that at least gives me some level of Software Freedom. Getting rid of the headphones jack? Doesn't rate particularly highly there.
  - pierrebai 10y ago
    Then you will be reassured that the number of appartment that burnt down due to Samsung Note 7 is zero. You may also appreciate that Samgsung's fiasco was unintentional, while Apple's choice was deliberate. One is a PR and product disaster, while the other is a cash grab. Conflating issues just because they happened to rival company with loud fan base is dubious.
    - stephenr 10y ago
      Well thank Jeebus it was only CARS that burnt to a pile of scrap and not apartments. I'm all turned around on the matter now.
- stephenr 10y ago
  > IPhone 7 backless rate: 100% iPhone 7 included adapter rate: 100%. If a phone blowing up is not something to be concerned with (ignoring all the Airlines and government departments telling people to turn them off while flying), then a removed audio port shouldn't even factor into your consciousness when you consider that they give you the adapter for free. > Also, technology is not "ancient" just because it's 50 years old. In the world of consumer electronics, 50 years is ancient. At the end of the day the way the 3.5mm jack is used in 2016 is the ultimate hack-on-a-hack-on-a-hack. The plugs are all the same size, but they could have anywhere from 2 to 5 contact points, depending on device type/manufacturer. It worked for a while, but at some point you have to move on, and someone has to be the first to move. As I said in another comment, Apple has always been ahead of the pack when it comes to adopting new technology and dropping legacy technology. > Electric motor is over 180 years old, and that's not ancient. It's not ancient if it's used everywhere. If it's used everywhere, it's called modern No, if its used everywhere its called "popular" or "ubiquitous". An electric motor can be modern, if it's a new/recent design. That doesn't make all electric motors modern.
Pigo 10y ago
Yes, what kind of loser still uses that ancient audio port hides headphones that don't require charging in drawer

Marazan 10y ago

That's because unless your Samsung actually blows you up there isn't a perceivable effect vs making me have to buy new headphones if I get the latest iPhone.

stephenr 10y ago
> That's because unless your Samsung actually blows you up there isn't a perceivable effect There is a real risk of the Samsung causing a great deal of damage and/or injury. It's been fucking banned by most major airlines because of the risk, and after much typical Samsung fucking about, have issued a full recall. > vs making me have to buy new headphones if I get the latest iPhone. Why. Why do you need to buy new headphones? Either you a) genuinely aren't aware they include a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box, but somehow feel the need to comment about an aspect you've apparently spent 0 seconds researching; or b) you know damn well they include an adapter and you're being disingenuous. This type of thing is exactly what I'm talking about. You downplay a literal health and safety risk "eh, it won't happen to me" but trump up complaints about "i can't use my headphones" which are not even accurate.
- GTP 10y ago
  Including the jack to lightning adapter appears to me like a contradiction: it's like saying "we remove the audio jack but we know that you need it".
  - stephenr 10y ago
    Your complaint is that they're including a free adaptor? I know its "cool" to be anti-Apple, but you're clutching at straws.
    - egeozcan 10y ago
      > I know its "cool" to be anti-Apple I sincerely doubt that someone would be anti-Apple on HN just because it's cool. What Apple is doing is a conscious choice of direction, which has a lot of potential for discussion. What Samsung did is catastrophic, yes. However, it doesn't have any depth for discussion. Yes they messed up big time, and yes the situation has been down-played, but in the end, it affects Samsung market share and the health of the poor people who got affected. Discussing the market-share of Samsung and their policies doesn't have any meaning, and for the people, you can only hope that the authorities take enough precautions. On the other hand, Apple has been making decisions, which, in the end, can affect far more many people, regardless of their usage of Apple products, in a good or bad way, for a far longer term. It is a statement, at the very least. Or maybe I'm exaggerating, that's also possible.
    - stuaxo 10y ago
      This is silly. I know me - I lose stuff, I don't need one extra thing to lose, and I am not buying lightning headphones.
    - GTP 10y ago
      No, my complain is that they're removing a standard port in favour of their own propietary alternative while they know that a lot of users would be more comfortable with the standard one. I also think that using the lightinig port has no real advantage over the audio jack but I admittedly don't know much about lightning, so maybe somebody can prove me wrong. (Removing a component from the phone isn't in my opinion an advantage because the audio jack uses a very tiny space and removing it gives you far less choices if you want to buy a new pair of headphones).
  - dexterdog 10y ago
    More like, "We know you might need it." I plug audio in quite infrequently on my Note as I use bluetooth most of the time. Kill them for introducing a new, proprietary standard for wireless audio, but not for removing the jack which in my case is just a dust magnet which frequently requires a cleanout to solve the blocked proximity sensor problem.
    - 7Z7 10y ago
      >a new, proprietary standard for wireless audio Isn't it just Bluetooth?
      - dexterdog 10y ago
        You're right. I guess the way they pitched it, given their track record I was just assuming. That being said, I'm not sure what they did that was so world-changing with wireless connectivity since I never had the bluetooth connection problems that they say everybody has.
        macintux 10y ago
        So you can switch a bluetooth device from your phone to your laptop without some weird dance? To me, that's the real magic. Pairing is obviously very slick, but being able to seamlessly transition between host devices is huge.
        dexterdog 10y ago
        With the later versions of bluetooth I don't have a problem with that. Also, we haven't seen this in the wild yet so I'll reserve judgement and praise.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
    Yep. The 3.5mm audio jack comes in the box, so they didn't really remove it, they just moved it off-device. Maybe they could move the battery off-device too and make the iPhone 8 even thinner.
- wang_li 10y ago
  > a) genuinely aren't aware they include a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box, but somehow feel the need to comment about an aspect you've apparently spent 0 seconds researching; or You've posted about the adapter multiple times now, but unless the adapter has the 3.5mm jack and a power connector allowing a person to use their head phones and charge the phone simultaneously it's not equivalent of the existing functionality.
- pbhjpbhj 10y ago
  Perhaps they plugin a battery pack when they're using their headphones? Can't just be me that does that.
- dreamcompiler 10y ago
  Samsung's bad battery does not absolve Apple of sin. Yes, I know they include an adapter. This adapter is a kludge--meaning it adds size and yet another point of failure. More important, when that adapter is used I cannot charge the phone, which means I can't use an iPhone 7 to play music in my car on long road trips. (I have an excellent car audio system, and it has no bluetooth). Without buying yet another kludgy adapter which is manifestly not in the box.
izacus 10y ago
Samsung actually blowing up also has no effect on you if you're an iPhone/iOS user and want to update your device for the ecosystem.

kalleboo 10y ago

Apple does seem to create more buzz about things in general (it's their way of marketing, for good or evil) but as for me, the Samsung issue is "Li-ion cells are volatile, sometimes there are bad batches" is not a story. We knew that.. Meanwhile, "the death of analog, open standards" is worth discussing.

stephenr 10y ago
Right. A hand-held ticking time bomb is a non-story. An ancient audio port being migrated to a $9 adapter is the end of days. > Meanwhile, "the death of analog, open standards" is worth discussing. Just like the death of the standard floppy disc. And the death of the standard optical disc. And the death of the standard parallel and serial ports. The death of the standard PS2 port. Motorola released a phone earlier this year with no analog 3.5mm jack. Where was the overreaction, the ridiculous petitions and bullshit we see whenever Apple does something?
- kalleboo 10y ago
  I could go through and refute all of your points with what I believe, but that's just proving my point - there are differing opinions on the matter so it's worth discussing. Nobody is taking the stance that Samsung batteries exploding is a Good Thing. And it's not as if the story doesn't have traction - I'm seeing jokes all over the place about exploding Samsungs. Until someone unearths a story about wilfil negligence (such as when Capacitor Plague was being caused by failed industrial espionage), there's just not much to discuss. We already had the Chinese Batteries discussion recently with the hoverboards. > Where was the overreaction, the ridiculous petitions and bullshit we see whenever Apple does something I addressed this - Apple's marketing is to create massive buzz and expectations with marketing like "perfection" and "magical". Of course there's going to be backlash. They revel in it. They used to market themselves as "the crazy ones". edit: also, Apple also has far bigger market mindshare than Motorola. They alone have the power to bifurcate a market into proprietary standards. With the Motorola phone, people just go "eh" and buy a Samsung. With the Apple, they're still breaking sales records.
- lostboys67 10y ago

abpavel 10y ago

Note 7 blow rate: 0.01% IPhone 7 jackless rate: 100% If my calculations are correct, then about 10000x more people should write about Apple's jack crucifixion. Also, technology is not "ancient" just because it's 50 years old. Electric motor is over 180 years old, and that's not ancient. It's not ancient if it's used everywhere. If it's used everywhere, it's called modern.

ajdlinux 10y ago
Degree to which my life would be affected by losing my mobile's headphones jack - slightly above zero, courtesy of, well, owning Bluetooth headphones. To be fair, I'm sufficiently middle class that I can afford Bose QC35s, but still. Degree to which my life would be affected if my apartment burnt down - uh, lots. Now, there are plenty of other great reasons why I refuse to buy Apple products and stick with the platform that at least gives me some level of Software Freedom. Getting rid of the headphones jack? Doesn't rate particularly highly there.
- pierrebai 10y ago
  Then you will be reassured that the number of appartment that burnt down due to Samsung Note 7 is zero. You may also appreciate that Samgsung's fiasco was unintentional, while Apple's choice was deliberate. One is a PR and product disaster, while the other is a cash grab. Conflating issues just because they happened to rival company with loud fan base is dubious.
  - stephenr 10y ago
    Well thank Jeebus it was only CARS that burnt to a pile of scrap and not apartments. I'm all turned around on the matter now.
stephenr 10y ago
> IPhone 7 backless rate: 100% iPhone 7 included adapter rate: 100%. If a phone blowing up is not something to be concerned with (ignoring all the Airlines and government departments telling people to turn them off while flying), then a removed audio port shouldn't even factor into your consciousness when you consider that they give you the adapter for free. > Also, technology is not "ancient" just because it's 50 years old. In the world of consumer electronics, 50 years is ancient. At the end of the day the way the 3.5mm jack is used in 2016 is the ultimate hack-on-a-hack-on-a-hack. The plugs are all the same size, but they could have anywhere from 2 to 5 contact points, depending on device type/manufacturer. It worked for a while, but at some point you have to move on, and someone has to be the first to move. As I said in another comment, Apple has always been ahead of the pack when it comes to adopting new technology and dropping legacy technology. > Electric motor is over 180 years old, and that's not ancient. It's not ancient if it's used everywhere. If it's used everywhere, it's called modern No, if its used everywhere its called "popular" or "ubiquitous". An electric motor can be modern, if it's a new/recent design. That doesn't make all electric motors modern.

Pigo 10y ago

Yes, what kind of loser still uses that ancient audio port hides headphones that don't require charging in drawer