4 ms·

I do not understand how this benefits anyone except the "must be thinner" fetishists. With Apple it was their usual form-over-function problem, which is at leas

I do not understand how this benefits anyone except the "must be thinner" fetishists. With Apple it was their usual form-over-function problem, which is at least what we expect from Apple, but why would Google follow suit?

lfam 9y ago
The benefit of removing an analog audio output is that you can control what sort of device may play some audio. I am not looking forward to the new world of music DRM.
- wl 9y ago
  I can't see how this is a DRM play. With HDMI, it's not as if you could easily capture the FPD-Link signals after the video had been decrypted. With digital audio, you still have to drive a two terminal analog transducer. It's trivial to turn a signal for driving a speaker into something that can be recorded with an audio interface.
  - lfam 9y ago
    > It's trivial to turn a signal for driving a speaker into something that can be recorded with an audio interface. In theory, yes, it's trivial. But it's not trivial to 99.9% of people that listen to music. Also, I don't think it will be about preventing the re-recording of the music. Nobody wants to keep a music library anymore, just as nobody keeps a movie library. Is the music industry really losing money to "pirates" anymore? The DRM will be used to control which devices you can listen to music on. As Jay-Z's last album was only available on his streaming service, I predict that the next gimmick will be that you can only listen on his headphones.
    - wl 9y ago
      It's trivial for anyone who would try to use the analog hole to begin with.
cschep 9y ago
just to play devil's advocate.. you don't see how it benefits people that use wireless headphones and are glad the phone has more space inside for say.. memory/battery/dissipating heat for a faster chip, etc? we technologists have a very weird love/hate with progress. deep need to revolutionize and move forward and make progress and not do what our parents did and then.. they touch the wrong port and OH MY GOD :)
- xg15 9y ago
  Yet memory, battery, heat, etc are vague, quite technical arguments while 99% of headphones not working is a decidedly non-technical argument.
- tensor 9y ago
  So my car doesn't have bluetooth. I use a headphone adapter thing. I had a bluetooth one that failed after less then a year and was quite expensive. My option I guess is to play the roulette and buy another bluetooth adapter brand hoping it works better? Or maybe people think I should buy a new car? Obviously I need to buy new headphones, which sucks because mine are nice. And then these bluetooth headphones run out of batteries frequently, you need to remember to charge them, batteries don't usually last more than 3-4 years either so you are rebuying all your headphones every 3-4 years now? I'm all for improved technology, but for me this is a step strictly backwards. It doesn't improve quality, it's far less convenient, and far more expensive.
  - bliss 9y ago
    Apple's phone comes with a little adapter to connect up a 3.5mm jack - can't charge at the same time though, but I'm pretty sure there are solutions for that, with a bit of dongle juggling - which would be not too bad a solution in a semi-permanent place like your car
  - bliss 9y ago
    Apple's phone comes with a little adapter to connect up a 3.5mm jack - can't charge at the same time though, but I'm pretty sure there are solutions for that, with a bit of dongle juggling - which would be not too bad a solution in a semi-permanent place like your car
tedunangst 9y ago
Google can have courage too!
tomc1985 9y ago
"Thinner is better" is a red herring used to justify a variety of disruptive and OEM-control-enhancing "improvements", of which Apple is leading the charge. One day we're all going to look back at open, ubiquitous standards wistfully, because they've all been consumed by capitalist dipshits.
vinkelhake 9y ago
I was rummaging through a bin of outdated tech the other day looking for something. I found an old iPod Nano (3rd gen I think). That thing is smaller and thinner than any smartphone and still packs a headphone jack. The 'thinness' argument is bogus.

lfam 9y ago

The benefit of removing an analog audio output is that you can control what sort of device may play some audio. I am not looking forward to the new world of music DRM.

wl 9y ago
I can't see how this is a DRM play. With HDMI, it's not as if you could easily capture the FPD-Link signals after the video had been decrypted. With digital audio, you still have to drive a two terminal analog transducer. It's trivial to turn a signal for driving a speaker into something that can be recorded with an audio interface.
- lfam 9y ago
  > It's trivial to turn a signal for driving a speaker into something that can be recorded with an audio interface. In theory, yes, it's trivial. But it's not trivial to 99.9% of people that listen to music. Also, I don't think it will be about preventing the re-recording of the music. Nobody wants to keep a music library anymore, just as nobody keeps a movie library. Is the music industry really losing money to "pirates" anymore? The DRM will be used to control which devices you can listen to music on. As Jay-Z's last album was only available on his streaming service, I predict that the next gimmick will be that you can only listen on his headphones.
  - wl 9y ago
    It's trivial for anyone who would try to use the analog hole to begin with.

cschep 9y ago

just to play devil's advocate.. you don't see how it benefits people that use wireless headphones and are glad the phone has more space inside for say.. memory/battery/dissipating heat for a faster chip, etc? we technologists have a very weird love/hate with progress. deep need to revolutionize and move forward and make progress and not do what our parents did and then.. they touch the wrong port and OH MY GOD :)

xg15 9y ago
Yet memory, battery, heat, etc are vague, quite technical arguments while 99% of headphones not working is a decidedly non-technical argument.
tensor 9y ago
So my car doesn't have bluetooth. I use a headphone adapter thing. I had a bluetooth one that failed after less then a year and was quite expensive. My option I guess is to play the roulette and buy another bluetooth adapter brand hoping it works better? Or maybe people think I should buy a new car? Obviously I need to buy new headphones, which sucks because mine are nice. And then these bluetooth headphones run out of batteries frequently, you need to remember to charge them, batteries don't usually last more than 3-4 years either so you are rebuying all your headphones every 3-4 years now? I'm all for improved technology, but for me this is a step strictly backwards. It doesn't improve quality, it's far less convenient, and far more expensive.
- bliss 9y ago
  Apple's phone comes with a little adapter to connect up a 3.5mm jack - can't charge at the same time though, but I'm pretty sure there are solutions for that, with a bit of dongle juggling - which would be not too bad a solution in a semi-permanent place like your car
- bliss 9y ago
  Apple's phone comes with a little adapter to connect up a 3.5mm jack - can't charge at the same time though, but I'm pretty sure there are solutions for that, with a bit of dongle juggling - which would be not too bad a solution in a semi-permanent place like your car

tedunangst 9y ago

Google can have courage too!

tomc1985 9y ago

"Thinner is better" is a red herring used to justify a variety of disruptive and OEM-control-enhancing "improvements", of which Apple is leading the charge. One day we're all going to look back at open, ubiquitous standards wistfully, because they've all been consumed by capitalist dipshits.

vinkelhake 9y ago

I was rummaging through a bin of outdated tech the other day looking for something. I found an old iPod Nano (3rd gen I think). That thing is smaller and thinner than any smartphone and still packs a headphone jack. The 'thinness' argument is bogus.