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The only issue I see is that iPhones aren't using USB C, at least not yet. If you go out and buy a new android smartphone and a new laptop right now, there's a

The only issue I see is that iPhones aren't using USB C, at least not yet. If you go out and buy a new android smartphone and a new laptop right now, there's a pretty high chance that they will both have USB C. You can then use a reasonably priced USB C -> 3.5mm adapater with a DAC (the Google one is only 9 dollars, and your phone will probably come with one of these) and use your headphones with either device. In the past, laptops/desktops and smartphones/mp3 players didn't share any ports aside from the 3.5mm analog port. Now, they're going to share a USB C port so there's no longer as much of a need for the 3.5mm port. In the near future, I expect many more headphones to come with their own USB C adapter or to forgo the 3.5mm jack entirely. In the medium to far future, I expect Apple will replace the lightning port with USB C and from that point on, including a 3.5mm port on something will make about as much sense as any other legacy port that most people no longer care about. The exception will probably be professional audio equipment, which I expect will keep analog ports around forever because it actually makes sense in that field.

tjoff 9y ago
Why? Oh, and why shouldn't I be able to charge and listen to music at the same time? I need another adapter for that? Adapters are an insane solution to a non-problem.
- wilsonnb 9y ago
  I'm not sure what you're asking why too - I will go ahead and assume you're asking why analog ports make sense for professional audio. The answer to that is partially because there is a huge culture of analog being superior to anything digital in parts of the field, and doing live signal processing on an analog signal being cheaper than digital. For most recording purposes, the sound is recorded and turned into a digital signal almost immediately. However, for live sound, a lot of places still use analog compressors, equalizers, reverb, and other effects because they're cheaper than the good sounding digital counterparts and easier to troubleshoot. If that wasn't what you were asking why too, feel free to specify what you were asking about and I'll give answering that a shot too. > Oh, and why shouldn't I be able to charge and listen to music at the same time? I need another adapter for that? The answer to this is pretty simple, I think. Most people just don't charge their phone and listen to music with the headphone jack at the same time very often. Obviously, for those who do this will be an inconvenience but for most people who charge their phone every night and don't listen to insane amounts of music this will never be a problem. Even if Apple were to put a second port on the next iPhone, it would make much more sense to put a second lightning port instead of a headphone jack. Then people could listen to music and charge, or do any number of other things and charge at the same time. In a perfect world they would put a lightning and a USB C as the start to their transition to USB C iPhones, but I can't see Apple doing that.
  - tjoff 9y ago
    Why I would ever want to listen to music through the USB C port. There is no benefit and there are tons of decade old devices still being used that use 3.5mm. There is no reason to change. > The answer to this is pretty simple, I think. Most people just don't charge their phone and listen to music with the headphone jack at the same time very often. Quite common during work. Or when traveling, airports, trains etc. do have USB ports for charging.
    - wilsonnb 9y ago
      One reason is that you can get a higher quality DAC/headphone amp if you use USB C. Something like this (https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-DragonFly-Black-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B01DP5JHHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517505623&sr=8-1&keywords=firefly+dac https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-DragonFly-Black-Headphone-...) is needed to drive high end headphones and might mid-quality headphones sound better. I don't think that the average person will want to use USB C or lightning instead of a headphone jack, but I also don't think the average person will care about it. Because their phone probably came with a dongle and/or lightning/usbC headphones, it will probably be a pretty similar experience to before the headphone jack was removed. I personally am in favor of a single port replacing as many other ports as possible. I'm not really sure why, but I like the idea of one port to rule them all. > Quite common during work. Or when traveling, airports, trains etc. do have USB ports for charging. I agree that some people will be affected by not being able to charge and listen at the same time. Those who are traveling are probably the best example. Now that most phones have enough battery life for a day and then some of typical usage, and can fast charge to 50% in less than 45 minutes, the number of people affected is small enough for Apple, Google, and other companies to ignore. Much like they ignore people who could use a VGA port on their laptop for their presentations. A good number of people are affected by not having a VGA port, but not enough for it to matter.
      - tjoff 9y ago
        Regarding DACs, sure, that is quite the niche that I might be part of one day. But that does not in any way reduce the need nor the usefulness of the headphone jack. I buy into "one port for everything", but headphone jacks will probably outlive usb-c. The stereo right beside me is 15 years old (nothing special but nothing wrong with it either) and the one I just bought will probably be used for way more than 30 years. They both have headphone jacks, none of them have usb-c. It monumentally moronic to have headphones that only work with certain types of devices, especially for no good reason. My car stereo is so old it doesn't even have an AUX input and I'm eventually gonna replace it solely for the reason of gaining an AUX input. There is no way that you can convince me that removing the headphone jack is nothing but a travesty.

tjoff 9y ago

Why? Oh, and why shouldn't I be able to charge and listen to music at the same time? I need another adapter for that? Adapters are an insane solution to a non-problem.

wilsonnb 9y ago
I'm not sure what you're asking why too - I will go ahead and assume you're asking why analog ports make sense for professional audio. The answer to that is partially because there is a huge culture of analog being superior to anything digital in parts of the field, and doing live signal processing on an analog signal being cheaper than digital. For most recording purposes, the sound is recorded and turned into a digital signal almost immediately. However, for live sound, a lot of places still use analog compressors, equalizers, reverb, and other effects because they're cheaper than the good sounding digital counterparts and easier to troubleshoot. If that wasn't what you were asking why too, feel free to specify what you were asking about and I'll give answering that a shot too. > Oh, and why shouldn't I be able to charge and listen to music at the same time? I need another adapter for that? The answer to this is pretty simple, I think. Most people just don't charge their phone and listen to music with the headphone jack at the same time very often. Obviously, for those who do this will be an inconvenience but for most people who charge their phone every night and don't listen to insane amounts of music this will never be a problem. Even if Apple were to put a second port on the next iPhone, it would make much more sense to put a second lightning port instead of a headphone jack. Then people could listen to music and charge, or do any number of other things and charge at the same time. In a perfect world they would put a lightning and a USB C as the start to their transition to USB C iPhones, but I can't see Apple doing that.
- tjoff 9y ago
  Why I would ever want to listen to music through the USB C port. There is no benefit and there are tons of decade old devices still being used that use 3.5mm. There is no reason to change. > The answer to this is pretty simple, I think. Most people just don't charge their phone and listen to music with the headphone jack at the same time very often. Quite common during work. Or when traveling, airports, trains etc. do have USB ports for charging.
  - wilsonnb 9y ago
    One reason is that you can get a higher quality DAC/headphone amp if you use USB C. Something like this (https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-DragonFly-Black-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B01DP5JHHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517505623&sr=8-1&keywords=firefly+dac https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-DragonFly-Black-Headphone-...) is needed to drive high end headphones and might mid-quality headphones sound better. I don't think that the average person will want to use USB C or lightning instead of a headphone jack, but I also don't think the average person will care about it. Because their phone probably came with a dongle and/or lightning/usbC headphones, it will probably be a pretty similar experience to before the headphone jack was removed. I personally am in favor of a single port replacing as many other ports as possible. I'm not really sure why, but I like the idea of one port to rule them all. > Quite common during work. Or when traveling, airports, trains etc. do have USB ports for charging. I agree that some people will be affected by not being able to charge and listen at the same time. Those who are traveling are probably the best example. Now that most phones have enough battery life for a day and then some of typical usage, and can fast charge to 50% in less than 45 minutes, the number of people affected is small enough for Apple, Google, and other companies to ignore. Much like they ignore people who could use a VGA port on their laptop for their presentations. A good number of people are affected by not having a VGA port, but not enough for it to matter.
    - tjoff 9y ago
      Regarding DACs, sure, that is quite the niche that I might be part of one day. But that does not in any way reduce the need nor the usefulness of the headphone jack. I buy into "one port for everything", but headphone jacks will probably outlive usb-c. The stereo right beside me is 15 years old (nothing special but nothing wrong with it either) and the one I just bought will probably be used for way more than 30 years. They both have headphone jacks, none of them have usb-c. It monumentally moronic to have headphones that only work with certain types of devices, especially for no good reason. My car stereo is so old it doesn't even have an AUX input and I'm eventually gonna replace it solely for the reason of gaining an AUX input. There is no way that you can convince me that removing the headphone jack is nothing but a travesty.