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I'm a bit flabbergasted by all the "wow this person just wasted all his free time fixing a nonexistent problem instead of just getting an iPhone" on Hacker News

I'm a bit flabbergasted by all the "wow this person just wasted all his free time fixing a nonexistent problem instead of just getting an iPhone" on Hacker News of all places. Yes there's an ideological bent to the whole exercise but that's precisely the kind of passion you need to deep dive into creating your own audio device over a minor annoyance. Yes it's clunky and expensive to maintain but you have to admire the commitment and technical expertise to build a working product from scratch.. It was an entertaining read and I'm sure a good mental jog for the author.

vikingcaffiene 8y ago
Its not that he spent the time and effort to do it. I personally took exception the sentiment that iPhone owners are somehow less competent or capable simply because they would rather spend their time solving problems other than listening to music on headphones.
genericone 8y ago
There's a lot of smart and well-off people on HN that are not tinkerers. This article scratches the itch for tinkerers who could envision walking through the described steps themselves. On the flip side, this would be a non-problem to others, simply purchase the other thing and stop griping about manufacturer's cent-saving BOM hacks. Anyway, if the problem becomes big enough, some individual/organization will see the market opportunity somewhere, hopefully.
ummonk 8y ago
If he had just said "I want a phone I can tinker with, so the iPhone doesn't fit the bill", no one would object. The problem is his claim that Apple is a symbol of pretentiousness and ignorance, simply because it provides convenience and out-of-the-box usability without needing to know how it works. Most people don't tinker for a living / hobby, and thus don't have the luxury of spending large amounts of their valuable time figuring out how the device works and tinkering with it. Not understanding this actually a sign of pretentiousness and ignorance.
- flocial 8y ago
  Thank you and others for pointing that out. I can see how a blanket insult that would unintentionally fit many Hacker News users would lead to a pile on. I've been on an iPhone forever but I've stopped considering it and Apple part of my identity. It was such an extreme statement in an otherwise interesting article that I took it as humor to be honest.
- shaklee3 8y ago
  That's a stretch. You picked a single feature and use that to say Apple provides better out of the box useability. Google/Android are better than Apple at most things that matter, including photos and maps.

vikingcaffiene 8y ago

Its not that he spent the time and effort to do it. I personally took exception the sentiment that iPhone owners are somehow less competent or capable simply because they would rather spend their time solving problems other than listening to music on headphones.

genericone 8y ago

There's a lot of smart and well-off people on HN that are not tinkerers. This article scratches the itch for tinkerers who could envision walking through the described steps themselves. On the flip side, this would be a non-problem to others, simply purchase the other thing and stop griping about manufacturer's cent-saving BOM hacks. Anyway, if the problem becomes big enough, some individual/organization will see the market opportunity somewhere, hopefully.

ummonk 8y ago

If he had just said "I want a phone I can tinker with, so the iPhone doesn't fit the bill", no one would object. The problem is his claim that Apple is a symbol of pretentiousness and ignorance, simply because it provides convenience and out-of-the-box usability without needing to know how it works. Most people don't tinker for a living / hobby, and thus don't have the luxury of spending large amounts of their valuable time figuring out how the device works and tinkering with it. Not understanding this actually a sign of pretentiousness and ignorance.

flocial 8y ago
Thank you and others for pointing that out. I can see how a blanket insult that would unintentionally fit many Hacker News users would lead to a pile on. I've been on an iPhone forever but I've stopped considering it and Apple part of my identity. It was such an extreme statement in an otherwise interesting article that I took it as humor to be honest.
shaklee3 8y ago
That's a stretch. You picked a single feature and use that to say Apple provides better out of the box useability. Google/Android are better than Apple at most things that matter, including photos and maps.