9 ms·

Two years later, I still miss the headphone port

164 points by sahin 8y ago

rcarmo 8y ago
I made the transition to Bluetooth long before the headphone jack became an endangered species (in fact, back when SonyEricsson was still a thing), and have fared well, with one exception: iOS music/synth apps have varying latency issues with Bluetooth, which means I will need an USB audio adapter sometime in the future. But for general entertainment purposes, I’m fine. Not being an audiophile, I can still say that using the right Bluetooth DAC makes a world of difference, and that you may need to go a bit upmarket for good sounding headphones, but the price differential falls more on the side of the hardware than the DAC. (Higher-specked headphones are often dual wireless/wired models, too)
largehotcoffee 8y ago
Two years later, and I honestly forgot they removed it. The lack of a headphone port hasn't impacted my daily life at all.
- mrexroad 8y ago
  Yep, I was a bit confused earlier today why my wife was looking for wired headphones—-that is, until I got on an airplane and realized I can’t use my AirPods with the inflight entertainment system. At this point, I’d rather go without entertainment than carry around anything more than AirPods (or equalavent). I know it probably sounds pretty smug, but I use my AirPods ~5-10x more on average than I did wired headphones.
  - Jedd 8y ago
    > At this point, I’d rather go without entertainment than carry around anything more than AirPods... This, and parents' comment, is pretty much the archetype of misunderstanding the point being made by tfa and other 'I want the headphone port back' argument. We all understand some people are happy without a headphone jack. That's fine. You guys can use a headphone jacked phone with low quality Bluetooth audio just fine, but we can't use a non headphone jacked phone at all -- hence the feeling of brutally enforced unfairness.
    - somebadguy 8y ago
      Except you can use a phone without a headphone jack. It’s one dongle Stop being so dramatic.
    - vict00ms 8y ago
      > with low quality Bluetooth audio I'm not an audiophile but I don't think the cheap DACs in most phones are in any way superior to the quality that Bluetooth delivers these days.
      - Jedd 8y ago
        Not an audiophile either, and only a vague understanding of sbc, aptx, etc ... however the quality issue for me is more around the overall bt audio experience than just the sound reproduction.
  - c1sc0 8y ago
    I second the AirPods sentiment. I feel naked without them. I still have a 6S and the thought of plugging in seems barbaric. Such a great product!
  - mordant 8y ago
    Why use the in-flight entertainment system when you can bring your own entertainment on your phone or tablet?
    - nradov 8y ago
      Because it's free, the screen is larger, and you don't have to remember to download something in advance.
- conradfr 8y ago
  Keeping it would also have not impacted your life.
miles_matthias 8y ago
Don't care one bit about this. Whatsoever.
- seattle_spring 8y ago
  Then don't comment. Just because you don't give a shit about sound quality doesn't mean others don't either. Enjoy your bluetooth Beats.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
courtneyfyi 8y ago
It feels in tone like the "I'll miss VCR" stuff that went around in 2016 all over again. A little over dramatic given the difference. https://www.wired.com/2016/07/vcr-officially-dead-well-never-forget/ https://www.wired.com/2016/07/vcr-officially-dead-well-never...
- blhack 8y ago
  There were good, ubiquitous replacements for VCRs when DVD players came out. This would be like if Sony stopped selling VCRs in 1998 when they just happened to own the patent on blu ray, and a major movie studio. Actually it's exactly what Sony tried to do with minidisc, except it worked.
  - rahoulb 8y ago
    Not really. I use Bluetooth headphones - they are branded but not a major brand (in fact a company known for something else). Bluetooth is pretty ubiquitous and has been for a decade. The charging case means I have to recharge them every ten days or so (so I don’t worry about it), the sound quality is good enough and I don’t get tangled any more. The only disadvantage is switching between multiple devices can be a bit fiddly at times - which is where AirPods do come into their own.
- mnl 8y ago
  Not really, let's see: You have two analogue ears and a smartphone, the traditional and cheaper way is to put the DACs and the battery inside the smartphone and then feed two passive impedances using 4 wires. So far, so good: it makes sense, it works, most people are happy with it. And then there's the overengineered way that enables some companies to sell a much more expensive product with greater margins: let's replace those cheap speakers with two tiny computers. Each one of them needs its own DAC, its own battery and its own Bluetooth antenna. Now you have to recharge these marvels of technology after a few hours and maybe worry about pairing because Bluetooth is what it is. You still carry your smartphone around plus a charging station for your shiny new toys, which only can sound worse than what you used before someone convinced you it was obsolete because they said it was.
blhack 8y ago
Complete agreement from me here. I refuse to buy a phone without a headphone jack. It's such a simple thing, but it represents such a middle finger to consumers that it's enough for me to say no. My iPhone 6s is fine. An older pixel will be fine too as soon as I figure out how to ditch iMessage. This actually feels a lot like how Facebook seems to intentionally cripple their mobile site to try and get me to install their app so they can have more of my info. It's inconveniencing me very deliberately to try and hold my convenience hostage.
- sys_64738 8y ago
  I'm sticking with the 6S myself due to lack of headphone jack. I estimate I'll keep the 6S another 4-5 years as there's longevity in these devices I feel. Not sure what I'd do at that point because I think the iPhone in general is great.
  - blhack 8y ago
    Friendly reminder to go get your battery replaced before the end of the year!
  - imron 8y ago
    I had a 1st gen iPhone for 5 years, and currently have a 4s that I've been using for 5-6 years (I only replace my phones when my current one stops working). There's longevity in the devices, but not as much longevity in the software. Each update gets slower than the last and then you stop getting updates at all.
- autokad 8y ago
  I'm sticking with my 6 SE until its no longer feasible.
- a11595 8y ago
  no one intentionally cripples anything. what you are saying is you want lack of choice in the marketplace, and everyone should conform to your usecase. I got a pixel2 xl. like my dell, it charges via usb-c. a have a bt headset I use for both the laptop and the phone. The lack of cable, especially when I travel and sleep on a plane with music playing, is important. That 1mm of saved space? I'll take it - I wouldn't be using the headphone port anywise. You - go buy any of the hundreds of phones with the heaphone port you want. No one is stopping you. They're not crippling anything. They just don't care about you not buying their product, because when I looked to buy mine, I specifically looked for phones with just a usb-c port. like my laptop. for every one of you, there are one of me (probably more). Do you complain a lexus is not good for moving couches? Or do you buy something else? Your line of reasoning is the middle finger to the consumer. What Google and Apple did are what I, their consumer wants.
syntheticnature 8y ago
> Oh, wait: now I want to listen to music while I fall asleep, but also charge my phone so it’s not dead in the morning. That’s a different, more expensive splitter dongle (many of which, I’ve found, are poorly made garbage). Or a wireless charging pad plus regular adapter. (I'm a fine one to talk; I have an OG Pixel, and I use my headphone jack entirely for the headset functionality when doing a conference call while remote. A sub-$10 wired headset gets the job done... for now)
- blhack 8y ago
  Yeah but that wireless charger should be an added convenience, not an anti-user move to get you to buy more crap. It feels like a recent thing to me, but companies (especially tech companies) have gone from: "We will make the best product we can, and you will pay us for it." (Or perhaps some graph where marginal profit is the highest) To "We will make the worst product we can get away with making because you don't have a choice." The focus seems to have gone from what customers want to what customers will tolerate.
ferros 8y ago
There is no reason to miss the headphone port unless cost is the main factor.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
chasing 8y ago
No shit. It’s bizarre that I can’t use my headphones and charge at the same time. It’s bizarre that I have to carry around an adapter (or two sets of headphones) when I work because my MacBook and iPhone have different headphone jacks. I’m generally happy with Apple’s products, but this choice leaves me baffled.
- sinstein 8y ago
  Yes yes yes. The removal of the headphone jack was a decision I could have lived with, but this, that the same set of accessories cannot be used with all their products is just such an irritant. I have no idea what they are trying to accomplish with such inconsistent design choices. The absolute kicker: You cannot charge Apple's flagship smartphone with Apple's flagship laptop without an adapter that does not come bundled with either of the two!
- mustacheemperor 8y ago
  I’m disappointed we got the touchbar instead of an integrated wireless charging component in the MacBook Pro. If it’s technically feasible, it’d be so convenient to charge my phone by putting it on top of my laptop.
  - a11595 8y ago
    just get a usb charging mat and plug it into your laptop. then take a look at how big it is. then add that size to your laptop. then ask yourself if this 15% bigger laptop is something all the other people want, or would they rather have more battery/cpu/ram for that 15% of space. They probably won't. But they don't want the wireless charger in that space either. They want the smaller laptop.
- LeoPanthera 8y ago
  > No shit. It’s bizarre that I can’t use my headphones and charge at the same time. I agree that it's annoying, but you can if you use a Qi charger.
rurp 8y ago
Ditching the headphone port is a great example of the form over function mindset that I find so grating about much of the tech industry. I don't care about flashy or gimmicky changes, I just want things to work and work well. FWIW, I use the port on my phone regularly and love never having to give it a second thought. Removing the port was the biggest reason I did not replace my old Nexus with a new Pixel. I'm just one person and am guessing the port is doomed sooner rather than later, but at least for now I can put my money where my mouth is.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- sir_brickalot 8y ago
  >put my money where my mouth is I wonder if it is enough to NOT buy a device for a certain reason... How does the neglected company know why you didn't buy their device? Especially if you actually want that device and there is only one reason why you decide against it. Maybe it is necessary to give ones opinion a voice and give feedback to those neglected companies. (Or a petition?).
tmwed 8y ago
the cost of being on the edge of technology is the inconvenience you will encounter. this "article" (if you can call it that, feels fitting to a blog) doesnt really touch on anything meaningful. The author echos the same tirades that we've seen since the announcement of the iPhone X.
- irrational 8y ago
  How can it be the "edge of technology" two years later? Not being able to charge and use wired headphones concurrently is still a major issue for me.
  - max76 8y ago
    If the issue is major then I suggest specialized dongles, wireless headphones, or a wireless charging station.
sinstein 8y ago
Really confused about Apple's recent design choices. You cannot charge Apple's flagship smartphone with Apple's flagship laptop without an adapter that does not come bundled with either of the two!
- richardwhiuk 8y ago
  Huh? You can charge an iPhone over USB and their latest laptop includes USB?
  - irrational 8y ago
    usb-c. But iphones don't come with usb-c adapters.
  - plorkyeran 8y ago
    Neither the phone nor the laptop comes with a Lightning -> USB-C cable.
  - schreiaj 8y ago
    iPhones ship with lightning to usb a. The latest MacBook pros only possess type c ports.
  - _asummers 8y ago
    Macbook Pros have USB-C and the latest iPhones have the Thunderbolt charging port. Critically however, the non phone end of the included charging cable is not USB-C, so you need an adapter or different cable to charge it.
    - richardwhiuk 8y ago
      Ah, I'd forgotten that they only included USB C, and it's not backwards compatible. Thanks for the correction!
- pureliquidhw 8y ago
  My thoughts are that they did this to force less savvy individuals deeper into the ecosystem. Joe Consumer will buy an iPhone, AirPods, and Mac Pro without thinking, and iCloud will manage the syncing, and the nightly charge most users require will happen overnight next to their bed. They'll never miss the iphone->mac cable because they'll never need it. Same with the headphone jack. I really miss the 3.5" port, but I get why Apple did it. It's consumer unfriendly, but good for business.
ryanchoi 8y ago
I definitely care more than the average person, but all things considered I prefer my wired IEMs over over-ear wireless headphones, or today's chunky earbuds that need to be charged too often for my liking (and/or their charging cases, to be exact). Same reason I didn't get into smart watches, the pros were outweighed by the cons. But like wireless gaming-grade mice, I think we'll get there with audio. I'm the meantime I'll be keeping an eye out for the 3.5" jack in the future, I guess. I do think that it's very convenient to not fiddle with wires, but I like the choice I have now: Preferred shape/sound, vs all the friction associated with wires (sorry ;). The way I see it, if wireless is here to stay, my situation should only last until someone comes up with a wireless product that I like more than today's lineup. It's just that I prefer my wired setup for the time being!
- hug 8y ago
  As a possible solution, you can buy a pair of IEMs with MMCX connectors and a bluetooth MMCX cable. This is the route I went with my Shure SE315s that I use while I'm on my motorcycle, and it works pretty flawlessly for me.
irrational 8y ago
So true. The fact that they still don't have a solution that allows for concurrent charging and wired headphone use is crazy. I've tried wireless headphones and have found all of them lacking. The two big issues are they are never charged when I need them to be and they don't pair/sync without a lot of fiddling.
- cpach 8y ago
  Isn’t that possible with iPhone 8 and never? AFAIK you can use wireless charging and still use the Lightning port for your headphones.
  - vinni2 8y ago
    As a side note, one thing that I hate about wireless charging is I can’t use the phone while charging.
    - cpach 8y ago
      Good point. Would probably irritate me as well (currently using iPhone 7).
jstewartmobile 8y ago
I miss people having a modicum of self-control and a mild tolerance for personal sacrifice. Just buy a shitphone with a headphone jack. They exist! I have one. You'll live. Apple will get the message. Problem solved.
epistasis 8y ago
It's worth pointing out just how absolutely terrible the Bluetooth experience that AirPods provide in comparison to being able to simply plug in headphones. When I put on my AirPods, I have no clue how long it's actually going to take until I can listen to my phone through them. Even when going into the output selection, and tapping the AirPods (it they even show up), I never know how long it's going to take. Many times, after 40-60 seconds of waiting for the damn things to finally connect, I put them back in their case, wait a few seconds, and then put them back in, hoping that resets whatever silly and incompetent Bluetooth implementation that prevents pairing. They are really really terrible when it comes to connecting, just awful awful things. So infuriating. Yet, what else am I going to do in the Apple ecosystem? Apple provides no other option. Steve Jobs would not have put up with quality this poor. The executive team should be ashamed of shipping stuff like this.
- hug 8y ago
  We have opposite experiences, to the point where I actually wonder if you have a defective set of AirPods. The process for me, on every single one of my Apple devices, is: 1. Put AirPods in ears. 2. Hit play. There's no step #3. I do honestly wonder how our experiences differ so greatly. For me, it's at the point where AirPods are more seamless than my IEMs, because instead of having to fiddle about untangling the damn cable, I just pop them in my ears and go. As far as I know everyone I know with AirPods has the same experience as me. Perhaps you should take yours back to an Apple store.
  - votepaunchy 8y ago
    Before heading to an Apple Store try resetting the AirPods and repairing. Takes less than a minute. Mine were acting flaky after a year of daily use and this seemed to solve the problem.
  - epistasis 8y ago
    I've reset them several times. It's important to point out that it's not every time. It's maybe 5% of the time, which is enough that I can never trust that they will actually connect. And the unusual, time consuming experience is the infuriating one that dominates the amount of time I spend thinking about the product. It's also somewhat inconsistent between the sides, the left bud is somewhat less reliable than the right one. I have some feeling that it may be some interaction with the MacBook Pro, which has some sort of weird interaction with the iCloud account such that pairings sync between iPhone and MacBook.
scarface74 8y ago
It amazes me that now eight years later that everyone seems to agree that not supporting Flash was a good idea - like the article did- but for years after the iPhone and iPad were introduce, people were complaining that Apple’s wall garden was hurting consumers that wanted Flash. https://techcrunch.com/2010/02/18/jobs-flash-will-murder-the-ipad-really-now-lets-be-realistic/ https://techcrunch.com/2010/02/18/jobs-flash-will-murder-the... People were also complaining about Apple ditching the floppy and the CD ROM Drive.
- themodelplumber 8y ago
  Ah, Flash...I still can't show my kids how cool Orsinal was without annoying runarounds :-(
- krisgenre 8y ago
  Floppy drives were dropped at a time when CDs were quite popular and the 1.44MB(or 3.xx?) of storage was obsolete. The same with CDs (pen drives became cheaper and were reusable). That's not the case with headphones. Bluetooth headphones are not only costlier but the sound quality too sucks.
- addicted 8y ago
  It’s not comparable at all. Flash wasn’t an open standard and was a pretty poor standard at that. The main reason it wasn’t supported on the iPhone was that it was never designed to be used by touch devices. The headphone jack is open, widely used, its design has been validated over decades of use, and is widespread. Just yesterday I was the only person at an event who was able to play some custom music our family wanted to hear because my iPhone 6 was the only phone with a headphone jack that could then drive music to the DJ’s professional setup.
  - scarface74 8y ago
    The headphone jack is open, widely used, its design has been validated over decades of use, and is widespread. As was the floppy and CD drive... Just yesterday I was the only person at an event who was able to play some custom music our family wanted to hear because my iPhone 6 was the only phone with a headphone* And until last year, my parents didn’t have a single TV that could support HDMI for my boys’ game systems. Does that mean Sony and MS should still support RCA output?
WheelsAtLarge 8y ago
Why are people still fighting the headphone issue? Whatever Apple says they made a decision to get rid of it not for the sake of the user but to sell more gadgets to the user. As long as they make a marginal profit with the new headphones vs the old headphone port ones they will not go back. Given that most people aren't protesting by not buying the new phones then Apples has no reason to go back on their decision. Yup, in a few years, the port will be as rare as vacuum tubes in electronics. Nope, the port is not coming back. It's best to accept that and move on.
- walterbell 8y ago
  Touch ID is coming back. 2018 iPhones are being discounted. The upcoming iPad Mini Pro is rumored to include a headphone jack.
  - zapzupnz 8y ago
    > Touch ID is coming back Touch ID never left… still around on the 2018 iPad (non-Pro) and the MacBook Pro/MacBook Air, but then the 2018 iPad is the budget version of the iPad line, and Face ID wouldn’t work on MacBooks because people don’t hold the front camera up to their faces the same way that people hold iPhones or iPads.
    - walterbell 8y ago
      It's rumored to be returning to iPhones via in-display sensor, as that technology matures.
      - zapzupnz 8y ago
        I doubt the technology matters to Apple anymore. They've found a better solution and have already made their stance clear that Face ID is the future for iOS devices.
kentbrew 8y ago
Headphone jack, escape key, Magsafe adapter.
NikolaNovak 8y ago
I never see an argument from consumers who agree with the removal more comprehensive than "well I don't need it so it shouldn't exist". There is no value to consumer in the option for 3.5mm jack not existing on their phone. The phones are not thinner, they are not cheaper, and they do not have better battery life. A phone with 3.5mm will do Bluetooth just as well. So on what grounds is this decision defended? Whatever the portion of audience that benefits from it, what is the motivation from those who don't need the jack to so gleefully deny it to those who do need the jack? I can list any number of reasons for why 3.5 jack makes my family's life easier - but why do I have to? Given it doesn't cost you anything, why not give it to me? --- Reason why I like the option for 3.5 headphones and headset even though I don't always use it Cheap quality headsets. I do hours of concalls and lots of travel. I have cheap wired headsets everywhere - at home, in office, in car, in backpack. They all sound better, on average, than any Bluetooth because they sound great always. Sooner or later any participant with Bluetooth will go digital or wonky and delay us all while hey reconnect or just remove the darn thing. They are just never 100% reliable to those who have to listen to you, even if you believe their convenience is worth it (and if they don't have a boom they pick up much too much extraneous noise - again which may not bother you but is certainly annoying to others) I can borrow anybody's wired headset and it'll just work instantly. I can change headsets easily and switch them between phones and tablets and other devices. I can purchase one cheaply and quickly if I loose or forgot mine. I can lend it to others with equal ease. And oh yes the idea of dongles or inability to charge while talking is just ridiculous - apple never understood business users, with headphones on bottom next to charger that they kept moving even while they supported it - so you couldn't easily use it with a basic dock. The iOS not showing mute on same screen as keypad further shows basic misunderstanding of professional use case... But i digress
- mordant 8y ago
  >They all sound better, on average, than any Bluetooth No, they don't. They may sound better than cheap Bluetooth headsets. But I guarantee they don't sound better than my Nuraphones, or the Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless/HD-1s I was using beforehand. Note that I own both Shure 535s and 846s, as well. The Nuraphone sounds better than either of them. I use my Nuraphones for business con-calls every day. They sound great on my end and I've been told they sound great on the other end(s) of those calls, as well. Same with the Sennheisers.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
i5h4n 8y ago
I wanted to get myself the next Pixel, after a couple of really good years with my faithful OnePlus 3 - only to be annoyed that the Pixel 3 didn't have the headphone jack either. Thats after they made all those ads about the iPhone not having it.
ngcc_hk 8y ago
Not convenient but I did have plug that charge and listen to music. I need that for car driving for gps for hour long driving. It cones with two version. One is two lightening and one is one lightening and one 3.5mm. The two lightening you need to use a 3.5mm adaoter.
prodimmune 8y ago
As someone using his smartphone as a portable music player every day, I really regret having a smartphone without a headphone jack. Although I agree that using Bluetooth headphones is more comfortable than using wired ones, the loss of sound quality simply is not worth it. Especially the constant static noise in the background while the Bluetooth headphones are active is something I just can not get used to. Unfortunately, it seems that every pair has that issue [1]. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/8ethpj/are_all_bluetooth_headphones_noisy/ https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/8ethpj/are_all_...
- mordant 8y ago
  >the loss of sound quality My Nuraphones sound great, as did my Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2/HD-1 Wireless Bluetooth headphones before them. No static whatsoever. Just because you're too cheap to pony up for decent Bluetooth headphones doesn't mean the rest of us are.
  - cannonedhamster 8y ago
    So the fact that a pair of $20 headphones that have wires sound better than a pair of wireless headphones at the same price point is somehow the person you are responding to's fault and makes him cheap for not buying something that he wouldn't need to buy if a feature that did exist still existed. Yeah I think the problem is that you don't realize everyone doesn't have the money you obviously do.
tlrobinson 8y ago
I just ziptied an adapter to every pair of headphones I use (when I’m not using AirPods) and moved on with my life.
digitaltrees 8y ago
I just bought a new iPad Pro and realized it doesn’t have a headphone port. And it doesn’t have thunderbolt either so I am now in a situation where I need three different adapters to listen to music on my iPhone, MacBook and iPad. It’s just silly. I have AirPods too, and switching between devices is as seamless as could be expected but still sucks compared to just plugging in headphones. I might return it and stick with my first gen iPad.
Simulacra 8y ago
We all miss the headphone jack. I begrudgingly upgraded to the iPhone 8 Which I’ll try to keep for the next 3-5 years. I waited so long to upgrade from the five because of the headphone jack.
sporkland 8y ago
Two years later I'm so happy they killed the headphone jack and forced me to switch to Bluetooth headphones. I would have stuck to the wired earbuds I was using and missed out on how much less annoying and freer these wireless headphones are. It was a fairly big step up in my quality of daily life as an open office employee and train commuter.
xellisx 8y ago
I still miss slide out keyboards.
einso 8y ago
Cmon, having a phone with a headphone jack is like having a computer with a CD drive... OK sure it can be annoying that 0.1% of times when you want to read a CD to your computer, but then you can get a USB CD drive. Same with the headphone jack, it's an old piece of shit port that nobody really needs, but if you need it, get a dongle.
eresing 8y ago
I'm at wedding in 2017. The dance floor has opened up and the party begins. Then the "DJ" in charge of music disconnects her phone to take a call - boo, party over. But aha! I take my S8 from my pocket, plug the standard auxiliary cable from the sound system into the headphone jack and push play on a club banger mix. The party resumes. I am a hero. Now it's 2018 and I have a Pixel 3 with no headphone port. I will never be a spontaneous DJ hero ever again....and this makes me sad.
obfk 8y ago
Two years later: not looking back. It's not that bad, just get a set of bluetooth headphones and stop complaining.
ATsch 8y ago
What annoys me with the headphone jack isn't so much that you need an adapter. I have one pair of headphones and I wouldn't have a problem gluing an adapter to it. Instead, what really annoys me is the lack of a secondary port in a convenient location. If they replaced the headphone jack with some other accessory connector, I doubt anyone would complain.

164 points by sahin 8y ago

I made the transition to Bluetooth long before the headphone jack became an endangered species (in fact, back when SonyEricsson was still a thing), and have fared well, with one exception: iOS music/synth apps have varying latency issues with Bluetooth, which means I will need an USB audio adapter sometime in the future. But for general entertainment purposes, I’m fine. Not being an audiophile, I can still say that using the right Bluetooth DAC makes a world of difference, and that you may need to go a bit upmarket for good sounding headphones, but the price differential falls more on the side of the hardware than the DAC. (Higher-specked headphones are often dual wireless/wired models, too)

largehotcoffee 8y ago

Two years later, and I honestly forgot they removed it. The lack of a headphone port hasn't impacted my daily life at all.

mrexroad 8y ago
Yep, I was a bit confused earlier today why my wife was looking for wired headphones—-that is, until I got on an airplane and realized I can’t use my AirPods with the inflight entertainment system. At this point, I’d rather go without entertainment than carry around anything more than AirPods (or equalavent). I know it probably sounds pretty smug, but I use my AirPods ~5-10x more on average than I did wired headphones.
- Jedd 8y ago
  > At this point, I’d rather go without entertainment than carry around anything more than AirPods... This, and parents' comment, is pretty much the archetype of misunderstanding the point being made by tfa and other 'I want the headphone port back' argument. We all understand some people are happy without a headphone jack. That's fine. You guys can use a headphone jacked phone with low quality Bluetooth audio just fine, but we can't use a non headphone jacked phone at all -- hence the feeling of brutally enforced unfairness.
  - somebadguy 8y ago
    Except you can use a phone without a headphone jack. It’s one dongle Stop being so dramatic.
  - vict00ms 8y ago
    > with low quality Bluetooth audio I'm not an audiophile but I don't think the cheap DACs in most phones are in any way superior to the quality that Bluetooth delivers these days.
    - Jedd 8y ago
      Not an audiophile either, and only a vague understanding of sbc, aptx, etc ... however the quality issue for me is more around the overall bt audio experience than just the sound reproduction.
- c1sc0 8y ago
  I second the AirPods sentiment. I feel naked without them. I still have a 6S and the thought of plugging in seems barbaric. Such a great product!
- mordant 8y ago
  Why use the in-flight entertainment system when you can bring your own entertainment on your phone or tablet?
  - nradov 8y ago
    Because it's free, the screen is larger, and you don't have to remember to download something in advance.
conradfr 8y ago
Keeping it would also have not impacted your life.

miles_matthias 8y ago

Don't care one bit about this. Whatsoever.

seattle_spring 8y ago
Then don't comment. Just because you don't give a shit about sound quality doesn't mean others don't either. Enjoy your bluetooth Beats.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

courtneyfyi 8y ago

It feels in tone like the "I'll miss VCR" stuff that went around in 2016 all over again. A little over dramatic given the difference. https://www.wired.com/2016/07/vcr-officially-dead-well-never-forget/ https://www.wired.com/2016/07/vcr-officially-dead-well-never...

blhack 8y ago
There were good, ubiquitous replacements for VCRs when DVD players came out. This would be like if Sony stopped selling VCRs in 1998 when they just happened to own the patent on blu ray, and a major movie studio. Actually it's exactly what Sony tried to do with minidisc, except it worked.
- rahoulb 8y ago
  Not really. I use Bluetooth headphones - they are branded but not a major brand (in fact a company known for something else). Bluetooth is pretty ubiquitous and has been for a decade. The charging case means I have to recharge them every ten days or so (so I don’t worry about it), the sound quality is good enough and I don’t get tangled any more. The only disadvantage is switching between multiple devices can be a bit fiddly at times - which is where AirPods do come into their own.
mnl 8y ago
Not really, let's see: You have two analogue ears and a smartphone, the traditional and cheaper way is to put the DACs and the battery inside the smartphone and then feed two passive impedances using 4 wires. So far, so good: it makes sense, it works, most people are happy with it. And then there's the overengineered way that enables some companies to sell a much more expensive product with greater margins: let's replace those cheap speakers with two tiny computers. Each one of them needs its own DAC, its own battery and its own Bluetooth antenna. Now you have to recharge these marvels of technology after a few hours and maybe worry about pairing because Bluetooth is what it is. You still carry your smartphone around plus a charging station for your shiny new toys, which only can sound worse than what you used before someone convinced you it was obsolete because they said it was.

blhack 8y ago

Complete agreement from me here. I refuse to buy a phone without a headphone jack. It's such a simple thing, but it represents such a middle finger to consumers that it's enough for me to say no. My iPhone 6s is fine. An older pixel will be fine too as soon as I figure out how to ditch iMessage. This actually feels a lot like how Facebook seems to intentionally cripple their mobile site to try and get me to install their app so they can have more of my info. It's inconveniencing me very deliberately to try and hold my convenience hostage.

sys_64738 8y ago
I'm sticking with the 6S myself due to lack of headphone jack. I estimate I'll keep the 6S another 4-5 years as there's longevity in these devices I feel. Not sure what I'd do at that point because I think the iPhone in general is great.
- blhack 8y ago
  Friendly reminder to go get your battery replaced before the end of the year!
- imron 8y ago
  I had a 1st gen iPhone for 5 years, and currently have a 4s that I've been using for 5-6 years (I only replace my phones when my current one stops working). There's longevity in the devices, but not as much longevity in the software. Each update gets slower than the last and then you stop getting updates at all.
autokad 8y ago
I'm sticking with my 6 SE until its no longer feasible.
a11595 8y ago
no one intentionally cripples anything. what you are saying is you want lack of choice in the marketplace, and everyone should conform to your usecase. I got a pixel2 xl. like my dell, it charges via usb-c. a have a bt headset I use for both the laptop and the phone. The lack of cable, especially when I travel and sleep on a plane with music playing, is important. That 1mm of saved space? I'll take it - I wouldn't be using the headphone port anywise. You - go buy any of the hundreds of phones with the heaphone port you want. No one is stopping you. They're not crippling anything. They just don't care about you not buying their product, because when I looked to buy mine, I specifically looked for phones with just a usb-c port. like my laptop. for every one of you, there are one of me (probably more). Do you complain a lexus is not good for moving couches? Or do you buy something else? Your line of reasoning is the middle finger to the consumer. What Google and Apple did are what I, their consumer wants.

syntheticnature 8y ago

> Oh, wait: now I want to listen to music while I fall asleep, but also charge my phone so it’s not dead in the morning. That’s a different, more expensive splitter dongle (many of which, I’ve found, are poorly made garbage). Or a wireless charging pad plus regular adapter. (I'm a fine one to talk; I have an OG Pixel, and I use my headphone jack entirely for the headset functionality when doing a conference call while remote. A sub-$10 wired headset gets the job done... for now)

blhack 8y ago
Yeah but that wireless charger should be an added convenience, not an anti-user move to get you to buy more crap. It feels like a recent thing to me, but companies (especially tech companies) have gone from: "We will make the best product we can, and you will pay us for it." (Or perhaps some graph where marginal profit is the highest) To "We will make the worst product we can get away with making because you don't have a choice." The focus seems to have gone from what customers want to what customers will tolerate.

ferros 8y ago

There is no reason to miss the headphone port unless cost is the main factor.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

chasing 8y ago

No shit. It’s bizarre that I can’t use my headphones and charge at the same time. It’s bizarre that I have to carry around an adapter (or two sets of headphones) when I work because my MacBook and iPhone have different headphone jacks. I’m generally happy with Apple’s products, but this choice leaves me baffled.

sinstein 8y ago
Yes yes yes. The removal of the headphone jack was a decision I could have lived with, but this, that the same set of accessories cannot be used with all their products is just such an irritant. I have no idea what they are trying to accomplish with such inconsistent design choices. The absolute kicker: You cannot charge Apple's flagship smartphone with Apple's flagship laptop without an adapter that does not come bundled with either of the two!
mustacheemperor 8y ago
I’m disappointed we got the touchbar instead of an integrated wireless charging component in the MacBook Pro. If it’s technically feasible, it’d be so convenient to charge my phone by putting it on top of my laptop.
- a11595 8y ago
  just get a usb charging mat and plug it into your laptop. then take a look at how big it is. then add that size to your laptop. then ask yourself if this 15% bigger laptop is something all the other people want, or would they rather have more battery/cpu/ram for that 15% of space. They probably won't. But they don't want the wireless charger in that space either. They want the smaller laptop.
LeoPanthera 8y ago
> No shit. It’s bizarre that I can’t use my headphones and charge at the same time. I agree that it's annoying, but you can if you use a Qi charger.

rurp 8y ago

Ditching the headphone port is a great example of the form over function mindset that I find so grating about much of the tech industry. I don't care about flashy or gimmicky changes, I just want things to work and work well. FWIW, I use the port on my phone regularly and love never having to give it a second thought. Removing the port was the biggest reason I did not replace my old Nexus with a new Pixel. I'm just one person and am guessing the port is doomed sooner rather than later, but at least for now I can put my money where my mouth is.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
sir_brickalot 8y ago
>put my money where my mouth is I wonder if it is enough to NOT buy a device for a certain reason... How does the neglected company know why you didn't buy their device? Especially if you actually want that device and there is only one reason why you decide against it. Maybe it is necessary to give ones opinion a voice and give feedback to those neglected companies. (Or a petition?).

tmwed 8y ago

the cost of being on the edge of technology is the inconvenience you will encounter. this "article" (if you can call it that, feels fitting to a blog) doesnt really touch on anything meaningful. The author echos the same tirades that we've seen since the announcement of the iPhone X.

irrational 8y ago
How can it be the "edge of technology" two years later? Not being able to charge and use wired headphones concurrently is still a major issue for me.
- max76 8y ago
  If the issue is major then I suggest specialized dongles, wireless headphones, or a wireless charging station.

sinstein 8y ago

Really confused about Apple's recent design choices. You cannot charge Apple's flagship smartphone with Apple's flagship laptop without an adapter that does not come bundled with either of the two!

richardwhiuk 8y ago
Huh? You can charge an iPhone over USB and their latest laptop includes USB?
- irrational 8y ago
  usb-c. But iphones don't come with usb-c adapters.
- plorkyeran 8y ago
  Neither the phone nor the laptop comes with a Lightning -> USB-C cable.
- schreiaj 8y ago
  iPhones ship with lightning to usb a. The latest MacBook pros only possess type c ports.
- _asummers 8y ago
  Macbook Pros have USB-C and the latest iPhones have the Thunderbolt charging port. Critically however, the non phone end of the included charging cable is not USB-C, so you need an adapter or different cable to charge it.
  - richardwhiuk 8y ago
    Ah, I'd forgotten that they only included USB C, and it's not backwards compatible. Thanks for the correction!
pureliquidhw 8y ago
My thoughts are that they did this to force less savvy individuals deeper into the ecosystem. Joe Consumer will buy an iPhone, AirPods, and Mac Pro without thinking, and iCloud will manage the syncing, and the nightly charge most users require will happen overnight next to their bed. They'll never miss the iphone->mac cable because they'll never need it. Same with the headphone jack. I really miss the 3.5" port, but I get why Apple did it. It's consumer unfriendly, but good for business.

ryanchoi 8y ago

I definitely care more than the average person, but all things considered I prefer my wired IEMs over over-ear wireless headphones, or today's chunky earbuds that need to be charged too often for my liking (and/or their charging cases, to be exact). Same reason I didn't get into smart watches, the pros were outweighed by the cons. But like wireless gaming-grade mice, I think we'll get there with audio. I'm the meantime I'll be keeping an eye out for the 3.5" jack in the future, I guess. I do think that it's very convenient to not fiddle with wires, but I like the choice I have now: Preferred shape/sound, vs all the friction associated with wires (sorry ;). The way I see it, if wireless is here to stay, my situation should only last until someone comes up with a wireless product that I like more than today's lineup. It's just that I prefer my wired setup for the time being!

hug 8y ago
As a possible solution, you can buy a pair of IEMs with MMCX connectors and a bluetooth MMCX cable. This is the route I went with my Shure SE315s that I use while I'm on my motorcycle, and it works pretty flawlessly for me.

irrational 8y ago

So true. The fact that they still don't have a solution that allows for concurrent charging and wired headphone use is crazy. I've tried wireless headphones and have found all of them lacking. The two big issues are they are never charged when I need them to be and they don't pair/sync without a lot of fiddling.

cpach 8y ago
Isn’t that possible with iPhone 8 and never? AFAIK you can use wireless charging and still use the Lightning port for your headphones.
- vinni2 8y ago
  As a side note, one thing that I hate about wireless charging is I can’t use the phone while charging.
  - cpach 8y ago
    Good point. Would probably irritate me as well (currently using iPhone 7).

jstewartmobile 8y ago

I miss people having a modicum of self-control and a mild tolerance for personal sacrifice. Just buy a shitphone with a headphone jack. They exist! I have one. You'll live. Apple will get the message. Problem solved.

epistasis 8y ago

It's worth pointing out just how absolutely terrible the Bluetooth experience that AirPods provide in comparison to being able to simply plug in headphones. When I put on my AirPods, I have no clue how long it's actually going to take until I can listen to my phone through them. Even when going into the output selection, and tapping the AirPods (it they even show up), I never know how long it's going to take. Many times, after 40-60 seconds of waiting for the damn things to finally connect, I put them back in their case, wait a few seconds, and then put them back in, hoping that resets whatever silly and incompetent Bluetooth implementation that prevents pairing. They are really really terrible when it comes to connecting, just awful awful things. So infuriating. Yet, what else am I going to do in the Apple ecosystem? Apple provides no other option. Steve Jobs would not have put up with quality this poor. The executive team should be ashamed of shipping stuff like this.

hug 8y ago
We have opposite experiences, to the point where I actually wonder if you have a defective set of AirPods. The process for me, on every single one of my Apple devices, is: 1. Put AirPods in ears. 2. Hit play. There's no step #3. I do honestly wonder how our experiences differ so greatly. For me, it's at the point where AirPods are more seamless than my IEMs, because instead of having to fiddle about untangling the damn cable, I just pop them in my ears and go. As far as I know everyone I know with AirPods has the same experience as me. Perhaps you should take yours back to an Apple store.
- votepaunchy 8y ago
  Before heading to an Apple Store try resetting the AirPods and repairing. Takes less than a minute. Mine were acting flaky after a year of daily use and this seemed to solve the problem.
- epistasis 8y ago
  I've reset them several times. It's important to point out that it's not every time. It's maybe 5% of the time, which is enough that I can never trust that they will actually connect. And the unusual, time consuming experience is the infuriating one that dominates the amount of time I spend thinking about the product. It's also somewhat inconsistent between the sides, the left bud is somewhat less reliable than the right one. I have some feeling that it may be some interaction with the MacBook Pro, which has some sort of weird interaction with the iCloud account such that pairings sync between iPhone and MacBook.

scarface74 8y ago

It amazes me that now eight years later that everyone seems to agree that not supporting Flash was a good idea - like the article did- but for years after the iPhone and iPad were introduce, people were complaining that Apple’s wall garden was hurting consumers that wanted Flash. https://techcrunch.com/2010/02/18/jobs-flash-will-murder-the-ipad-really-now-lets-be-realistic/ https://techcrunch.com/2010/02/18/jobs-flash-will-murder-the... People were also complaining about Apple ditching the floppy and the CD ROM Drive.

themodelplumber 8y ago
Ah, Flash...I still can't show my kids how cool Orsinal was without annoying runarounds :-(
krisgenre 8y ago
Floppy drives were dropped at a time when CDs were quite popular and the 1.44MB(or 3.xx?) of storage was obsolete. The same with CDs (pen drives became cheaper and were reusable). That's not the case with headphones. Bluetooth headphones are not only costlier but the sound quality too sucks.
addicted 8y ago
It’s not comparable at all. Flash wasn’t an open standard and was a pretty poor standard at that. The main reason it wasn’t supported on the iPhone was that it was never designed to be used by touch devices. The headphone jack is open, widely used, its design has been validated over decades of use, and is widespread. Just yesterday I was the only person at an event who was able to play some custom music our family wanted to hear because my iPhone 6 was the only phone with a headphone jack that could then drive music to the DJ’s professional setup.
- scarface74 8y ago
  The headphone jack is open, widely used, its design has been validated over decades of use, and is widespread. As was the floppy and CD drive... Just yesterday I was the only person at an event who was able to play some custom music our family wanted to hear because my iPhone 6 was the only phone with a headphone* And until last year, my parents didn’t have a single TV that could support HDMI for my boys’ game systems. Does that mean Sony and MS should still support RCA output?

WheelsAtLarge 8y ago

Why are people still fighting the headphone issue? Whatever Apple says they made a decision to get rid of it not for the sake of the user but to sell more gadgets to the user. As long as they make a marginal profit with the new headphones vs the old headphone port ones they will not go back. Given that most people aren't protesting by not buying the new phones then Apples has no reason to go back on their decision. Yup, in a few years, the port will be as rare as vacuum tubes in electronics. Nope, the port is not coming back. It's best to accept that and move on.

walterbell 8y ago
Touch ID is coming back. 2018 iPhones are being discounted. The upcoming iPad Mini Pro is rumored to include a headphone jack.
- zapzupnz 8y ago
  > Touch ID is coming back Touch ID never left… still around on the 2018 iPad (non-Pro) and the MacBook Pro/MacBook Air, but then the 2018 iPad is the budget version of the iPad line, and Face ID wouldn’t work on MacBooks because people don’t hold the front camera up to their faces the same way that people hold iPhones or iPads.
  - walterbell 8y ago
    It's rumored to be returning to iPhones via in-display sensor, as that technology matures.
    - zapzupnz 8y ago
      I doubt the technology matters to Apple anymore. They've found a better solution and have already made their stance clear that Face ID is the future for iOS devices.

kentbrew 8y ago

Headphone jack, escape key, Magsafe adapter.

NikolaNovak 8y ago

I never see an argument from consumers who agree with the removal more comprehensive than "well I don't need it so it shouldn't exist". There is no value to consumer in the option for 3.5mm jack not existing on their phone. The phones are not thinner, they are not cheaper, and they do not have better battery life. A phone with 3.5mm will do Bluetooth just as well. So on what grounds is this decision defended? Whatever the portion of audience that benefits from it, what is the motivation from those who don't need the jack to so gleefully deny it to those who do need the jack? I can list any number of reasons for why 3.5 jack makes my family's life easier - but why do I have to? Given it doesn't cost you anything, why not give it to me? --- Reason why I like the option for 3.5 headphones and headset even though I don't always use it Cheap quality headsets. I do hours of concalls and lots of travel. I have cheap wired headsets everywhere - at home, in office, in car, in backpack. They all sound better, on average, than any Bluetooth because they sound great always. Sooner or later any participant with Bluetooth will go digital or wonky and delay us all while hey reconnect or just remove the darn thing. They are just never 100% reliable to those who have to listen to you, even if you believe their convenience is worth it (and if they don't have a boom they pick up much too much extraneous noise - again which may not bother you but is certainly annoying to others) I can borrow anybody's wired headset and it'll just work instantly. I can change headsets easily and switch them between phones and tablets and other devices. I can purchase one cheaply and quickly if I loose or forgot mine. I can lend it to others with equal ease. And oh yes the idea of dongles or inability to charge while talking is just ridiculous - apple never understood business users, with headphones on bottom next to charger that they kept moving even while they supported it - so you couldn't easily use it with a basic dock. The iOS not showing mute on same screen as keypad further shows basic misunderstanding of professional use case... But i digress

mordant 8y ago
>They all sound better, on average, than any Bluetooth No, they don't. They may sound better than cheap Bluetooth headsets. But I guarantee they don't sound better than my Nuraphones, or the Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless/HD-1s I was using beforehand. Note that I own both Shure 535s and 846s, as well. The Nuraphone sounds better than either of them. I use my Nuraphones for business con-calls every day. They sound great on my end and I've been told they sound great on the other end(s) of those calls, as well. Same with the Sennheisers.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

i5h4n 8y ago

I wanted to get myself the next Pixel, after a couple of really good years with my faithful OnePlus 3 - only to be annoyed that the Pixel 3 didn't have the headphone jack either. Thats after they made all those ads about the iPhone not having it.

ngcc_hk 8y ago

Not convenient but I did have plug that charge and listen to music. I need that for car driving for gps for hour long driving. It cones with two version. One is two lightening and one is one lightening and one 3.5mm. The two lightening you need to use a 3.5mm adaoter.

prodimmune 8y ago

As someone using his smartphone as a portable music player every day, I really regret having a smartphone without a headphone jack. Although I agree that using Bluetooth headphones is more comfortable than using wired ones, the loss of sound quality simply is not worth it. Especially the constant static noise in the background while the Bluetooth headphones are active is something I just can not get used to. Unfortunately, it seems that every pair has that issue [1]. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/8ethpj/are_all_bluetooth_headphones_noisy/ https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/8ethpj/are_all_...

mordant 8y ago
>the loss of sound quality My Nuraphones sound great, as did my Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2/HD-1 Wireless Bluetooth headphones before them. No static whatsoever. Just because you're too cheap to pony up for decent Bluetooth headphones doesn't mean the rest of us are.
- cannonedhamster 8y ago
  So the fact that a pair of $20 headphones that have wires sound better than a pair of wireless headphones at the same price point is somehow the person you are responding to's fault and makes him cheap for not buying something that he wouldn't need to buy if a feature that did exist still existed. Yeah I think the problem is that you don't realize everyone doesn't have the money you obviously do.

tlrobinson 8y ago

I just ziptied an adapter to every pair of headphones I use (when I’m not using AirPods) and moved on with my life.

digitaltrees 8y ago

I just bought a new iPad Pro and realized it doesn’t have a headphone port. And it doesn’t have thunderbolt either so I am now in a situation where I need three different adapters to listen to music on my iPhone, MacBook and iPad. It’s just silly. I have AirPods too, and switching between devices is as seamless as could be expected but still sucks compared to just plugging in headphones. I might return it and stick with my first gen iPad.

Simulacra 8y ago

We all miss the headphone jack. I begrudgingly upgraded to the iPhone 8 Which I’ll try to keep for the next 3-5 years. I waited so long to upgrade from the five because of the headphone jack.

sporkland 8y ago

Two years later I'm so happy they killed the headphone jack and forced me to switch to Bluetooth headphones. I would have stuck to the wired earbuds I was using and missed out on how much less annoying and freer these wireless headphones are. It was a fairly big step up in my quality of daily life as an open office employee and train commuter.

xellisx 8y ago

I still miss slide out keyboards.

einso 8y ago

Cmon, having a phone with a headphone jack is like having a computer with a CD drive... OK sure it can be annoying that 0.1% of times when you want to read a CD to your computer, but then you can get a USB CD drive. Same with the headphone jack, it's an old piece of shit port that nobody really needs, but if you need it, get a dongle.

eresing 8y ago

I'm at wedding in 2017. The dance floor has opened up and the party begins. Then the "DJ" in charge of music disconnects her phone to take a call - boo, party over. But aha! I take my S8 from my pocket, plug the standard auxiliary cable from the sound system into the headphone jack and push play on a club banger mix. The party resumes. I am a hero. Now it's 2018 and I have a Pixel 3 with no headphone port. I will never be a spontaneous DJ hero ever again....and this makes me sad.

obfk 8y ago

Two years later: not looking back. It's not that bad, just get a set of bluetooth headphones and stop complaining.

ATsch 8y ago

What annoys me with the headphone jack isn't so much that you need an adapter. I have one pair of headphones and I wouldn't have a problem gluing an adapter to it. Instead, what really annoys me is the lack of a secondary port in a convenient location. If they replaced the headphone jack with some other accessory connector, I doubt anyone would complain.