4 ms·

Why not a manual switch? I rarely use the microphone on those devices.

by qwertox 7y ago

vbezhenar 7y ago
Mechanical switches are prone to fault.
- ClumsyPilot 7y ago
  Compared to what? In my average day, I experience 5-10 software failures/crashes/errors on various web apps, mobile apps, in windows, etc. The last time I've seen a hardware switch fail was 2 years ago. Further to that, hardware failures are predictable. Lifetime of switches is well know, and they are easily replaced. Good luck fixing a software glitch by yourself as a user. Consider that a laptop already comes with a hundred switches in the keyboard, and they can easily last a decade if you dont spill coffee on it.
  - vbezhenar 7y ago
    Software failures are fixed by reboots/patches. Hardware failures are fixed by service. And that service costs much more for vendor. Very few users are ready to replace hardware switch in their laptops. Keyboard is a different kind of switch and they are major source of pain for many users. My macbook is broken because of keyboard, for example. One reason why new hardware devices like phones and tablets are coming without keyboard is this reason. Apple is not "brave enough" to replace macbook keyboard with touch panel, but they would do that if users would accept it.
    - ClumsyPilot 7y ago
      Keyboard are a source of pain for many users? Where is this even coming from? Large tablets have been around for nearly a decade now, and people that write novels and word files all day still use a real keyboard. If what you are saying was true, everyone who types for a living would use iPad pro or equivalent. Secondly, patches and reboots are a problem, not a solution. Users do not need to replace switches themselves. My father is not an IT nerd, he uses his laptop for work. After the keyboard broke, he took it to a nearby repair store and they replaced it for $20. If in a few years it breaks again, he can do it again (ofc laptop might be worth replacing for performance reasons, but that's different). To him software crashes are far more disruptive, he cant call Acer or Apple and give them $20, $2000 or even $w0,0000 and get them to fix a sound driver or whatever. He just has to sit there and hope that some day one of the updates, without proper patch notes, will fix the problem. Leaving feedback on the forums is about as reliable as praying for rain or doing blood sacrifice to cure the plague.
thih9 7y ago
This would result in a different UX. Users would have to remember about turning it on/off, many would forget, leading to frustration. Also Apple would have to place that manual switch somewhere, this would change the device's interface.
- knute 7y ago
  I once had a laptop with a manual switch for the wifi. Its sole purpose, as far as I could tell, was to get accidentally bumped and cause me to waste time figuring out why wifi wasn't working.
  - Swenrekcah 7y ago
    I feel you, but there would be a really easy solution to that, just make it clear with the network connectivity icon that the hardware switch is off. Don’t know why it hasn’t been done.
    - simonh 7y ago
      It would require Microsoft to standardise the interface and specifications for manual wifi switches, and certify and police compliance, to make sure the hardware and software worked properly together. For Apple this sort of coordination across teams is routine and simply the way everything works, but for Microsoft and its hardware OEMs it's a serious time consuming and expensive pain.
      - Swenrekcah 7y ago
        Thanks, I hadn’t thought of that.
- nullc 7y ago
  So long as the software could read the setting of the switch it probably wouldn't be too frustrating. Lenovos used to have a physical wireless disable switch, and I recall it only causing a moderate amount of frustration and I doubt much effort was put into making it problem free.

Why not a manual switch? I rarely use the microphone on those devices.

vbezhenar 7y ago

Mechanical switches are prone to fault.

ClumsyPilot 7y ago
Compared to what? In my average day, I experience 5-10 software failures/crashes/errors on various web apps, mobile apps, in windows, etc. The last time I've seen a hardware switch fail was 2 years ago. Further to that, hardware failures are predictable. Lifetime of switches is well know, and they are easily replaced. Good luck fixing a software glitch by yourself as a user. Consider that a laptop already comes with a hundred switches in the keyboard, and they can easily last a decade if you dont spill coffee on it.
- vbezhenar 7y ago
  Software failures are fixed by reboots/patches. Hardware failures are fixed by service. And that service costs much more for vendor. Very few users are ready to replace hardware switch in their laptops. Keyboard is a different kind of switch and they are major source of pain for many users. My macbook is broken because of keyboard, for example. One reason why new hardware devices like phones and tablets are coming without keyboard is this reason. Apple is not "brave enough" to replace macbook keyboard with touch panel, but they would do that if users would accept it.
  - ClumsyPilot 7y ago
    Keyboard are a source of pain for many users? Where is this even coming from? Large tablets have been around for nearly a decade now, and people that write novels and word files all day still use a real keyboard. If what you are saying was true, everyone who types for a living would use iPad pro or equivalent. Secondly, patches and reboots are a problem, not a solution. Users do not need to replace switches themselves. My father is not an IT nerd, he uses his laptop for work. After the keyboard broke, he took it to a nearby repair store and they replaced it for $20. If in a few years it breaks again, he can do it again (ofc laptop might be worth replacing for performance reasons, but that's different). To him software crashes are far more disruptive, he cant call Acer or Apple and give them $20, $2000 or even $w0,0000 and get them to fix a sound driver or whatever. He just has to sit there and hope that some day one of the updates, without proper patch notes, will fix the problem. Leaving feedback on the forums is about as reliable as praying for rain or doing blood sacrifice to cure the plague.

thih9 7y ago

This would result in a different UX. Users would have to remember about turning it on/off, many would forget, leading to frustration. Also Apple would have to place that manual switch somewhere, this would change the device's interface.

knute 7y ago
I once had a laptop with a manual switch for the wifi. Its sole purpose, as far as I could tell, was to get accidentally bumped and cause me to waste time figuring out why wifi wasn't working.
- Swenrekcah 7y ago
  I feel you, but there would be a really easy solution to that, just make it clear with the network connectivity icon that the hardware switch is off. Don’t know why it hasn’t been done.
  - simonh 7y ago
    It would require Microsoft to standardise the interface and specifications for manual wifi switches, and certify and police compliance, to make sure the hardware and software worked properly together. For Apple this sort of coordination across teams is routine and simply the way everything works, but for Microsoft and its hardware OEMs it's a serious time consuming and expensive pain.
    - Swenrekcah 7y ago
      Thanks, I hadn’t thought of that.
nullc 7y ago
So long as the software could read the setting of the switch it probably wouldn't be too frustrating. Lenovos used to have a physical wireless disable switch, and I recall it only causing a moderate amount of frustration and I doubt much effort was put into making it problem free.