Intel pushes USB-C as headphone jack's successor
The technology world has a seething hatred of the traditional 3.5-millimeter headphone jack -- or so it seems, given that chip giant Intel is the latest company to propose replacing the aging plug with a digital alternative.
via AnandTech
Intel would prefer that future devices, including smartphones and tablets, eschew the stalwart headphone jack for USB-C. The firm made its case at a recent development conference with the unveiling of USB Type-C Digital Audio, as noted by AnandTech.
In the near term, Intel would simply like to replace the jack with USB-C's analog audio specification. This would be "basically a connector replacement," Intel said.
Looking toward the future, they hope that adopting USB-C will help catalyze the movement from analog to digital audio.
From a user's perspective, the move to digital headphones could be a good one. Improved audio quality is one obvious plus; the ability to communicate directly with -- and draw power from -- a mobile device means that headphones could become smarter and in some cases lighter, since powered models would no longer require built-in batteries.
This shift would also benefit Intel, the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer by a country mile, in obvious ways.
There is mounting evidence that Apple is contemplating a similar move, though most people believe the iPhone maker would choose its own Lightning connector over USB-C. If Intel's proposal moves forward, the battle between USB-C and Lightning will be an interesting -- and likely expensive -- one waged on the battlefield of the world's most popular consumer device.
via AnandTech
Intel would prefer that future devices, including smartphones and tablets, eschew the stalwart headphone jack for USB-C. The firm made its case at a recent development conference with the unveiling of USB Type-C Digital Audio, as noted by AnandTech.
In the near term, Intel would simply like to replace the jack with USB-C's analog audio specification. This would be "basically a connector replacement," Intel said.
Looking toward the future, they hope that adopting USB-C will help catalyze the movement from analog to digital audio.
From a user's perspective, the move to digital headphones could be a good one. Improved audio quality is one obvious plus; the ability to communicate directly with -- and draw power from -- a mobile device means that headphones could become smarter and in some cases lighter, since powered models would no longer require built-in batteries.
This shift would also benefit Intel, the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer by a country mile, in obvious ways.
There is mounting evidence that Apple is contemplating a similar move, though most people believe the iPhone maker would choose its own Lightning connector over USB-C. If Intel's proposal moves forward, the battle between USB-C and Lightning will be an interesting -- and likely expensive -- one waged on the battlefield of the world's most popular consumer device.
Comments
Apple replaces the headphone jack and provides an adapter, world explodes, Apple is ridiculous, trending topic on most websites.
What they will not do is replace Lightning with USB-C or any other connector port for at least the next 6 years or so. Phil Schiller said as much. Though it never ceases to amaze me when people clamor for Apple to replace their product line standards with whatever hip new connector comes out.
Not too long ago it was Thunderbolt that Apple had to include on iOS. Now its USB-C. By the time Apple is ready to move to a new standard of I/O, it will probably be something else entirely.
I guess that Apple could meet this requirement with a dongle but it might take the opportunity to add USB-C so that it could kill two birds with one stone:- EU compliance and digital headphones.
Let's face it - if this move by Intel gets traction, there will be a lot more USB-C headphones than there ever will be with Lightning.
It would also let your headphone volume to be retained on the headphones instead of per device. I also think if combined with Bluetooth wireless capability, you could switch to different audio sources for your device if in range like handoff without plugging and replugging.
as far as cost, the price of a simple stereo DAC and amp is a fraction of other components like drivers. I don't think price is going to be a big issue for basic needs.
For the first time ever we'll have a battle of standards with headphone jacks. It's gonna be a mess.
i plug a charger and accessories into my phone's lightening port dozens of times a day for a few years, and havent had any issue.
The best example of this is the engineers are free to choose whatever driver (speaker) they like. For example, impedance. The generic headphone amplifier in a smartphone does a good job with a wide range of headphone impedance, but it's not optimized for ALL of them. Especially ones at the extreme high or low impedance range. This is why headphones only come in a few standard impedance versions (like 32 or 600 ohm). For a headphone designer this is now irrelevant. They use the driver of their choice, and can then make a specific amplifier that's optimized for the impedance of that driver. If they want to use a higher impedance driver they can also include a DC-DC converter in their headphones to increase the voltage (power supply) for their amplifier so it works better with that SPECIFIC driver. Further, they can now use non-standard drivers (like electrostatic).
Having the D/A, amps and processing in the headphone are just a side benefit. The real benefit is freedom of choice for the driver/amplifier.