I'm amused by the people that see it as a cash grab, while seemingly ignoring the other changes that would significantly reduce repair revenue (such as a non-moving home button and water resistance.)
As someone who has suffered a failed Home button (first-gen iPod Touch) I welcome the new non-moving unit gladly.
Wow. Complete apples vs. oranges. All those old technologies he described where limited digital standards that were replaced by faster, more functional successors. Removing an audio jack isn't progress.
AirPods have 24 hours listening time? Cool. All my headphones have infinite listening time and sound 100x better. Airpods are essentially $30 sound quality (and that's pushing it) being sold for $165: a 550% markup! And that's for less listening time and potentially inferior audio quality due to the nature of wireless vs wired analog!
And then there's the dongle... really? DAC on that? I'll reserve judgement until it's out, but I don't have high hopes. Still, the real issue is that it's way more of a pain to keep track of that ugly thing than a microscopic thickness bump on the phone would have been. That, and the fact that you need a freaking dongle to use the best headphones and audio systems in the world because...
The audio world isn't going to switch to wireless. Sorry, but I don't see audio engineers and recording artists retooling their systems from the analog standard when wireless offers zero benefits. I certainly won't trade my AKG 701s in for some shitty Beats. As for everyone else, this still won't plug into anything anyone owns. Here's a scenario: show up to a house party... "Sup everyone? I brought the music. Oh wait..."
Wireless stereo will supplant wired stereo the same way Firewire supplanted USB :-p
I fully support Apple in this. Like the floppy, legacy ports, CD drives, etc.. Apple laid the path down - with the whiners kicking, screaming, and whining - then "suddenly" everyone else did it to... and not a peep from those f**kers.
The analog jack, and the DAC circuitry that goes with it is obsolete. Time to move on. I can count the number of times I've used a wired headphone this year on one hand. Screw the haters.
Just wait... watch the rest of the industry follow along and try to look the other way when they do it.
How are they obsolete? What does wireless do for delivering an audio channel into each ear at optimal quality that wired can't?
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume your headphones aren't the best quality out there. The only time I use wireless is when I work out. There's a reason professionals still use wired.
Also, people are already sick of charging too many devices and this is just one more. Along with that comes the reality that lithium ion batteries don't last forever and, if history is any indication, Apple's options won't have user-replaceable batteries. I have an awesome set of cans in my studio that are over 20 years old and have needed zero maintenance except for replacing worn out pads.
Worse yet, it passes the buck on DAC. iPhones have always been capable of passing a pure digital signal via USB to an external audio interface for conversion to analog. This must happen at some point because we hear in analog, so don't fall for the "it's better because it's 'digital'" line. This new change simply means compatible headphones will cost extra because of the necessary onboard converters and the iPhone loses one more feature. The only thing that would make this slightly redeemable is if the iPhone still handles conversion when using the dongle and Lightning has the ability to pass an analog audio signal directly from the phone.
Wow. Complete apples vs. oranges. All those old technologies he described where limited digital standards that were replaced by faster, more functional successors. Removing an audio jack isn't progress.
AirPods have 24 hours listening time? Cool. All my headphones have infinite listening time and sound 100x better. Airpods are essentially $30 sound quality (and that's pushing it) being sold for $165: a 550% markup! And that's for less listening time and potentially inferior audio quality due to the nature of wireless vs wired analog!
And then there's the dongle... really? DAC on that? I'll reserve judgement until it's out, but I don't have high hopes. Still, the real issue is that it's way more of a pain to keep track of that ugly thing than a microscopic thickness bump on the phone would have been. That, and the fact that you need a freaking dongle to use the best headphones and audio systems in the world because...
The audio world isn't going to switch to wireless. Sorry, but I don't see audio engineers and recording artists retooling their systems from the analog standard when wireless offers zero benefits. I certainly won't trade my AKG 701s in for some shitty Beats. As for everyone else, this still won't plug into anything anyone owns. Here's a scenario: show up to a house party... "Sup everyone? I brought the music. Oh wait..."
Wireless stereo will supplant wired stereo the same way Firewire supplanted USB :-p
I was gonna like your comment until you started ranting about AirPods' price and sound quality as if you engineered them and know what they sound like.
I promised I would stop bitching if Apple provided an adapter for legacy headphones and they did. So what's the big deal? Did you miss the part where they mentioned the adapter will come packaged in every iPhone 7?
Why couldn't they have said this? They dismissed it with "courage" which even made me cringe and ridiculed ancient technology (which by the way is still very effective.) They could have easily said that the larger improve camera, battery, and taptic engine required us to finally say goodbye to this space hogging port without making the phone huge.
I swear they did. I could be wrong but I remember Phil mentioning "premium" space for better technology.
This alone may stop me from upgrading to the new iPhone. I have a $300 pair of wired headphones that I love, they have great sound, that currently work with every single audio device I own.
Long term, I can see the advantage of moving away from the analog 3.5mm standard, but it should be a to a new, common standard that is just as ubiquitous across all devices. I don't see a chance in hell of Lightning being adopted as widely as the 3.5mm currently is.
So they got rid of the ubiquitous 3.5mm jack which delivers audio, to make more room for...the stupid home button's "taptic" feedback?
Hey, here's an idea - get rid of the damn home button and use the screen! If you want to "wow" us, figure out how to get the touch screen to register fingerprints. Now that would be magical!
By pushing us toward wireless earphones, we now need yet another charger and more table space to charge yet another widget overnight. You forget to charge your AirPods last night? Oh well, no music for you!
And, these expensive wireless headphones' battery is going wear out in a year or two, and not hold a decent charge. I guess then we toss the headphones and buck up for another pair?
I know reading and comprehension is difficult for your sort, but you don't need another charger for the AirPods shown today -- uses your regular iPhone lightning charging cable. and you can get 3 hours in 15 minutes. the BeatsX line gives you 1-3 hours in 5 minutes.
This alone may stop me from upgrading to the new iPhone. I have a $300 pair of wired headphones that I love, they have great sound, that currently work with every single audio device I own.
Long term, I can see the advantage of moving away from the analog 3.5mm standard, but it should be a to a new, common standard that is just as ubiquitous across all devices. I don't see a chance in hell of Lightning being adopted as widely as the 3.5mm currently is.
True. I don't think anyone will argue successfully that lightning will be a new universal standard.
But I keep reading the same thing you stated. That someone has high end headphones with 3.5mm cable and is mad that the 3.5mm jack is removed on the iPhone. My question is, are you sure you're using your expensive headphones to the max? Because I've seen instances where people show expensive headphones are underutilized and sound like shit when connected to an iPhone's 3.5mm jack. So it seems that buying $500 headphones and using them with a 3.5mm jack on smartphones is defeating the purpose of expensive headphones (because of the phones inferior DAC.)
For example, Austin Evans compared sound from a $450 headphone that can swap its cable between 3.5mm and lightning. Tested it on an iPhone obviously, and the difference in sound quality was night and day better with lightning.
Wow. Complete apples vs. oranges. All those old technologies he described where limited digital standards that were replaced by faster, more functional successors. Removing an audio jack isn't progress.
AirPods have 24 hours listening time? Cool. All my headphones have infinite listening time and sound 100x better. Airpods are essentially $30 sound quality (and that's pushing it) being sold for $165: a 550% markup! And that's for less listening time and potentially inferior audio quality due to the nature of wireless vs wired analog!
And then there's the dongle... really? DAC on that? I'll reserve judgement until it's out, but I don't have high hopes. Still, the real issue is that it's way more of a pain to keep track of that ugly thing than a microscopic thickness bump on the phone would have been. That, and the fact that you need a freaking dongle to use the best headphones and audio systems in the world because...
The audio world isn't going to switch to wireless. Sorry, but I don't see audio engineers and recording artists retooling their systems from the analog standard when wireless offers zero benefits. I certainly won't trade my AKG 701s in for some shitty Beats. As for everyone else, this still won't plug into anything anyone owns. Here's a scenario: show up to a house party... "Sup everyone? I brought the music. Oh wait..."
Wireless stereo will supplant wired stereo the same way Firewire supplanted USB :-p
1) good thing it still has a wired port to plug into whatever.
2) nobody is asking the pro recording industry to go wireless. that's in your head.
This alone may stop me from upgrading to the new iPhone. I have a $300 pair of wired headphones that I love, they have great sound, that currently work with every single audio device I own.
Long term, I can see the advantage of moving away from the analog 3.5mm standard, but it should be a to a new, common standard that is just as ubiquitous across all devices. I don't see a chance in hell of Lightning being adopted as widely as the 3.5mm currently is.
why the fuck wouldn't you just use the free adapter with your $300 headphones? how's it any worse than using them on an analog audio port phone?
So they got rid of the ubiquitous 3.5mm jack which delivers audio, to make more room for...the stupid home button's "taptic" feedback?
Hey, here's an idea - get rid of the damn home button and use the screen! If you want to "wow" us, figure out how to get the touch screen to register fingerprints. Now that would be magical!
By pushing us toward wireless earphones, we now need yet another charger and more table space to charge yet another widget overnight. You forget to charge your AirPods last night? Oh well, no music for you!
And, these expensive wireless headphones' battery is going wear out in a year or two, and not hold a decent charge. I guess then we toss the headphones and buck up for another pair?
Us? you mean you and a few in minority? Because WE, the majority don't give the shit...seriously about the 3.5mm. Technology got to move forward. If folks at Apple have the same mentality as yours, we are still using the Blackberry ass phone.
"These are as advanced a project as Apple Pencil," Schiller said of AirPods. "We started this project when we started the Watch project. We knew we needed a great wireless solution for audio. We said, 'What if you could design what the future of headphones should look like?' That's we asked the team to do."
That's all well and good Phil, but why on God's green Earth did you go with that absurdly long alien protrusion that, from a distance looks like frozen bird poo, and up close looks like someone just hacked off a regular set of Apple EarPods?
I am certain cramming such a lot of functionality into a tiny space is fiendishly difficult, but as other companies have shown, there are more inconspicuous ways of designing wireless earphones. I cannot see many people wearing these without a few sniggers from onlookers. Funny how white earphones with a jiggling white cord, made famous and stylish by the acrobatic hip dancing in the early iPod commercials, has become superficially uncool sans cord.
Of course, that is my opinion as 40-something uncool guy and I could be completely out of touch and wrong. But they just don't seem to scream "look at my sexy wearable tech!" - much in the same way Google Glass didn't either, although maybe not quite so stupid-looking and obtrussive.
I'm pretty sure the "future of headphones should..." not look like this.
I don't get the fuss over the removal. Never have. I haven't used the headphone jack in years as I've been using the Jaybird X2s and the original X before that. They sound fantastic and last for around 8 hours. Plus plus they cost about $10-20 more than what Apple is asking for at full retail cost. You can buy cheaper sets, you don't have to buy Apple's. Bluetooth headsets are going to come down in price as well in the long term. People need to relax.
Now, to actually upgrade my 6 Plus or still hold out for next year for the supposed big bang. Only thing I really wanted more was a better screen than 1080 which we might actually get next year with OLED. That's my biggest want.
Don't you understand this is not a regular Bluetooth headphone right? This is a wireless headset which includes microphones on both pieces which are compatible with Siri by double taps on them...and one can also be used if the other one is taken out of your ear. Please don't compare this with any wireless headset on the market because they are not the same...
Wow. Complete apples vs. oranges. All those old technologies he described where limited digital standards that were replaced by faster, more functional successors. Removing an audio jack isn't progress.
AirPods have 24 hours listening time? Cool. All my headphones have infinite listening time and sound 100x better. Airpods are essentially $30 sound quality (and that's pushing it) being sold for $165: a 550% markup! And that's for less listening time and potentially inferior audio quality due to the nature of wireless vs wired analog!
And then there's the dongle... really? DAC on that? I'll reserve judgement until it's out, but I don't have high hopes. Still, the real issue is that it's way more of a pain to keep track of that ugly thing than a microscopic thickness bump on the phone would have been. That, and the fact that you need a freaking dongle to use the best headphones and audio systems in the world because...
The audio world isn't going to switch to wireless. Sorry, but I don't see audio engineers and recording artists retooling their systems from the analog standard when wireless offers zero benefits. I certainly won't trade my AKG 701s in for some shitty Beats. As for everyone else, this still won't plug into anything anyone owns. Here's a scenario: show up to a house party... "Sup everyone? I brought the music. Oh wait..."
Wireless stereo will supplant wired stereo the same way Firewire supplanted USB :-p
Why don't you just use your wired landline telephone instead of cellular phone because wired landline phone has unlimited talk time without a need for battery. BTW, most Audio Engineers and Recording artist went digital for awhile. What island did you come from, Madagascar? GTFO.
"These are as advanced a project as Apple Pencil," Schiller said of AirPods. "We started this project when we started the Watch project. We knew we needed a great wireless solution for audio. We said, 'What if you could design what the future of headphones should look like?' That's we asked the team to do."
That's all well and good Phil, but why on God's green Earth did you go with that absurdly long alien protrusion that, from a distance looks like frozen bird poo, and up close looks like someone just hacked off a regular set of Apple EarPods?
I am certain cramming such a lot of functionality into a tiny space is fiendishly difficult, but as other companies have shown, there are more inconspicuous ways of designing wireless earphones. I cannot see many people wearing these without a few sniggers from onlookers. Funny how white earphones with a jiggling white cord, made famous and stylish by the acrobatic hip dancing in the early iPod commercials, has become superficially uncool sans cord.
Of course, that is my opinion as 40-something uncool guy and I could be completely out of touch and wrong. But they just don't seem to scream "look at my sexy wearable tech!" - much in the same way Google Glass didn't either, although maybe not quite so stupid-looking and obtrussive.
Show me a nice looking Bluetooth headset on the market with 50% of features as this. You need to open your mind for new technology and innovation sometimes.
"These are as advanced a project as Apple Pencil," Schiller said of AirPods. "We started this project when we started the Watch project. We knew we needed a great wireless solution for audio. We said, 'What if you could design what the future of headphones should look like?' That's we asked the team to do."
That's all well and good Phil, but why on God's green Earth did you go with that absurdly long alien protrusion that, from a distance looks like frozen bird poo, and up close looks like someone just hacked off a regular set of Apple EarPods?
I am certain cramming such a lot of functionality into a tiny space is fiendishly difficult, but as other companies have shown, there are more inconspicuous ways of designing wireless earphones. I cannot see many people wearing these without a few sniggers from onlookers. Funny how white earphones with a jiggling white cord, made famous and stylish by the acrobatic hip dancing in the early iPod commercials, has become superficially uncool sans cord.
Of course, that is my opinion as 40-something uncool guy and I could be completely out of touch and wrong. But they just don't seem to scream "look at my sexy wearable tech!" - much in the same way Google Glass didn't either, although maybe not quite so stupid-looking and obtrussive.
Show me a nice looking Bluetooth headset on the market with 50% of features as this. You need to open your mind for new technology and innovation sometimes.
It's true that they have superior functionality. That wasn't my argument. If you like them then great, where them with pride and enjoy them. I'm only commenting on their appearance and, from where I sit (from my parents' basement /s ), they look ridiculous. Let's not hide the fact that looks matter too - just ask the Google Glass team. Apple knows this. The industry knows this.
Hey, they could fly off the shelves and really be a hit. We'll see.
For some, however, AirPods will be merely a stopgap as audio hardware manufacturers build out their own Lightning or wireless offerings.
For most, however, AirPods and Lightning EarPods mean that the world's biggest Made-for-iPhone show will get even bigger. Look for tons of hastily banged out AirPod clones and Lightning EarPod clones at CES this January.
I'm also excited for Apple to still be innovating and daring enough to push some of those ideas to market. It would be tempting for a company as rich as Apple to coast along and play safe. They still have bravery in a world that doesn't always reward the brave with success and that's to be commended.
Comments
I promised I would stop bitching if Apple provided an adapter for legacy headphones and they did. So what's the big deal? Did you miss the part where they mentioned the adapter will come packaged in every iPhone 7?
youll live.
But I keep reading the same thing you stated. That someone has high end headphones with 3.5mm cable and is mad that the 3.5mm jack is removed on the iPhone. My question is, are you sure you're using your expensive headphones to the max? Because I've seen instances where people show expensive headphones are underutilized and sound like shit when connected to an iPhone's 3.5mm jack. So it seems that buying $500 headphones and using them with a 3.5mm jack on smartphones is defeating the purpose of expensive headphones (because of the phones inferior DAC.)
For example, Austin Evans compared sound from a $450 headphone that can swap its cable between 3.5mm and lightning. Tested it on an iPhone obviously, and the difference in sound quality was night and day better with lightning.
https://youtu.be/1m-2HKN9txg
Any opinions on this from your end?
2) nobody is asking the pro recording industry to go wireless. that's in your head.
That's all well and good Phil, but why on God's green Earth did you go with that absurdly long alien protrusion that, from a distance looks like frozen bird poo, and up close looks like someone just hacked off a regular set of Apple EarPods?
I am certain cramming such a lot of functionality into a tiny space is fiendishly difficult, but as other companies have shown, there are more inconspicuous ways of designing wireless earphones. I cannot see many people wearing these without a few sniggers from onlookers. Funny how white earphones with a jiggling white cord, made famous and stylish by the acrobatic hip dancing in the early iPod commercials, has become superficially uncool sans cord.
Of course, that is my opinion as 40-something uncool guy and I could be completely out of touch and wrong. But they just don't seem to scream "look at my sexy wearable tech!" - much in the same way Google Glass didn't either, although maybe not quite so stupid-looking and obtrussive.
I'm pretty sure the "future of headphones should..." not look like this.
Show me a nice looking Bluetooth headset on the market with 50% of features as this. You need to open your mind for new technology and innovation sometimes.
Hey, they could fly off the shelves and really be a hit. We'll see.
Look for tons of hastily banged out AirPod clones and Lightning EarPod clones at CES this January.
So I'm not all negative here.