Apple defends decision to ditch 3.5mm jack, says AirPods development began years ago

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 140
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Idiots at Cnet are saying "your old headphones are now junk"


  • Reply 42 of 140
    kevin keekevin kee Posts: 1,289member
    mobius said:
    fallenjt said:

    mobius said:
    "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 numbnut need to open your mind for new technology and innovation sometimes and get out of your parents' basement.
    Thanks for the ad-hominem attacks. I'll answer anyway, since you asked.

    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.
    One word: microphone.
    indiekiduknolamacguyjony0
  • Reply 44 of 140
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    kevin kee said:
    One word: microphone.
    Good point. I agree, that seems to be a big reason why they protrude so far out.
    cali
  • Reply 45 of 140
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    mobius said:
    fallenjt said:

    mobius said:
    "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 numbnut need to open your mind for new technology and innovation sometimes and get out of your parents' basement.
    Thanks for the ad-hominem attacks. I'll answer anyway, since you asked.

    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.
    Doesn't really look any different than the Bluetooth headsets for cell phones. 
    cali
  • Reply 46 of 140
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    jungmark said:
    Doesn't really look any different than the Bluetooth headsets for cell phones. 
    I'm not sure about other countries, but in the UK there is a significant amount of stigma attached to Bluetooth headsets. However, I think these are different enough that they may not suffer the same type of negative bias.
    cali
  • Reply 47 of 140
    mobiles said:
    That's all well and good Phil, but why on God's green Earth did you go with that absurdly long alien protrusion
    Almost as though that’s how these things look when you want to have a microphone in them

    edited September 2016 SpamSandwichwaverboy
  • Reply 48 of 140
    dacloodacloo Posts: 890member
    The argument that Apple has done this before (ie. removal of the disk drive in the iMac) isn't really valid.

    The difference with what Apple had done before is the fact it got replaced by general, non propriety solutions. Essentially, the iMac's floppy drive got replaced by the USB drive.

    This time around, the Lightning connector is propriety. It requires third parties to license it from Apple.
    The essentially replaces an open format with a closed one. I can't see how this is any good, even if it's better than say Bluetooth.

    Not taking in account the huge drawback of not being able to charge while listening to music. Which I do often.

    It'a slightly cocky, arrogant move from Apple. Their arguments aren't that strong, but I guess we'll live!
    singularitycnocbuilarryatoddzrx
  • Reply 49 of 140
    dachardachar Posts: 330member
    One small thing to remember when traveling. You can't use wireless devices on an airplane.
    larrya
  • Reply 50 of 140
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    mobiles said:
    That's all well and good Phil, but why on God's green Earth did you go with that absurdly long alien protrusion
    Almost as though that’s how these things look when you want to have a microphone in them

    That's fine. But when phone call usage is falling ( http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/sep/08/one-in-four-uk-smartphone-weekly-phone-calls?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other ) and using Siri in public remains somewhat of an embarrassment I wonder whether they could have made a version sans microphone which may have negated the long protrusion.

    Perhaps they will do this in the future.
  • Reply 51 of 140
    dagaz said:
    This alone may stop me from upgrading to the new iPhone. I have a $300 pair of wired headphones that I love, they have great sound, that currently work with every single audio device I own. Long term, I can see the advantage of moving away from the analog 3.5mm standard, but it should be a to a new, common standard that is just as ubiquitous across all devices. I don't see a chance in hell of Lightning being adopted as widely as the 3.5mm currently is.
    There are already 900 million Lightning devices sold. And why wouldn't you use your 300$ headphones on the new iPhones with the included adapter?

    It's as if you have no clue of what you are talking about, or are desperate to say something, no matter how stupid it actually is.
    caliwilliamlondonjony0
  • Reply 52 of 140
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    mobius said:
    "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.
    One 40-something uncool guy to another. I like the frozen bird pop look or more so the function of that. I take headphones in and out all day. Sometimes because I'm standing up and the cable will rip it out of my ear  (these times will be redundant thankfully). Most the time a take them out because someone needs to ask a question and it just seem more respectful to take it out and show I'm listening to them. Other times I have both in and everyone know Do not Disturb unless really necessary. The other in ear wireless earphones look more like they are designed to be right in the ear so not as easy to take out.
     
    I think the hanging chad will make it easier to quickly and naturally get the earphone in and out during the day.

    I guess time will tell if there is a market for both. 
    mobiuscaliwilliamlondon
  • Reply 53 of 140
    dachar said:
    One small thing to remember when traveling. You can't use wireless devices on an airplane.
    According to British airways:
    "All Bluetooth accessories (for example wireless keyboard, headphones, etc) may only be used during the flight but must remain switched off for taxi, take-off and landing." (http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/pdfs/handheld-devices-used-onboard_Dec14.pdf)

    Is that really such a big deal?
    williamlondon
  • Reply 54 of 140
    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. 
    I don't get the fuss over the removal of Baseball from TV. Never have. I don't even like the game. Why would anybody watch that. There is Basketball and Football and Hockey. Seriously, who needs Baseball?

    The headphone jack removal is not a problem for everybody. But Apple knows they have a potential sales killer on their hands. Not in a major way. But it could have dampened sales quite a bit. That is why for the first time an accessory is added to the iPhone for free. That did not happen with any other tech they eliminated. The missing ports on the macbook must be bought, the missing dvd drive as well. With the iPhone 7 Apple is giving it away, because they know it would have cost customers. Anyways, I will get one of the cheaper iPhone 6s Plus that still has the headphone jack. Next year we will see if Apple sticks with this decision. 
    calilarryamac_128chia
  • Reply 55 of 140
    kevin kee said:
    fmalloy said:
    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?
    Here, here is a better idea. F*ck off. 3.5mm is dead, you hear me, DEAD. Once that goes through your thick skull, I welcome you to 2016.
    Something isn't dead because Apple says so. I bet oer 90% of headphones sold in 2016 have an analog headphone jack. It may be phasing out. But that is still some ways to go. 
  • Reply 56 of 140
    kevin kee said:
    fmalloy said:
    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?
    Here, here is a better idea. F*ck off. 3.5mm is dead, you hear me, DEAD. Once that goes through your thick skull, I welcome you to 2016.
    Something isn't dead because Apple says so. I bet oer 90% of headphones sold in 2016 have an analog headphone jack. It may be phasing out. But that is still some ways to go. 
    Actually, for the mainstream, it is. In 2 years only a few models will offer the jack. Do you want to be the % of headphones sales with analog jacks in 2017 and 2018?
  • Reply 57 of 140
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    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. 
    I don't get the fuss over the removal of Baseball from TV. Never have. I don't even like the game. Why would anybody watch that. There is Basketball and Football and Hockey. Seriously, who needs Baseball?

    The headphone jack removal is not a problem for everybody. But Apple knows they have a potential sales killer on their hands. Not in a major way. But it could have dampened sales quite a bit. That is why for the first time an accessory is added to the iPhone for free. That did not happen with any other tech they eliminated. The missing ports on the macbook must be bought, the missing dvd drive as well. With the iPhone 7 Apple is giving it away, because they know it would have cost customers. Anyways, I will get one of the cheaper iPhone 6s Plus that still has the headphone jack. Next year we will see if Apple sticks with this decision. 
    Good points. But, to be fair, they did include a VGA to DVI display adapter in the older Power Macs and Intel Mac Pro towers. It's been a while since I've purchased a tower so I can't say if they still include it. I would guess not since its ancient tech now.
  • Reply 58 of 140
    I think all the comments about sound quality and professional use miss the point, that the average iPhone user doesn't care.
    I have several pairs of high end headphones including a pair that is Bluetooth. Now maybe they don't sound quite as good as my best pair but they still sound better than the average headphone, and with added convenience. I would use them more, if they weren't such a pain to connect with each time. If Apple have solved this with their pair, it's a win. 
    But personally, I hate headphone cords. They tangle, bunch, and restrict mobility. 



    calichia
  • Reply 59 of 140
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    Ok, well after my initial highly negative post above about the AirPods (which I posted after waking from a surgical op (not on my brain!)), I am starting to feel a bit less negative. I can see myself wearing these around the house. Still not sure about using them in public, but when you look at some of the things other people decide to wear (man buns or blanket scarves anyone?!) I guess they're not so bad!
    edited September 2016 williamlondonwelshdogwaverboy
  • Reply 60 of 140
    kevin kee said:
    fmalloy said:
    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?
    Here, here is a better idea. F*ck off. 3.5mm is dead, you hear me, DEAD. Once that goes through your thick skull, I welcome you to 2016.
    Something isn't dead because Apple says so. I bet oer 90% of headphones sold in 2016 have an analog headphone jack. It may be phasing out. But that is still some ways to go. 


    You may have missed the news that there were non-iPhones released without the headphone jack at least 1-2 years back.

    The percentage of wireless earphones sold in the last year was 15% IIRC.

    "It may be phasing out. But still some ways to go" - precisely why a Lightning-to-Headphone Jack adaptor is included in every iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

    edited September 2016 williamlondonwaverboychia
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