Apple polling MacBook Pro owners on use of headphone jack, other ports

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited September 2016
Apple on Wednesday sent out surveys to a sampling of MacBook Pro customers asking whether they use the laptop's headphone jack, a question that suggests the company is looking to remove the legacy component as it did with iPhone 7.




As noted on Twitter and other social media sites, the poll's phrasing hints Apple is at least considering a removal of the long-in-the-tooth 3.5mm headphone jack in an upcoming MacBook Pro with Retina display revision. A separate survey asked users how often they use specific ports, perhaps a clue that future MacBook Pro models will save valuable internal space by combining interoperable I/O ports like Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C.

In addition, Apple also sent out surveys regarding general MacBook Pro interactions. For example, some customers received questionnaires concerning how they import photos to their Mac, while others were asked about battery life and portability.

MacRumors reported on the survey earlier today.

Apple is expected to revamp its flagship MacBook Pro line in the near future, though reports have not yet painted a complete picture of the laptop's final design and hardware specifications. Well-connected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who boasts an accurate track record when it comes to future Apple product launches, predicts the next Retina MacBook Pro will be completely redesigned, with a thinner unibody architecture, OLED touch bar and Touch ID. Subsequent reports parroted those claims.

Photos of a purported next-generation MacBook Pro chassis surface in May showing compact design with fewer ports than current models. The supposed part did, however, include a headphone jack, albeit repositioned from the left side of the device to the right.

If Apple were to remove the headphone jack from an upcoming MacBook Pro, the change would be in line with its recent -- and highly controversial -- decision to do the same with iPhone. After months of rumors, Apple officially ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack standard with iPhone 7 last week. The controversial change caused an uproar, as consumers voiced concern that their headphones will soon be obsolete. Anticipating consumer response, Apple is including a Lightning-to-headphone jack adapter in every iPhone 7 box.

By removing the 50-year-old connector technology, Apple was able to squeeze better cameras, an advanced Taptic Engine and a larger capacity battery into the svelte handset, company executives said. The change also eliminated a key point of liquid ingress, allowing engineers to design Apple's first water-resistant iPhone.

The general public, while not particularly pleased, seems to be swallowing Apple's explanation. After all, in a cutting-edge, small-format super computer like iPhone, every micron counts. For larger laptop devices, however, explaining away the deletion of fairly critical component seems like a tall order.

Prior to 2014, many portable Macs supported optical digital input and output via a hybrid 3.5mm jack (mini TOSLINK), but as professionals moved to more modern equipment reliant on high-bandwidth digital transports like USB, the technology was phased out. That being said, the headphone jack is hardly obsolete. Millions of consumer devices still support the ubiquitous connector format, including a majority of Apple products.

Arguments can be made for space saving considerations, as can a recitation of the company's collective "courageous" jump to what's next in tech. But the raison d'etre, the one Apple might be reluctant to air onstage in front of gathered media, is that removing MacBook Pro's headphone jack forces an advancement of the company's wireless ecosystem agenda.

And that's OK, too.
«1345

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 84
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Reply 2 of 84
    use it every single day...just put both as an interim solution
    SpamSandwichbaconstangbigmikefrankie
  • Reply 3 of 84
    Yep, cutting in noisy environments, watching stuff on a plane - always. However, would I be prepared to change? To a pair of AirPods? Doubt it. BOSE noise cancelling phones? About time I got some. Beats equivalents? Only if they're as good, which on past form, they wouldn't be. They'd be "good enough", which frankly isn't.
  • Reply 4 of 84
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Don't use it at all. 
    williamlondonai46
  • Reply 5 of 84
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    safi said:
    We do not want to pull out a dongle every time to connect to a damn speaker system or our headphones.
    You use the headphone jack for "a damn speaker system"? :confused: 
    stevehSpamSandwichai46
  • Reply 6 of 84
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    schlack said:
    use it every single day...just put both as an interim solution
    Including Lightning just for headphones seems awful to me, but keeping the 3.5mm port is worse, and having both is just not a good solution. I'd imagine that those that are Mac owners that aren't also iPhone owners or those capable of being one of the innumerable Lighting headphones on the market can simply use an adapter. I'd bet this survey isn't about whether they should remove the 3.5mm jack, at least not if that's the case for a new Apple notebook design presumably launching next month, but whether they should include in the box the Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter.
    Rayz2016ai46
  • Reply 7 of 84
    Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't apple audio port is compatible with the TOSLINK system which is still capable of carrying up to 7.1 channels of very high-resolution audio? Although for the majority of consumer setups, there will be absolutely no discernible difference between audio quality when using an HDMI cable or a TOSLINK cable, but yeah I am ready to throw away aging analog audio port. Some of my DJ friends are really concerned, but they'll have to adapt! ;)  
    dysamoria
  • Reply 8 of 84
    If they are barely asking this question, does it mean a refresh is further away than we expected?
    xzudysamoria
  • Reply 9 of 84
    fearless said:
    Yep, cutting in noisy environments, watching stuff on a plane - always. However, would I be prepared to change? To a pair of AirPods? Doubt it. BOSE noise cancelling phones? About time I got some. Beats equivalents? Only if they're as good, which on past form, they wouldn't be. They'd be "good enough", which frankly isn't.
    Bose = Buy Other Sound Equipment. 

    thetorrey said:
    If they are barely asking this question, does it mean a refresh is further away than we expected?
    Possibly, though changing out one port wouldn't require a massive chassis redesign and could be done in a refresh. Perhaps they're torn between two roads. 
  • Reply 10 of 84
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    thetorrey said:
    If they are barely asking this question, does it mean a refresh is further away than we expected?
    As someone has said, they could be thinking about including an adapter. 

    Or or it could be for a future revision. 

    Soliwilliamlondon
  • Reply 11 of 84
    thetorrey said:
    If they are barely asking this question, does it mean a refresh is further away than we expected?
    Removing audio port in iPhone is a start, not an end. Obviously Apple is pathing the way for the "wireless" future. It is not the time yet to remove audio port from other devices (possibly next will be iPad) until more headphones with lighting cable or wireless headphones start flooding the market. If that happened, it would take a while after iPhone 7 released.
  • Reply 12 of 84
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Possibly, though changing out one port wouldn't require a massive chassis redesign and could be done in a refresh. Perhaps they're torn between two roads. 
    We're not talking about just a port interface, we're talking about redesigning the logic board.
    macseekerai46
  • Reply 13 of 84
    Soli said:
    Possibly, though changing out one port wouldn't require a massive chassis redesign and could be done in a refresh. Perhaps they're torn between two roads. 
    We're not talking about just a port interface, we're talking about redesigning the logic board.
    Yeah, from what I've seen of prior MacBook Pros, the logic board and ports are on one board/card.
  • Reply 14 of 84
    I'm sorry, I got Apple's argument on the phone, but on a laptop where they're not constrained by the things they had to worry about on the Phone? Sorry, that's silly. What about schools where you plug in your computer to speakers to show presentations? Just having better speakers on an iMac? Audio output to recorders? TOSLink setups?

    This is REALLY looking for a problem that doesn't need a new solution. I hope that the people taking the survey thoroughly knock this idea down. 
    baconstanglorin schultzjasenj1pscooter63mario
  • Reply 15 of 84
    the last time I used the headphone jack on my MacBook pro was like 2 years ago, I am not sure why people seems to be so concerned about this, it's not like there is no wireless solution available out there. and frankly once you go wireless they is no way to go back to wires. if apple ever decided to keep it around I would definitely be disappointed in a half courageous stance from them. Once you choose to go forward you have to be consistent about it.
    watto_cobraai46
  • Reply 16 of 84
    sergioz said:
    Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't apple audio port is compatible with the TOSLINK system which is still capable of carrying up to 7.1 channels of very high-resolution audio? Although for the majority of consumer setups, there will be absolutely no discernible difference between audio quality when using an HDMI cable or a TOSLINK cable, but yeah I am ready to throw away aging analog audio port. Some of my DJ friends are really concerned, but they'll have to adapt! ;)  
    Not many people know that this connection is dual: analog and optical. I use optical connection every day for several hours. I am all for digital replacement but I dread AirPlay over WiFi because this thing sucks impossibly. [begin rant] I take no pleasure in listening to stuttering sound every time I enter a search term in Safari, which triggers multiple HTTP connections and kills the streaming. Apple, please why on earth in 21st century it is impossible to cache the whole darn song when streaming from MacBook Pro to AppleTV 4 with 64GB memory so it won't stutter when the network slows down? Before you ask, yes I use Apple Airport Extreme N. [end rant]
    baconstangjasenj1pscooter63afrodri
  • Reply 17 of 84
    All I want is a 17" MacBook Pro retina.
    Amaury125
  • Reply 18 of 84
    gcvgcv Posts: 18member
    I use this headphone port every day. My entire music library is stored uncompressed on my MacBook Pro, and is connected to my stereo preamp through this dual purpose jack. The sound quality is much better than the original CDs and Apple's lossless format. I imported everything into iTunes in AIFF format and have never looked back. I'd be lost and really torked off if I no longer had this option in future Mac Pros. 
    baconstangjdgaz
  • Reply 19 of 84
    Ah...  Remove it from all "non-pro" labeled devices.  People that do music/video work "Pro" customers probably want it for another 5 years or until the frequency range is optimized in other options.

    jah beautiful 
    baconstang
  • Reply 20 of 84
    Well, I use the combo jack occasionally for optical input, but mostly to inject signal into audio systems for troubleshooting and maintenance.  The mini TRS is standard in any studio.   I use the TB for screen expansion for wire listing and larger drawings.  The USB3 mostly for thumb drives or the occasional label printer.
    And when testing I leave it powered up since it may be on for 8+ hours at a time.
    But that's just me.
Sign In or Register to comment.