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

135

Comments

  • Reply 41 of 84
    ...I use 1/8" jack daily to a 400W amp powering audiophile ribbon speakers - ditching the USB DAC/AMP that a local shop convinced me to buy - it seemed just one more fiddly bit of needless tech... That being said this Airport Express review suggests excellent DAC output as an in situ option: http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/airport-express-audio-quality-2014.htm#rex Bluetooth quality has been a past issue, as well as yet one more power system to keep running? On the road would a 90˚ headphone connector (1/8" historically, or an adapter) be appreciated by most...?
    baconstang
  • Reply 42 of 84
    glynh said:
    gcv said:
    The sound quality is much better than the original CDs and Apple's lossless format.
    Huh? How is that even possible?
    It's not, unless he is confusing ALAC (Apple lossless) with AAC (which is a lossy format). 
    baconstang
  • Reply 43 of 84
    bigmike said:
    Wow. I'm a MacBook Pro owner who uses the headphone jack every day but wasn't asked to vote.

    Thanks Apple. 'Preciate it.
    Polling is about selecting a random sample out of a general population in order to study it and get a general understanding of that population's behavior. 
    If it's any consolation, they didn't ask me either. 
  • Reply 44 of 84

    You've never heard of desktop computer speakers?
    Most people that I know that use desktop speakers or monitors run it through a DAC in which you can also use USB.
  • Reply 45 of 84
    exkeks said:
    Just don't leave out the SD card slot. Not every camera has USB3 yet.
    You my friend will be greatly dissapointed. I'm willing to bet on that. 
  • Reply 46 of 84
    I use it every goddamn day.
    Stupid Apple and their quest to remove a port everyone wants.

    baconstang
  • Reply 47 of 84
    About time they removed it on everything. 
    People moaned when they removed the floppy then no one cared about floppy disks. Same for the old serial and parallel ports. 

    Things change. It's life. There is always a way out of things. 
  • Reply 48 of 84
    xzuxzu Posts: 139member
    thetorrey said:
    If they are barely asking this question, does it mean a refresh is further away than we expected?
    I would guess they have removed it already, and this is just to evaluate sticking an adapter in each box or not. Only speculation mix with hope the refresh is in a few weeks.
  • Reply 49 of 84
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    schlack said:
    use it every single day...just put both as an interim solution
    Interesting. Not really Apple's style though.
    edited September 2016
  • Reply 50 of 84
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Soli said:
    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.
    What's your suggestion?
    baconstang
  • Reply 51 of 84
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Guys, what if the existence of this survey is in itself a way for Apple to leak they are getting rid of the port to get people accustomed to the idea before launch?
    edited September 2016
  • Reply 52 of 84
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    lymf said:
    While I don't have a problem on ditching it on the iPhone, PLEASE dont ditch it on the Mac yet. Just DON'T.

    when you DJ and want to listen to some songs on your computer you want to listen to them on the headphones you're gonna use at the venue. They aren't wireless. And I don't want to ever use a Windows computer for that. Thanks.
    And for those small percentage of users they can buy Lightning DJ headphones or simply use the included adapter.
    oakhammdmrboba1
  • Reply 53 of 84
    ireland said:
    lymf said:
    While I don't have a problem on ditching it on the iPhone, PLEASE dont ditch it on the Mac yet. Just DON'T.

    when you DJ and want to listen to some songs on your computer you want to listen to them on the headphones you're gonna use at the venue. They aren't wireless. And I don't want to ever use a Windows computer for that. Thanks.
    And for those small percentage of users they can buy Lightning DJ headphones or simply use the included adapter.
    Ireland, you are being too pragmatic.

    After all, its been suggested that nearly 10% of adults suck their thumbs. I guess some people never grow up.
  • Reply 54 of 84
    Bring on the drama.  I do not use this jack anymore.  USB of some type can take care of what I need.  Also wireless options are really good as well.  If you are listening to music using your MacBook Pro while traveling you have issues.  Movie or some other audio use?  I would do this on iPad anyway.  Apple can't cater to everyone that is why they paint the vision and head towards it.  Even if it hurts a few feelings.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 55 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.
    Apple has to do that frequently anyway to account for CPU and chipset changes. It's not hard to modify a port at the same time. 
    baconstang
  • Reply 56 of 84
    I use the 3.5mm jack every day. EarPods for listening to music & doing Skype teleconferences. And has been mentioned, it supports optical digital which I use every now & then.

    Apple's problem is there are industry standard interfaces that use the 3.5mm connector, and there are billions(?) of devices out there that use these plugs. Dropping the 3.5mm connector in favor of something proprietary (or at least not widely adopted) would anger many, many consumers. Suddenly I can't just plug into the conference room sound system (many of which still have VGA!) or jack into a sound board, or swing by Walgreens on a trip to buy a set of earbuds because I forgot mine.

    The 3.5mm jack does an important job conveniently and reliably. To remove it on a device as large as a laptop seems petty and cheap. It's already bad enough they removed the RJ-45 connector.
    edited September 2016 baconstang
  • Reply 57 of 84
    The author doesn't understand the definition of Obsolete. He equates obsolete to be how many use a said technology like a 3.5mm port.

    Thats NOT what the word means.. Something can be obsolete (a tech that is superior) and still have ubiquitous presents. Fact is, 3.5mm has been obsolete for years.. USB has been superior in nearly every way for some time.

    Ironically, MOST Mics and speakers are USB now. 3.5mm is not as used as it used to be.

    Apple just happens to see that the next replacement for audio, is wireless.. and they are correct.
    ai46
  • Reply 58 of 84
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    ireland said:
    Soli said:
    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.
    What's your suggestion?
    I thought my comment was clear: either include the Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter or don't, depending on the results of the polls. Frankly, it's another device I don't want to have an unused adapter for sitting in a drawer. For those that want this can use the phone that came with their iPhone or buy one, but charging every Mac owner for one seems excessive unless the polls show it's used by most Mac users.
  • Reply 59 of 84
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    ireland said:
    Soli said:
    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.
    What's your suggestion?
    They will add the Lightning jack, just about where the mag-safe is. Photos of this rumored leaked MBP case have the only empty spot exactly there.

    The benefits are that:

    1) It becomes a charging method using the same cable the iPhone uses, leaving the USB-C port free for peripherals.

    2) It serves as a natively compatible headphone jack for the iPhone's Lightning headphones allowing iPhone 7 users to actually use their Lightning headphones on their Macs.

    3) It serves an optional USB 3.0 port leaving the USB-C port free for something else to be used at the same time without a hub. This is especially important for the Retina MacBook, which will lose its headphone jack.

    4) It allows Apple to simplify its adapter lineup by offering Lightning only adapters for common functions like SDXC card readers, USB 3.0 ports, HDMI ports, etc. It also allows a customer to immediately use any Lightning adapters they already own, where the prospect of buying a lot of USB-C adapters is a deterrent.

    So far, Apple has included a pair of Lightning EarPods, which are not compatible with much more than the iPhone 7, and some other iOS devices. There are no adapters for it to use on anything else, not even a USB-C adapter for the MacBook. So unless the customer is only going to use it on the iPhone 7, the Lightning EarPods are dead in the water. Even if there were adapters available now, I'm not sure how Apple justifies the need for a customer to find an adapter in order to use Apple's brand new, cutting edge technology, EarPods bundled with the iPhone, on a brand new MacBook. The lack of Lightning Beats headphones might suggest that Apple has really gone whole hog on wireless. If that's the case, then maybe there won't be a Lightning port on the Mac. But adding a Lightning port does offer some benefits to the MacBook so it wouldn't be a bad interim solution. It only needs to be on there until Apple drops Lightning and goes port-less on the iPhone altogether, or until wireless headphones rival wired quality.
    edited September 2016
  • Reply 60 of 84
    Any surveys sent to professionals about workstation computers and Mac Pros??
Sign In or Register to comment.