This is what the iPhone would look like if Woz had taken over after Steve Jobs died.
Well that’s the problem with all techies like Wozniak. They design things with other techies in mind and have no clue how to design something the average person can use. Wozniak may have cobbled together the original Apple I and Apple II but it was Jobs who knew what it needed to look like and and how it needed to function for the general public to accept it. That’s why the Apple II is credited for being the first “successful” mass market personal computer. There were numerous wannabes floating around, some for years before the Apple II, but they were without exception hobbyist experiments, difficult to program and use. None of them sold well even to the hobbyist crowd. Once the Apple II was out and successful the flood gates opened because others saw how it was done. You know, just like after the iPhone made its debut.
I seem to recall that Jobs and Woz met, or Jobs got the idea to start their own company at a computer club they both attended where someone had an Altair.
Woz is a brilliant engineer, but I don't think he could have started Apple and made it what it is today. Jobs, on the other hand, I think still would have started Apple even if had to find a less brilliant engineer in which to do it. I think Woz would have ended up a multi-millionaire working for HP as an engineer for a good part of his life, had patents under his belt, probably started a few little companies, but never would have shifted the Earth's axis or been a household name, even if his engineering prowess was pinnacle in making HP the most successful company in the world today. Without Woz with him, I believe Jobs would have still revolutionized computing, but maybe only as much a household name as Babbage, Tesla (pre-car company), other names mostly known to closer to science and technology fields. I even doubt that Apple would have been able to rise again like the Phoenix from near death if both Apple and Jobs never got quit the fame it had because of the Jobs/Woz combination. In any regard, I'm glad they met each other.
At some level I agree with Woz, but on the wired side and only if time stands still. The 3.5 mm jack has probably outlived its viability as a first class solution based on the limitations it places on industrial design, waterproofing, space, etc. Apple felt like it was an insurmountable impediment to their design goals. However there is no off-the-shelf replacement available, much less an open standards based one. The best available weapon in Apple's utility belt was Lightning. They had to decide whether to let 3.5 mm anchor chain their design goals, wait until a new wired standard emerges in 5-10 years, wait until a wireless standard emerges in 5-10 years, or use the best weapon they already had available, Lightning, for their next generation of products. Apple wasn't content to admit defeat by staying with 3.5 mm and had to move - now. I'm sure they know that Lightning is a short term fix because it's closed, but it may be good enough to bridge the time and standards gap until a suitable wireless standard emerges. When the transition to wireless eventually occurs the Lightning era designs will fade into the same obscurity as the last remaining exclusive 3.5 mm holdouts. In the meantime expect to see more modular adapter / dongle based cord sets included with premium headphones. The wildcard is whether a new wired standard emerges, say USB-C but it too would face the same single port charging issues as Lightning. But wireless charging technology could mitigate many of the single port issues as well.
No matter how you frame up future scenarios, the 3.5 mm headphone jacks days are numbered. Small numbered.
It's so childish to label people with complaints as 'crybabies'. Their arguments are valid.
Apple is forcing us to invest in wireless. This 'bold move' is being compared to the removal of the floppy drive in the iMacs back then. It's not a fair comparison because the removal of the drive didn't force people to invest in a propriety Apple format (lighting cable, W1 chip, etc, for third parties all subject to Apple's review process and expensive licensing fees). The iMacs alternative was USB, external CD-ROM player and floppy drive. That seemed fair.
I personally hate the removal of the jack because I need a reliable wired connection for all my daily team calls, and I need to be able to charge my phone while doing so. And I sure as hell don't need another Apple accessory that requires charging. And we all know that Bellina dongle sucks balls.
Apple didn't provide a second lighting port, or included the W1 chip while keeping the jack. Their move isn't 'bold', it's arrogant and unneeded. They're creating a way to earn more money from third party accessory creators and iUsers at the same time.
If my understanding is correct, one reason the 3.5mm was removed was to increase the ability to keep water and mosture out.
As someone who has lost 2 phones now due to water damage, and knowing many others that have as well, I do like this advantage. I know you can get certain cases that do the same, as I have purchased them, but they add bulk and negatively affect speaker performance.
Considering that the 3.5mm port is considerably more simple than the Lightning port, I'd argue that it wasn't because it couldn't be made to keep water from seeping into the main housing. If there's any argument for removing the 3.5mm jack in terms of water, I'd think it would be in getting the water out of the thin, cylindrical port after its been submerged. The shallow and relatively wide Lightning port would not hold water as easily.
If you look at the internals components of the iPhone—which you can start by comparing the external camera placement on the iPhone 7 v iPhone 6S—ou can see that removing the 3.5mm port component was necessary for including a much better camera, better speakers, a better haptic motor (which took some battery space last year), a larger battery, and the new barometric pressure component that now sits in the place of the 3.5mm port component. There are probably many other gains that we may never know about.
the vp of engineering said in a recent article that removing the port enabled them the space to add better cameras & imaging processor, bigger battery, and water seals. i inferred it wasn't water coming thru the port hole that was the problem, but the space the component took up inside the case.
This is what the iPhone would look like if Woz had taken over after Steve Jobs died.
Well that’s the problem with all techies like Wozniak. They design things with other techies in mind and have no clue how to design something the average person can use. Wozniak may have cobbled together the original Apple I and Apple II but it was Jobs who knew what it needed to look like and and how it needed to function for the general public to accept it. That’s why the Apple II is credited for being the first “successful” mass market personal computer. There were numerous wannabes floating around, some for years before the Apple II, but they were without exception hobbyist experiments, difficult to program and use. None of them sold well even to the hobbyist crowd. Once the Apple II was out and successful the flood gates opened because others saw how it was done. You know, just like after the iPhone made its debut.
It's so childish to label people with complaints as 'crybabies'. Their arguments are valid.
Apple is forcing us to invest in wireless.
This is why comments like yours get labeled so harshly.
Apple isn't forcing you to do anything. Keep your old phone. Buy the iPhone 6S series or SE if you're old phone is older than these. Use the 3" adapter. if you love your old headphones. Buy a device from another vendor. None of these things force you buy anything wireless or buy an iPhone 7.
Obviously, Apple believes the future is to remove the 3.5mm port, and with so many already on BT headphones, so many others using the including headphones, and so few customer that are in this "I have to charge and listen via my headphones at the exact same time for 10+ hours per day," they see this as a simple solution.
If you didn't see this coming you weren't paying attention—and it's coming to all other smartphones, too.
It's so childish to label people with complaints as 'crybabies'. Their arguments are valid.
Apple is forcing us to invest in wireless. This 'bold move' is being compared to the removal of the floppy drive in the iMacs back then. It's not a fair comparison because the removal of the drive didn't force people to invest in a propriety Apple format (lighting cable, W1 chip, etc, for third parties all subject to Apple's review process and expensive licensing fees). The iMacs alternative was USB, external CD-ROM player and floppy drive. That seemed fair.
I personally hate the removal of the jack because I need a reliable wired connection for all my daily team calls, and I need to be able to charge my phone while doing so. And I sure as hell don't need another Apple accessory that requires charging. And we all know that Bellina dongle sucks balls.
Apple didn't provide a second lighting port, or included the W1 chip while keeping the jack. Their move isn't 'bold', it's arrogant and unneeded. They're creating a way to earn more money from third party accessory creators and iUsers at the same time.
much nonsense. again nobody is forcing you to do anything, let alone invest in wireless. lightning is wired and there's an adapter. i take calls with my team and the lightning headphones are fine (tho i will get AirPods on day 1!). my iphone 7 battery lasts me well until bed time without needing a second charge. yet, if for some strange reason it did, there's a charging cable on my desk -- thus in no real-world scenario would i: 1) not have charged from the nite before, and 2) had to be on the phone for 12+ hours talk time straight preventing me from sneaking in a second daily charge. in years of being a software dev and manager this has never happened. your supposed scenario is likely made up to fit your complaints.
as for your supposed charging + wired headphones need, you have so many options it's pathetic:
- apple dock - belkin dongle - griffin trip clip BT/3.5mm adapter
...so your "need" can surely be met.
but yes, whining about it for months to come on rumor sites will be oh so much more productive.
I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again. I've been using Bluez Aftershockz bone conducting Bluetooth headphones or years now. I love them. Unfortunately one speaker when out. I want a replacement pair of BT headphones, but I decided to wait to see what Apple would be doing since I (correctly) assumed the removal of the 3.5mm jack would also lead to new BT offerings from Apple.
I've now been using my Apple in-earphones. I've had these for 8(?) years—whenever they come out. What's great about these is that if something goes wrong, like a rubber grommet is ripped or missing, Apple will replace them for free so long as you have an Apple device under warranty. For the price they are good. With my iPhone 7 I'm using the 3" adapter. This not only makes it easier to plug-in, but keeps from getting tangled. I think the slight extra weight and thickness at the end helps with that. I don't take the adapter off and it fits in to the headphone jack with a very solid snap.
When the AirPods comes out I'll give them a try, for reasons already mentioned about Apple's in-earphones, but I'm guessing I won't like the fit and feel, so I'll end up buying BeatsX, which are in-ear, have a conenient strap connecting both sides, and the W1 chip.
It's not the use of Apple's adapter that bothers me with the iPhone 7 and high-quality IEC earphones from Shure--it's the degradation in sound quality, and I wonder why this isn't getting more press coverage. The degradation is hardly surprising when you consider that D to A conversion is now being handled by a microchip in the adapter, which probably has a manufacturing cost of $2, in total, for the whole thing. So uncompressed music files on the way to your audiophile earphones are now being D to A processed by a chip that costs X cents to make.
Why do you believe there's a degradation in sound quality? Is there any evidence that the DAC in the adapter is any worse than the one that used to be inside older iPhone models. Not only that, there's a great marketing opportunity for third parties to make a higher quality DAC if that's what you want.
It is worth noting that Sennheiser is an affordable, audiophile level headphone. Even a pair of headphones you pick up on Amazon for under $100 by them has a quality that sounds more like something in the $300-500 range. This article only mentions their most expensive wireless option. You can also check out their Urbanite XL for under $200, which will be almost the same as the $400 unit mentioned in this article, just lacking noise-cancellation.
I personally have been using the Sennheiser wired products I already have along with the lightning-audio adapter and am able to use mic, and volume controls without any issue. Hopefully Apple will license out their new wireless technology in a few years, and I will be able to pick up a pair of wireless Sennheisers with the W3 chip, or whatever gen they are on by the time this happens.
I would never buy the Philips-M2L-27, or any Lightning headphones without a detachable cable (for that matter I wouldn't buy a wireless one without it either). Phillips didn't think this one through. As long as a customer will only be using a recent iOS device with a Lightning cable, they're fine. But otherwise, these headphones are incompatible with anything else, requiring a separate set of headphones just to use a Mac, to say nothing of anything else. At least the Audeze headphones have a detachable cable, for use with a 3.5mm analogue cable, however inconvenient.
I still feel like Apple botched the headphone jack removal, despite the strong iPhone 7 sales, and this is one of the reasons. The included Lightning EarPods can't be used on any other non-Lightning device, including the Macs. There isn't even a USB-C adapter, to say nothing of a 3.5mm adapter to use the Lightning EarPods on any current audio equipment. So for anyone who plans to use these EarPods with anything else, they are useless. Essentially the only option out of the box for a customer who only wants to carry one set of headphones with them to use with their Mac and iPhone is to use the 3.5mm adapter with their old set of 3.5mm EarPods. Where's the logic in that? Add to that the fact that Apple and Beat's simple to use W1 chipped headphones still have no definitive release date. Only one $300 pair of Beats Solo 3, are currently available for someone who might want to switch to BT headphones, the only other way to connect to both an iPhone 7 and Mac. And with BT comes its own set of quality and convenience compromises, despite the improvements Apple has made with the W1 connectivity enhancements. At least they can be used with a 3.5mm cable, to connect with a non-BT device when necessary. From my perspective Apple is virtually encouraging customers to continue using their old headphones with the added inconvenience of an adapter, rather than consider other options.
But the total lack of support for higher quality wired Lightning headphones out of the starting gate, makes the whole transition away from 3.5mm frustrating at best. And there's no hint on the horizon of how this facet of digital sound's backward compatibility is going to be handled, which should give a Lightning audio developer, not to mention a customer for the products, pause. How does Apple plan on supporting Lightning audio outside of the iPhone 7, if at all?
Every iPhone I have bought, 3G, 4, 5, 5s, 6, 6s, 7 still has the supplied headphones unused, in the box
It's not the use of Apple's adapter that bothers me with the iPhone 7 and high-quality IEC earphones from Shure--it's the degradation in sound quality, and I wonder why this isn't getting more press coverage. The degradation is hardly surprising when you consider that D to A conversion is now being handled by a microchip in the adapter, which probably has a manufacturing cost of $2, in total, for the whole thing. So uncompressed music files on the way to your audiophile earphones are now being D to A processed by a chip that costs X cents to make.
Wonder if they use the same Xc chips in headphone amplifiers which cost more than iPhones?
I would never buy the Philips-M2L-27, or any Lightning headphones without a detachable cable (for that matter I wouldn't buy a wireless one without it either). Phillips didn't think this one through. As long as a customer will only be using a recent iOS device with a Lightning cable, they're fine. But otherwise, these headphones are incompatible with anything else, requiring a separate set of headphones just to use a Mac, to say nothing of anything else. At least the Audeze headphones have a detachable cable, for use with a 3.5mm analogue cable, however inconvenient.
I still feel like Apple botched the headphone jack removal, despite the strong iPhone 7 sales, and this is one of the reasons. The included Lightning EarPods can't be used on any other non-Lightning device, including the Macs. There isn't even a USB-C adapter, to say nothing of a 3.5mm adapter to use the Lightning EarPods on any current audio equipment. So for anyone who plans to use these EarPods with anything else, they are useless. Essentially the only option out of the box for a customer who only wants to carry one set of headphones with them to use with their Mac and iPhone is to use the 3.5mm adapter with their old set of 3.5mm EarPods. Where's the logic in that? Add to that the fact that Apple and Beat's simple to use W1 chipped headphones still have no definitive release date. Only one $300 pair of Beats Solo 3, are currently available for someone who might want to switch to BT headphones, the only other way to connect to both an iPhone 7 and Mac. And with BT comes its own set of quality and convenience compromises, despite the improvements Apple has made with the W1 connectivity enhancements. At least they can be used with a 3.5mm cable, to connect with a non-BT device when necessary. From my perspective Apple is virtually encouraging customers to continue using their old headphones with the added inconvenience of an adapter, rather than consider other options.
But the total lack of support for higher quality wired Lightning headphones out of the starting gate, makes the whole transition away from 3.5mm frustrating at best. And there's no hint on the horizon of how this facet of digital sound's backward compatibility is going to be handled, which should give a Lightning audio developer, not to mention a customer for the products, pause. How does Apple plan on supporting Lightning audio outside of the iPhone 7, if at all?
Every iPhone I have bought, 3G, 4, 5, 5s, 6, 6s, 7 still has the supplied headphones unused, in the box
Personally, I'd like them to stop supplying headphones, PSUs (if they are still going to be 5W), and Lightning cables, but I know that's not a reasonable request at this time. Of those, the PSU is the one that probably could go away without incident. They don't wear out like cables or headphone wires, and they probably have the highest cost for landfill contamination.
It's not the use of Apple's adapter that bothers me with the iPhone 7 and high-quality IEC earphones from Shure--it's the degradation in sound quality, and I wonder why this isn't getting more press coverage. The degradation is hardly surprising when you consider that D to A conversion is now being handled by a microchip in the adapter, which probably has a manufacturing cost of $2, in total, for the whole thing. So uncompressed music files on the way to your audiophile earphones are now being D to A processed by a chip that costs X cents to make.
Why do you believe there's a degradation in sound quality? Is there any evidence that the DAC in the adapter is any worse than the one that used to be inside older iPhone models. Not only that, there's a great marketing opportunity for third parties to make a higher quality DAC if that's what you want.
I purchased an Apple Lightning headphone adaptor, cost less than ¥1,000 or $10, and it works with my iPhone 6S and my third party (B&W P5) headphones, including the mic and volume controls on the headphone cable.
My first listening impressions suggest that there is a difference in sound quality between plugging the headphones into the iPhone's headphone jack and plugging them into the Lightning adaptor’s headphone jack, and that the the Lightning adaptor sounds “better".
Not a huge difference, but it sounds as if the effect of compression via the iPhone's Lightning output is less noticeable than via the iPhone's headphone output. Any audiophiles care to comment?
Comments
Woz is a brilliant engineer, but I don't think he could have started Apple and made it what it is today. Jobs, on the other hand, I think still would have started Apple even if had to find a less brilliant engineer in which to do it. I think Woz would have ended up a multi-millionaire working for HP as an engineer for a good part of his life, had patents under his belt, probably started a few little companies, but never would have shifted the Earth's axis or been a household name, even if his engineering prowess was pinnacle in making HP the most successful company in the world today. Without Woz with him, I believe Jobs would have still revolutionized computing, but maybe only as much a household name as Babbage, Tesla (pre-car company), other names mostly known to closer to science and technology fields. I even doubt that Apple would have been able to rise again like the Phoenix from near death if both Apple and Jobs never got quit the fame it had because of the Jobs/Woz combination. In any regard, I'm glad they met each other.
No matter how you frame up future scenarios, the 3.5 mm headphone jacks days are numbered. Small numbered.
Apple is forcing us to invest in wireless. This 'bold move' is being compared to the removal of the floppy drive in the iMacs back then. It's not a fair comparison because the removal of the drive didn't force people to invest in a propriety Apple format (lighting cable, W1 chip, etc, for third parties all subject to Apple's review process and expensive licensing fees).
The iMacs alternative was USB, external CD-ROM player and floppy drive. That seemed fair.
I personally hate the removal of the jack because I need a reliable wired connection for all my daily team calls, and I need to be able to charge my phone while doing so. And I sure as hell don't need another Apple accessory that requires charging.
And we all know that Bellina dongle sucks balls.
Apple didn't provide a second lighting port, or included the W1 chip while keeping the jack. Their move isn't 'bold', it's arrogant and unneeded. They're creating a way to earn more money from third party accessory creators and iUsers at the same time.
Apple isn't forcing you to do anything. Keep your old phone. Buy the iPhone 6S series or SE if you're old phone is older than these. Use the 3" adapter. if you love your old headphones. Buy a device from another vendor. None of these things force you buy anything wireless or buy an iPhone 7.
Obviously, Apple believes the future is to remove the 3.5mm port, and with so many already on BT headphones, so many others using the including headphones, and so few customer that are in this "I have to charge and listen via my headphones at the exact same time for 10+ hours per day," they see this as a simple solution.
If you didn't see this coming you weren't paying attention—and it's coming to all other smartphones, too.
as for your supposed charging + wired headphones need, you have so many options it's pathetic:
- apple dock
- belkin dongle
- griffin trip clip BT/3.5mm adapter
...so your "need" can surely be met.
but yes, whining about it for months to come on rumor sites will be oh so much more productive.
I've now been using my Apple in-earphones. I've had these for 8(?) years—whenever they come out. What's great about these is that if something goes wrong, like a rubber grommet is ripped or missing, Apple will replace them for free so long as you have an Apple device under warranty. For the price they are good. With my iPhone 7 I'm using the 3" adapter. This not only makes it easier to plug-in, but keeps from getting tangled. I think the slight extra weight and thickness at the end helps with that. I don't take the adapter off and it fits in to the headphone jack with a very solid snap.
When the AirPods comes out I'll give them a try, for reasons already mentioned about Apple's in-earphones, but I'm guessing I won't like the fit and feel, so I'll end up buying BeatsX, which are in-ear, have a conenient strap connecting both sides, and the W1 chip.
I personally have been using the Sennheiser wired products I already have along with the lightning-audio adapter and am able to use mic, and volume controls without any issue. Hopefully Apple will license out their new wireless technology in a few years, and I will be able to pick up a pair of wireless Sennheisers with the W3 chip, or whatever gen they are on by the time this happens.
Every iPhone I have bought, 3G, 4, 5, 5s, 6, 6s, 7 still has the supplied headphones unused, in the box
http://www.head-fi.org/t/627111/wha...y-of-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch/285#post_12872457
http://m.heise.de/ct/artikel/iPhone-7-nachgemessen-Audio-Adapter-liefert-schlechteren-Sound-3325932.html
( https://translate.googleusercontent...2.html&usg=ALkJrhhxPgCxr5ncqQAXc4M9wKD3CZXgLA )
Adapter introduces noise:
http://m.heise.de/meldung/iPhone-7-Hoertest-Audio-Adapter-kann-Rauschen-verstaerken-3327892.html
( https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=de&tl=en&u=http://m.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/iPhone-7-Hoertest-Audio-Adapter-kann-Rauschen-verstaerken-3327892.html )
Both these seem to work, pre Apple beats, Sennheiser Momentum.