Dongles & AirPods emerge as most popular Apple products at Best Buy

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 46
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    MplsP said:
    You dont get rich by including useful ports in hardware.
    Sure you do. What makes you say the many ports in Apple products, including standard ports like USB-C, aren’t useful?

    When it comes to the legacy analog headphone jack, I got the 7 and then the X and it’s never been an issue since I either used the digital headphones in the box (like most people), or BT.
    Evidently it's still an issue for a whole lot of people, since the 3.5mm-lightning dongle is one of the most popular products. Unless you argue that people are buying them just to look cool. Presumably these people would find a 3.5mm jack immensely useful, since it would save them going to Best Buy to buy a dongle.

    Sure you do. What makes you say the many ports in Apple products, including standard ports like USB-C, aren’t useful?
    What’s the plan for USB-C? Will they create an entirely pointless USB-D to put on printers and peripherals for no other reason than to force people to buy special cables, or is USB-C finally going to create a same port standard on both ends of the system?

    Any port shape transition is going to take time, and we’ll see whiners for the entire process.
    I don’t know of any consumer printers that had special cables designed to force people to buy them. Parallel ports, which were common on printers, had more bandwidth than serial ports, which other peripherals used and was smaller. The speed was worth the size on a device like a printer. Industry switched to USB as it was both again faster but also smaller. It was engineering, not a conspiracy. 

    Agreed on the second point tho. 
    I think he was referring to the annoying USB A-USB B cables required for printers.
    But his comment didn’t specify which devices and ports he felt were useful, and the article is about more than legacy analog audio adapters. Apple has gotten rich selling devices with many useful ports. 

    As for this analog audio adapter, it may be popular within the context of Apple’s inventory there, but I’d wager it’s small compared to total 7’s and X’s in use. 

    As for those cables, they weren’t specific to printers, I used them on other devices as well, such as scanners. Again, engineering and not a conspiracy. 
    edited August 2018
  • Reply 22 of 46
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member

    cgWerks said:
    claire1 said:
    I hate how suddenly everyone listens to music while iPhone charges. I don't remember anyone doing that uncomfortable, tangled, 2-wire practice before iPhone removed the jack.
    I do it every time I go for a longer-than-few-minute drive in the car.

    Also, some people (like my wife and son) aren't habitual device-chargers, so they often seem to end up in a state where they want to use the device when the batteries are low. Not being able to charge while they listen would obviously be a problem. Luckily, they have 3.5mm jacks, as their devices are from before Apple lost their minds. I'm not sure what will happen come next upgrade cycle.
    They’ll realize it’s not a big deal and get over it. Like everyone else. Then it’ll just be you.
    fastasleepclaire1pscooter63
  • Reply 23 of 46
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    I don’t know of any consumer printers that had special cables designed to force people to buy them.
    I’m mostly whining about USB-B and its use on printers, scanners, etc. When A to A cables would have been perfectly fine (and exist; I mean, I have an old external hard drive enclosure that uses A to A), they went and created an entirely different, physically incompatible port for their “universal” bus. And I understand the desire for a smaller port, but did we really have to have mini-A, mini-B, mini-A-B, micro-A, micro-B, micro-A-B... And then the simple speed boost to 3.0 required both the B and micro-B (fortunately the only small one that was still in popular use) to get entirely new shapes again, with bumps jutting out of them.

    After all that, USB-C being not only small enough to replace all of that mess, but also orientation agnostic AND physically the same port as Thunderbolt 3 feels like a trick. Like they’re going to throw an arbitrary D at us for peripherals.
    cgWerks
  • Reply 24 of 46
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member

    AI_lias said:
    claire1 said:
    Years ago I went into a Best Buy to buy an Airport Express and noticed that they were actually charging more than what it cost at the Apple Store. So I always avoided buying Apple merchandise from Best Buy after that. What I do buy there are the adapters since I usually need them quickly.
    I stopped going there after I bought my plasma TV ten years ago and the guy kept trying to sell me an $80 gold HDMI cable because it made a sharper picture. I asked how that could possibly be given it's a digital connection, and he just stared at me. 
    For the musicians out there:
    Best Buy is the electronic equivalent to Guitar Center.

    AI_lias said:
    I admire Apple for having the cajones, before anyone else in the industry did, to leave behind people who still want to charge their phones at the same time as listening to the headphones (whether phone calls or music), and having yet another worry in the back of their mind about the battery lasting until they're done, or carrying and plugging in an adapter. Only Apple was in a position to do this, no one else could have pulled it off.

    Get out of here with your media-inspired BS.
    I hate how suddenly everyone listens to music while iPhone charges. I don't remember anyone doing that uncomfortable, tangled, 2-wire practice before iPhone removed the jack.

    Reminds me of a stupid youtube video that said iPhone made your wired headphones junk. They literally said that.....
    People have been charging and using headphones all along. You just now hear about it more, which proves the point that it’s a basic use case. But now, it’s not 2 cables, it’s 3: 1 dongle and 2 cables. 
    While knowing it’s possible, I’ve yet to come across anyone doing this. Got a picture of your cable setup?
  • Reply 25 of 46
    AI_liasAI_lias Posts: 434member

    AI_lias said:
    claire1 said:
    Years ago I went into a Best Buy to buy an Airport Express and noticed that they were actually charging more than what it cost at the Apple Store. So I always avoided buying Apple merchandise from Best Buy after that. What I do buy there are the adapters since I usually need them quickly.
    I stopped going there after I bought my plasma TV ten years ago and the guy kept trying to sell me an $80 gold HDMI cable because it made a sharper picture. I asked how that could possibly be given it's a digital connection, and he just stared at me. 
    For the musicians out there:
    Best Buy is the electronic equivalent to Guitar Center.

    AI_lias said:
    I admire Apple for having the cajones, before anyone else in the industry did, to leave behind people who still want to charge their phones at the same time as listening to the headphones (whether phone calls or music), and having yet another worry in the back of their mind about the battery lasting until they're done, or carrying and plugging in an adapter. Only Apple was in a position to do this, no one else could have pulled it off.

    Get out of here with your media-inspired BS.
    I hate how suddenly everyone listens to music while iPhone charges. I don't remember anyone doing that uncomfortable, tangled, 2-wire practice before iPhone removed the jack.

    Reminds me of a stupid youtube video that said iPhone made your wired headphones junk. They literally said that.....
    People have been charging and using headphones all along. You just now hear about it more, which proves the point that it’s a basic use case. But now, it’s not 2 cables, it’s 3: 1 dongle and 2 cables. 
    While knowing it’s possible, I’ve yet to come across anyone doing this. Got a picture of your cable setup?
    1 Belkin Lightning splitter to 3.5 (audio) and Lightning (charging), then the audio cable and lightning charging cable. If Claire said juggling 2 cable was messy, now you have to juggle 3: the dongle itself and the two other cables. It’s the usual dongle set up, maybe you misunderstood my earlier post. 
    cgWerksgatorguy
  • Reply 26 of 46
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    dewme said:
    Glad to see MacBook Air seeing strong sales in a cost conscious retailer. This may be encouraging if Apple is going to do a refresh on the Air to keep it well positioned in what is not a bad cost driven niche to be in if you're Apple. If Chromebooks and barely usable Win10 PCs (those with 4G RAM and 32 GB storage) own the sub $500 niche and low end Win10 PCs own the $500-$800 niche, having a Mac product positioned on the immediate next tier is not a bad thing for cost conscious consumers looking at a good-better-best scenario in their purchasing comfort zone.  Trying to push a Mac into the next lower tier would involve too many sacrifices unless it was sold as a loss leader. keeping a compelling Air in the game is smart for these types of retailers.
    Yeah, I don't ever see Apple competing against the lowest tier. But, during the last decade to decade and a half, they've done nice job of competing - as you say - the next tier up. It seems more recently, they aren't anymore and things are headed back towards the day when you have to decide if you'll own a car or a Mac. I don't want to go back there. Unless Apple is truly intending to go only high-end on Mac and iDevice for everything else, they really need to do more work on consumer level Macs.

    StrangeDays said:
    As for this analog audio adapter, it may be popular within the context of Apple’s inventory there, but I’d wager it’s small compared to total 7’s and X’s in use. 
    As for those cables, they weren’t specific to printers, I used them on other devices as well, such as scanners. Again, engineering and not a conspiracy. 
    I'm not sure about a full-on conspiracy (I think there were many reasons), but Apple does make a good deal of money licensing Lightning and selling the cables. I think that is at least in part, also why we've not seen USB-C.

    I also wonder about that ratio. How many actually go with AirPods vs having to plug in headphones? Aside from various downsides (and potential downsides), there is also the cost!


    cgWerks said:
    ...
    Also, some people (like my wife and son) aren't habitual device-chargers, so they often seem to end up in a state where they want to use the device when the batteries are low. Not being able to charge while they listen would obviously be a problem. Luckily, they have 3.5mm jacks, as their devices are from before Apple lost their minds. I'm not sure what will happen come next upgrade cycle.
    They’ll realize it’s not a big deal and get over it. Like everyone else. Then it’ll just be you.
    Maybe they will be able to change their habits, or we can find some other adapter/solution. But, I kind of doubt they will just get over it.
    I also doubt that they (and their situation) is all that unusual. In my experience, I'm kind of the freak who is a bit OCD about my tech (charging, taking care of it, being careful with it, etc.). Have you seen the state of most people's iDevices?

    tallest skil said:
    ... but did we really have to have mini-A, mini-B, mini-A-B, micro-A, micro-B, micro-A-B... And then the simple speed boost to 3.0 required both the B and micro-B (fortunately the only small one that was still in popular use) to get entirely new shapes again, with bumps jutting out of them.

    After all that, USB-C being not only small enough to replace all of that mess, but also orientation agnostic AND physically the same port as Thunderbolt 3 feels like a trick. Like they’re going to throw an arbitrary D at us for peripherals.
    LOL, no doubt. USB is a friggin' mess. Most of those connectors were mechanically horrible too. And, USB-C is quite a mess as well, just not in shape of connector. It's hidden behind what appears to be uniformity.

    StrangeDays said:
    While knowing it’s possible, I’ve yet to come across anyone doing this. Got a picture of your cable setup?
    I'm not sure what is so hard to understand about this. We typically buy Monoprice cables (often in longer lengths). They might sit at the couch with the Lightning cable/brick plugged in the wall. Then they plug their headphones (often non-Apple, over the ear type) into their iDevice 3.5mm jack. Or, during a longer drive, my son plugs his iPad into a USB port to charge, while he has headphones on (for his games or movie) and we listen to a podcast or something.

    AI_lias said:
    StrangeDays said:
    While knowing it’s possible, I’ve yet to come across anyone doing this. Got a picture of your cable setup?
    1 Belkin Lightning splitter to 3.5 (audio) and Lightning (charging), then the audio cable and lightning charging cable. If Claire said juggling 2 cable was messy, now you have to juggle 3: the dongle itself and the two other cables. It’s the usual dongle set up, maybe you misunderstood my earlier post. 
    Ahh, I see, StrangeDays meant hasn't seen anyone doing it the new Apple kludge way? :) Good to know there's a way, though.
    (My personal issue, is that I often have my phone in my pocket while I'm doing other things, listening to podcasts. A 3.5mm jack is way more mechanically sound than a Lightning. So, I fear I'd damage the pins in the Lightning port on my phone, and then it's game-over. My family members, would probably make due with that adapter situation.)
    edited August 2018
  • Reply 27 of 46
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    MplsP said:
    You dont get rich by including useful ports in hardware.
    Sure you do. What makes you say the many ports in Apple products, including standard ports like USB-C, aren’t useful?

    When it comes to the legacy analog headphone jack, I got the 7 and then the X and it’s never been an issue since I either used the digital headphones in the box (like most people), or BT.
    Evidently it's still an issue for a whole lot of people, since the 3.5mm-lightning dongle is one of the most popular products. Unless you argue that people are buying them just to look cool. Presumably these people would find a 3.5mm jack immensely useful, since it would save them going to Best Buy to buy a dongle.

    Sure you do. What makes you say the many ports in Apple products, including standard ports like USB-C, aren’t useful?
    What’s the plan for USB-C? Will they create an entirely pointless USB-D to put on printers and peripherals for no other reason than to force people to buy special cables, or is USB-C finally going to create a same port standard on both ends of the system?

    Any port shape transition is going to take time, and we’ll see whiners for the entire process.
    I don’t know of any consumer printers that had special cables designed to force people to buy them. Parallel ports, which were common on printers, had more bandwidth than serial ports, which other peripherals used and was smaller. The speed was worth the size on a device like a printer. Industry switched to USB as it was both again faster but also smaller. It was engineering, not a conspiracy. 

    Agreed on the second point tho. 
    I think he was referring to the annoying USB A-USB B cables required for printers.
    I never understood what the point of those cables were. I know it’s because host/device, but is it because they’re one-directional somehow?
  • Reply 28 of 46
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member

    claire1 said:
    Years ago I went into a Best Buy to buy an Airport Express and noticed that they were actually charging more than what it cost at the Apple Store. So I always avoided buying Apple merchandise from Best Buy after that. What I do buy there are the adapters since I usually need them quickly.
    I stopped going there after I bought my plasma TV ten years ago and the guy kept trying to sell me an $80 gold HDMI cable because it made a sharper picture. I asked how that could possibly be given it's a digital connection, and he just stared at me. 
    For the musicians out there:
    Best Buy is the electronic equivalent to Guitar Center.

    True - they’re fine if you know exactly what you want, and know the price you want it at as they do price matching. Bought a synth and some monitors there. 
    claire1
  • Reply 29 of 46
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    cgWerks said:

    So, I fear I'd damage the pins in the Lightning port on my phone, and then it's game-over.

    Nice FUD.
  • Reply 30 of 46
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    cgWerks said:
    So, I fear I'd damage the pins in the Lightning port on my phone, and then it's game-over. 
    Nice FUD.
    I don't think so. My son's iPad Lightning connector got wiggled around a good bit through his using it while charging, and have to be careful when plugging it in to be sure it has a good connection. Sorry, but even without any real-world experience such as this... just look at the two and use common sense. There is no way an Lightning is as robust as a 3.5mm.
  • Reply 31 of 46
    claire1claire1 Posts: 510unconfirmed, member
    AI_lias said:

    AI_lias said:
    claire1 said:
    Years ago I went into a Best Buy to buy an Airport Express and noticed that they were actually charging more than what it cost at the Apple Store. So I always avoided buying Apple merchandise from Best Buy after that. What I do buy there are the adapters since I usually need them quickly.
    I stopped going there after I bought my plasma TV ten years ago and the guy kept trying to sell me an $80 gold HDMI cable because it made a sharper picture. I asked how that could possibly be given it's a digital connection, and he just stared at me. 
    For the musicians out there:
    Best Buy is the electronic equivalent to Guitar Center.

    AI_lias said:
    I admire Apple for having the cajones, before anyone else in the industry did, to leave behind people who still want to charge their phones at the same time as listening to the headphones (whether phone calls or music), and having yet another worry in the back of their mind about the battery lasting until they're done, or carrying and plugging in an adapter. Only Apple was in a position to do this, no one else could have pulled it off.

    Get out of here with your media-inspired BS.
    I hate how suddenly everyone listens to music while iPhone charges. I don't remember anyone doing that uncomfortable, tangled, 2-wire practice before iPhone removed the jack.

    Reminds me of a stupid youtube video that said iPhone made your wired headphones junk. They literally said that.....
    People have been charging and using headphones all along. You just now hear about it more, which proves the point that it’s a basic use case. But now, it’s not 2 cables, it’s 3: 1 dongle and 2 cables. 
    While knowing it’s possible, I’ve yet to come across anyone doing this. Got a picture of your cable setup?
    1 Belkin Lightning splitter to 3.5 (audio) and Lightning (charging), then the audio cable and lightning charging cable. If Claire said juggling 2 cable was messy, now you have to juggle 3: the dongle itself and the two other cables. It’s the usual dongle set up, maybe you misunderstood my earlier post. 
    If you choose to juggle that many cables it's not MY fault, it's yours. I'm sure I can imagine a messier setup if I wanted to.

    BUT I can also tell you to use Bluetooth. Problem: Solved.

    cgWerks said:
    . Or, during a longer drive, my son plugs his iPad into a USB port to charge, while he has headphones on (for his games or movie) and we listen to a podcast or something.
    My goodness that sounds like a PAIN. When he upgrades to Bluetooth he's gonna wonder how he ever got around without it.

    fastasleepflashfan207
  • Reply 32 of 46
    claire1claire1 Posts: 510unconfirmed, member
    AI_lias said:
    claire1 said:
    Years ago I went into a Best Buy to buy an Airport Express and noticed that they were actually charging more than what it cost at the Apple Store. So I always avoided buying Apple merchandise from Best Buy after that. What I do buy there are the adapters since I usually need them quickly.
    I stopped going there after I bought my plasma TV ten years ago and the guy kept trying to sell me an $80 gold HDMI cable because it made a sharper picture. I asked how that could possibly be given it's a digital connection, and he just stared at me. 
    For the musicians out there:
    Best Buy is the electronic equivalent to Guitar Center.

    AI_lias said:
    I admire Apple for having the cajones, before anyone else in the industry did, to leave behind people who still want to charge their phones at the same time as listening to the headphones (whether phone calls or music), and having yet another worry in the back of their mind about the battery lasting until they're done, or carrying and plugging in an adapter. Only Apple was in a position to do this, no one else could have pulled it off.

    Get out of here with your media-inspired BS.
    I hate how suddenly everyone listens to music while iPhone charges. I don't remember anyone doing that uncomfortable, tangled, 2-wire practice before iPhone removed the jack.

    Reminds me of a stupid youtube video that said iPhone made your wired headphones junk. They literally said that.....
    People have been charging and using headphones all along. You just now hear about it more, which proves the point that it’s a basic use case. But now, it’s not 2 cables, it’s 3: 1 dongle and 2 cables. 
    Or it was all the anti-Apple propaganda crap (See: Bendgate) that made people exaggerate the problem.

    cgWerks said:
    claire1 said:
    "I do it every time I go for a longer-than-few-minute drive in the car."
    My goodness that sounds tedious.
     
    What I bolded in your comment is actually VERY very very common, which is why I always though "wireless" charging was dumb, especially when Sammy bragged about it. Which is also why I believe Apple will remove the lightning port but add a Watch-style clip-on charger that clips to the Apple logo or the whole back of their devices. OF course before they actually crack real wireless charging.

    But handling 2 cords just to listen to music is ridiculous and never heard of anyone doing it until Apple removed the headphone jack and morons(not you specifically) suddenly parroted the meme against Apple.

    "In terms of Apple-stupid, removing the 3.5mm jack ranks right up there near the top. "
    Kinda how they were stupid for removing the floppy disk drive, the CD Rom drive, SCSI Drive, Mobile Keyboard etc. etc.

    "No but this time's different!"
    Heard it before too.
    Much easier than spending $50k for a newer car, which probably wouldn't solve the problem anyway. I suppose I could use a BT adapter and only have 1 cable, but it's not much harder to plugin in 2 than 1, and I get better audio quality that way. And, if I didn't plug power in, then the phone goes to 'sleep' unless I go in and change settings (which is a bigger hassle). Also, if using navigation and playing podcasts, etc. it's nice to have it all charged up when I get to my destination.

    So, I guess I have to ask... what's the alternative I'm missing?

    re: wireless charging - Yeah, I suppose a 'mag-safe' like cord/disc could be a reasonable charging solution. But, there are many other uses for Lightning (or whatever DATA port is there). But, seeing Apple thinks a 3.5mm jack is 'legacy' maybe efficiently/reliably transferring data is too? I don't put about any level of silliness above Apple these days. :(  And, I hope they never crack 'real' wireless charging, as that just sounds scary.

    re: 2 cords - Like I said, my wife and son do it all the time. It isn't just to listen to music either, but watching YouTube or playing a game, etc. My son especially does this, as we often don't want to hear all his gaming noise (so make him wear headphones), and the games suck the battery down. I guess I thought I was actually the unusual one, as I'm disciplined about charging every night and use low-power consumption apps and settings, turn my wifi/cell off when not needed, etc.

    re: floppy vs 3.5mm jack - not even in the same ballpark. 3.5mm jacks are still widely in use, and I see no reason they won't be for a long time. They are also mechanically superior to Lightning, which is important on devices people tend to put into pockets (assuming you see the dongle as a solution to the lost compatibility).

    Why are you afraid of wireless charging? No wonder you're stuck with the old school.

    Re: Lightining transfers:
    This isn't 2008, you can transfer everything over wifi or data now.  I don't wanna have to pull out a cord, turn on my Mac, open iTunes, connect everything etc. just do download a song like it's 2008. Apple is moving forward.

    Again the 2 cord thing sounds ridiculous and tedious. Cords have always been a problem that people were too afraid to solve. Ever had your device fly because your cord was caught onto something? I don't even like playing on my keyboard with headphones because the cord gets on the keys and in my way. There are bluetooth adaptors for legacy headphones but thank Apple, because their moves are forcing lazy headphone developers to make advancements in Bluetooth. Do you think in 2025 people are gonna be connected by wires to listen to music? Not at all.
    fastasleep
  • Reply 33 of 46
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    cgWerks said:
    cgWerks said:
    So, I fear I'd damage the pins in the Lightning port on my phone, and then it's game-over. 
    Nice FUD.
    I don't think so. My son's iPad Lightning connector got wiggled around a good bit through his using it while charging, and have to be careful when plugging it in to be sure it has a good connection. Sorry, but even without any real-world experience such as this... just look at the two and use common sense. There is no way an Lightning is as robust as a 3.5mm.
    With all cables or just your cheap monoprice cables? Have you cleaned the port? Are you sure the port itself is actually damaged?
  • Reply 34 of 46
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    claire1 said:
    BUT I can also tell you to use Bluetooth. Problem: Solved.
    cgWerks said:
    . Or, during a longer drive, my son plugs his iPad into a USB port to charge, while he has headphones on (for his games or movie) and we listen to a podcast or something.
    My goodness that sounds like a PAIN. When he upgrades to Bluetooth he's gonna wonder how he ever got around without it.

    That just introduces a whole other set of problems.

    claire1 said:
    Why are you afraid of wireless charging? No wonder you're stuck with the old school.

    Re: Lightining transfers:
    This isn't 2008, you can transfer everything over wifi or data now.  I don't wanna have to pull out a cord, turn on my Mac, open iTunes, connect everything etc. just do download a song like it's 2008. Apple is moving forward.

    Again the 2 cord thing sounds ridiculous and tedious. Cords have always been a problem that people were too afraid to solve. Ever had your device fly because your cord was caught onto something? I don't even like playing on my keyboard with headphones because the cord gets on the keys and in my way. There are bluetooth adaptors for legacy headphones but thank Apple, because their moves are forcing lazy headphone developers to make advancements in Bluetooth. Do you think in 2025 people are gonna be connected by wires to listen to music? Not at all.
    Maybe because I have background in electronic engineering and amateur radio.... and have been learning some modern biology in recent times? Maybe it's you stuck in old school.

    re: transfers - have you tried screen-recording your iPad?

    Yeah, I'd rather go cordless too... but I'm aware of the tradeoffs.

    fastasleep said:
    With all cables or just your cheap monoprice cables? Have you cleaned the port? Are you sure the port itself is actually damaged?
    Any cables, including Apple ones. The port was clear. It seemed damaged, as it happened with any cable and cables felt a bit loose in it compared to other devices.
    But, that's a bit besides the point. Just take a look at how it is constructed, then look at a 3.5mm. I'm fairly good at mechanics and physics, but this isn't too hard. It isn't a great design.
  • Reply 35 of 46

    cgWerks said:
    claire1 said:
    I hate how suddenly everyone listens to music while iPhone charges. I don't remember anyone doing that uncomfortable, tangled, 2-wire practice before iPhone removed the jack.
    I do it every time I go for a longer-than-few-minute drive in the car.

    Also, some people (like my wife and son) aren't habitual device-chargers, so they often seem to end up in a state where they want to use the device when the batteries are low. Not being able to charge while they listen would obviously be a problem. Luckily, they have 3.5mm jacks, as their devices are from before Apple lost their minds. I'm not sure what will happen come next upgrade cycle.
    They’ll realize it’s not a big deal and get over it. Like everyone else. Then it’ll just be you.
    Just because it’s not a big deal to you doesn’t mean it isn’t to others. There’s lots of little inconveniences people put up with all the time it’s just they’re not on the internet complaining about them. I use the headphone jack on my iPad Pro all the time. Sure if Apple got rid of it I’d learn to get over it and use an adapter but I wouldn’t be happy about it.
    MplsPgatorguycgWerks
  • Reply 36 of 46

    AI_lias said:
    claire1 said:
    Years ago I went into a Best Buy to buy an Airport Express and noticed that they were actually charging more than what it cost at the Apple Store. So I always avoided buying Apple merchandise from Best Buy after that. What I do buy there are the adapters since I usually need them quickly.
    I stopped going there after I bought my plasma TV ten years ago and the guy kept trying to sell me an $80 gold HDMI cable because it made a sharper picture. I asked how that could possibly be given it's a digital connection, and he just stared at me. 
    For the musicians out there:
    Best Buy is the electronic equivalent to Guitar Center.

    AI_lias said:
    I admire Apple for having the cajones, before anyone else in the industry did, to leave behind people who still want to charge their phones at the same time as listening to the headphones (whether phone calls or music), and having yet another worry in the back of their mind about the battery lasting until they're done, or carrying and plugging in an adapter. Only Apple was in a position to do this, no one else could have pulled it off.

    Get out of here with your media-inspired BS.
    I hate how suddenly everyone listens to music while iPhone charges. I don't remember anyone doing that uncomfortable, tangled, 2-wire practice before iPhone removed the jack.

    Reminds me of a stupid youtube video that said iPhone made your wired headphones junk. They literally said that.....
    People have been charging and using headphones all along. You just now hear about it more, which proves the point that it’s a basic use case. But now, it’s not 2 cables, it’s 3: 1 dongle and 2 cables. 
    While knowing it’s possible, I’ve yet to come across anyone doing this. Got a picture of your cable setup?
    I use this setup at work. Sometimes when I’m listening to music and I don’t want to burn up a ton of battery life on my wireless headphones or my iPhone. Also, with the wireless headphones I do have (JBL) there’s a slight delay when watching video so the audio and video are never 100% in sync. That is incredibly annoying. 
  • Reply 37 of 46
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    cgWerks said:
    cgWerks said:
    So, I fear I'd damage the pins in the Lightning port on my phone, and then it's game-over. 
    Nice FUD.
    I don't think so. My son's iPad Lightning connector got wiggled around a good bit through his using it while charging, and have to be careful when plugging it in to be sure it has a good connection. Sorry, but even without any real-world experience such as this... just look at the two and use common sense. There is no way an Lightning is as robust as a 3.5mm.
    The Lightning connector has 17 connection points. So no, it’s not likely as robust as a 3.5mm jack with at most 4, over a significantly larger connector. That said, I’ve had plenty of headphone jacks go bad. The 3.5mm jack is certainly not bullet-proof, and is prone to failure as much as any connector which relies on a physical contact with third party device’s plugs. In contrast, I’ve never had a Lightning port fail. Nor have I ever had a lightning cable fail. I’ve only had one fray at the wire/plug assembly, something which afflicts 3.5mm cables and plugs too, but even that cable has yet to fail. Altogether, my real world experience has been much better with Lightning than 3.5mm.
  • Reply 38 of 46
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member

    claire1 said:
    AI_lias said:
    claire1 said:
    Years ago I went into a Best Buy to buy an Airport Express and noticed that they were actually charging more than what it cost at the Apple Store. So I always avoided buying Apple merchandise from Best Buy after that. What I do buy there are the adapters since I usually need them quickly.
    I stopped going there after I bought my plasma TV ten years ago and the guy kept trying to sell me an $80 gold HDMI cable because it made a sharper picture. I asked how that could possibly be given it's a digital connection, and he just stared at me. 
    For the musicians out there:
    Best Buy is the electronic equivalent to Guitar Center.

    AI_lias said:
    I admire Apple for having the cajones, before anyone else in the industry did, to leave behind people who still want to charge their phones at the same time as listening to the headphones (whether phone calls or music), and having yet another worry in the back of their mind about the battery lasting until they're done, or carrying and plugging in an adapter. Only Apple was in a position to do this, no one else could have pulled it off.

    Get out of here with your media-inspired BS.
    I hate how suddenly everyone listens to music while iPhone charges. I don't remember anyone doing that uncomfortable, tangled, 2-wire practice before iPhone removed the jack.

    Reminds me of a stupid youtube video that said iPhone made your wired headphones junk. They literally said that.....
    People have been charging and using headphones all along. You just now hear about it more, which proves the point that it’s a basic use case. But now, it’s not 2 cables, it’s 3: 1 dongle and 2 cables. 
    Or it was all the anti-Apple propaganda crap (See: Bendgate) that made people exaggerate the problem.

    cgWerks said:
    claire1 said:
    "I do it every time I go for a longer-than-few-minute drive in the car."
    My goodness that sounds tedious.
     
    What I bolded in your comment is actually VERY very very common, which is why I always though "wireless" charging was dumb, especially when Sammy bragged about it. Which is also why I believe Apple will remove the lightning port but add a Watch-style clip-on charger that clips to the Apple logo or the whole back of their devices. OF course before they actually crack real wireless charging.

    But handling 2 cords just to listen to music is ridiculous and never heard of anyone doing it until Apple removed the headphone jack and morons(not you specifically) suddenly parroted the meme against Apple.

    "In terms of Apple-stupid, removing the 3.5mm jack ranks right up there near the top. "
    Kinda how they were stupid for removing the floppy disk drive, the CD Rom drive, SCSI Drive, Mobile Keyboard etc. etc.

    "No but this time's different!"
    Heard it before too.
    Much easier than spending $50k for a newer car, which probably wouldn't solve the problem anyway. I suppose I could use a BT adapter and only have 1 cable, but it's not much harder to plugin in 2 than 1, and I get better audio quality that way. And, if I didn't plug power in, then the phone goes to 'sleep' unless I go in and change settings (which is a bigger hassle). Also, if using navigation and playing podcasts, etc. it's nice to have it all charged up when I get to my destination.

    So, I guess I have to ask... what's the alternative I'm missing?

    re: wireless charging - Yeah, I suppose a 'mag-safe' like cord/disc could be a reasonable charging solution. But, there are many other uses for Lightning (or whatever DATA port is there). But, seeing Apple thinks a 3.5mm jack is 'legacy' maybe efficiently/reliably transferring data is too? I don't put about any level of silliness above Apple these days. :(  And, I hope they never crack 'real' wireless charging, as that just sounds scary.

    re: 2 cords - Like I said, my wife and son do it all the time. It isn't just to listen to music either, but watching YouTube or playing a game, etc. My son especially does this, as we often don't want to hear all his gaming noise (so make him wear headphones), and the games suck the battery down. I guess I thought I was actually the unusual one, as I'm disciplined about charging every night and use low-power consumption apps and settings, turn my wifi/cell off when not needed, etc.

    re: floppy vs 3.5mm jack - not even in the same ballpark. 3.5mm jacks are still widely in use, and I see no reason they won't be for a long time. They are also mechanically superior to Lightning, which is important on devices people tend to put into pockets (assuming you see the dongle as a solution to the lost compatibility).

    Re: Lightining transfers:
    This isn't 2008, you can transfer everything over wifi or data now.  I don't wanna have to pull out a cord, turn on my Mac, open iTunes, connect everything etc. just do download a song like it's 2008. Apple is moving forward.

    Again the 2 cord thing sounds ridiculous and tedious. Cords have always been a problem that people were too afraid to solve. Ever had your device fly because your cord was caught onto something? I don't even like playing on my keyboard with headphones because the cord gets on the keys and in my way. There are bluetooth adaptors for legacy headphones but thank Apple, because their moves are forcing lazy headphone developers to make advancements in Bluetooth. Do you think in 2025 people are gonna be connected by wires to listen to music? Not at all.
    Re:Lightning Transfers — why do you go back to the most elemental use of a song transfer from iTunes to an iPod from 2006? It’s disingenuous, and ignores the fact that an iPhone can have as much as 256GB of storage now. It takes the better part of a morning to backup my iPhone via Lightning and iTunes, especially if I have to switch out several movies, TV shows and playlists. I have my iPhone set to backup wirelessly to iTunes, but that could take more than a day. With that it should be clear why a person would need to plug in an iPhone via Lightning to transfer data, and prefer that method over Any wireless options currently available.

    Re: headphone cords — you clearly don’t multitrack record anything on your keyboard where you have to play along with a previous pass. Moreover, the latency between the attack of the keys to the time you hear the sound in BT headphones is not acceptable to any musician, much less professional ones. Singing is worse.  Cords are not desirable, but they are still a necessary evil until the latency issue is solved, something which Apple appears to be doing nothing about with their own products, nor do they support aptx LL devices natively. Two cords are important for anyone spending any time with an iOS device, for something like playing and recording music. A charger needs to be plugged into the iPhone, simultaneously with a midi device, or guitar, mic, etc., as well as headphones.

    People might not be connected by wires in 2025 to listen to music, but unless they solve the latency issues, then anyone playing or performing music sure will. As far as Apples contribution to this development by removing the headphone jack, I have only to look at the pile of BT gear I had been using over the last decade to see the steady and rapid advancement by third party developers long before Apple found the courage to remove the headphone jack. I’m not saying Apple did the wrong thing, but it does come at a cost. Even Apple has not fully replaced all of the common use functionality of the headphone jack they removed with their solutions. Two people can’t even wirelessly stream the same song or movie from one device to two separate pair of headphones at the same time, much less play Heart and Soul together on a keyboard over them.
    gatorguycgWerks
  • Reply 39 of 46
    T_R_ST_R_S Posts: 14member
    it's 2018 I cannot believe people are still using wired buds. I have't used wired buds in 5 years
    flashfan207
  • Reply 40 of 46
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    T_R_S said:
    it's 2018 I cannot believe people are still using wired buds. I have't used wired buds in 5 years
    Some of us like the better sound quality? 1More Triple-drivers only come wired.... :)
    tallest skilcgWerks
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