singularity

cnocbui said:

the headphone jack is an aging relic of the analog era that stands in the way of thinner, more flexible iPhone designs.

Firstly, it's not even close to being a relic. The age of a technology has nothing to do with it's practicality, usefulness or technical merit.  I wonder how long we have been using knives, laces and buttons?  This nonsense of analogue audio somehow being a thing of the past that has been superseded is very ignorant.  Our ears decode analogue waveforms, not digital.

Secondly, it doesn't stand in the way of a thinner iPhone.  The Vivo Air is just 5.1mm thick and manages to have a  3.5mm headphone socket.  I would say that unless you want to make a phone less than 4.5mm thick, you don't have to forego a headphone socket, unless you wan't to make the claim that Apple's design and manufacturing prowess isn't up with that of a tiny Chinese manufacturer.

Apple seemed perfectly happy to increase the thickness of the 6+ in order to accommodate force touch, something which is of far less utility than a headphone socket.

5.1mm thin:




My daughter has a set of earbuds with a magnetic coupling in the cable, so I doubt Apple can be trying to patent this aspect of the design.

latifbp said:

singularity said:

This is the crux of the matter, independent of the country of origin of the company in question.

Which a--holes over in the EU are even trying to compete with Apple at making premium computer products? Nobody, so it's a moot point in Apple's case.

"If a national tax authority gives certain companies a more advantageous tax treatment than other undertakings in the same country, this can be extremely distortive of fair competition," Vestager wrote. 

Rayz2016 said:

And welcome to our new and painfully insecure first-timers from the Android camp! Come in! Pull up a seat and watch the upholstery while you're foaming at the mouth.