Should the 3.5 mm jack get a redesign

Nalmond92 · Apr 23, 2014

So USB is getting smaller with 3.1, thunderbolt will be getting smaller with 3.0.

Is it time the 3.5 mm jack also gets a new design?
What would you want the new design look like? Or with BLE is the jack old tech and can be abandoned?

Views would be interesting to see

mattopotamus · Apr 23, 2014

Nalmond92 said:
So USB is getting smaller with 3.1, thunderbolt will be getting smaller with 3.0.

Is it time the 3.5 mm jack also gets a new design?
What would you want the new design look like? Or with BLE is the jack old tech and can be abandoned?

Views would be interesting to see

rather than a redesign, that may be the next big change.

I am by no means an audiophile, but is there significant loss in quality not being hardwired in?

maflynn · Apr 23, 2014

its functional and I see no reason to redesign something that works well. Why mess with success

Nalmond92 · Apr 23, 2014

maflynn said:
its functional and I see no reason to redesign something that works well. Why mess with success

Ethernet was successful, apple killed that (granted offered an adopter)

I'm just thinking that if the state of things getting smaller then surely a time in the not too distant future that it will either have to be smaller to fit onto future devices or got rid off.

I'm no audiophile either and have never used a pair of BT headphones so I can't real comment on quality.

maflynn · Apr 23, 2014

Nalmond92 said:
Ethernet was successful, apple killed that (granted offered an adopter)

Dropping it from its laptop is not the same thing as killing it and right now, ethernet is still superior to wifi. Ethernet is not going away anytime soon, so its not really killed off.

I'm just thinking that if the state of things getting smaller then surely a time in the not too distant future that it will either have to be smaller to fit onto future devices or got rid off.

Click to expand...

But phones are not getting smaller, actually quite the opposite, Apple is looking into larger iPhone and everyone (Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola) are making larger phones.

I don't see anything happening to the headphone jack anytime soon.

Click to expand...

mattopotamus · Apr 23, 2014

maflynn said:
Dropping it from its laptop is not the same thing as killing it and right now, ethernet is still superior to wifi. Ethernet is not going away anytime soon, so its not really killed off.

I think he was referring to thunderbolt, but I agree Ethernet is not going away anytime soon.

maflynn · Apr 23, 2014

mattopotamus said:
I think he was referring to thunderbolt, but I agree Ethernet is not going away anytime soon.

Understood but killing it was probably not best usage, because while apple did drop it, the industry is not dropping ethernet anytime soon.

SomeGuyDude · Apr 23, 2014

mattopotamus said:
rather than a redesign, that may be the next big change.

I am by no means an audiophile, but is there significant loss in quality not being hardwired in?

Yes.

New Bluetooth is very good, don't get me wrong, but 3.5mm cables are still the best. Not to mention it prevents the need for any sort of battery-draining powering. Nice as bluetooth headphones are, having to charge them after a few hours is less than convenient.

Z8beema · Apr 23, 2014

maflynn said:
Understood but killing it was probably not best usage, because while apple did drop it, the industry is not dropping ethernet anytime soon.

They killed the optical drive and people don't really miss it all that much. Regardless I'd like to see the 3.5 mm go and just start seeing an overhaul of Bluetooth headphones. Granted the 3.5 mm does what it was intended to do and does it well there is one problem. When a phone ipod or what have you falls directly on top of it, that is now a completely useless port that you will never use again. Bluetooth solves that problem

mattopotamus · Apr 23, 2014

Z8beema said:
They killed the optical drive and people don't really miss it all that much. Regardless I'd like to see the 3.5 mm go and just start seeing an overhaul of Bluetooth headphones. Granted the 3.5 mm does what it was intended to do and does it well there is one problem. When a phone ipod or what have you falls directly on top of it, that is now a completely useless port that you will never use again. Bluetooth solves that problem

Ahh you are solely referring to apple products. The optical drive is still nowhere near dead.

What would be nice is if I could somehow leave my iphone at home and have wireless earbuds that could still stream the content to me while I run/bike.

tardman91 · Apr 23, 2014

I'd actually prefer a 1/4" headphone connection since those are superior to 3.5mm.

goobot · Apr 23, 2014

It wouldn't be killed off this or next year because I highly doubt the iPhone 6 will be thin enough for that.

jbachandouris · Apr 23, 2014

mattopotamus said:
Ahh you are solely referring to apple products. The optical drive is still nowhere near dead.

What would be nice is if I could somehow leave my iphone at home and have wireless earbuds that could still stream the content to me while I run/bike.

You sure about that? I tried buying my wife a new laptop around Christmas and there were very few with optical drives.

I am not interested in the 3.5 going away. At least not until Bluetooth battery life and sound quality improve significantly.

jsnuff1 · Apr 23, 2014

they could always go to the 2.5mm mini jack.

mattopotamus · Apr 23, 2014

jbachandouris said:
You sure about that? I tried buying my wife a new laptop around Christmas and there were very few with optical drives.

I am not interested in the 3.5 going away. At least not until Bluetooth battery life and sound quality improve significantly.

most laptops all still have them. Ultrabooks do not, but those are also in the $1000+ range.

Jessica Lares · Apr 23, 2014

The iPhone can get as thin as an iPod Nano 7th generation and still be able to support a 3.5" jack. The overall part will get smaller, maybe omit the ring, and a few other inside changes, but otherwise it would be able to stay the same.

The plastic around the port on the actual EarPods would also probably get thinned out.

Cod3rror · Apr 23, 2014

I think there is no need for a redesign.

How thin are phones going to get? 5mm? That's plenty for a 3.5mm jack. They're going to run into camera module thickness problems before they'll run into 3.5mm jack problems.

oneMadRssn · Apr 23, 2014

Remember this?

http://www.cultofmac.com/85736/apple-patents-ways-to-make-an-ipod-thinner-than-a-headphone-jack/

tmanto02 · Apr 23, 2014

No way no way no way! I listen to to much music. BLE would drain my battery in half my working day! And a 2.5mm jack would call for an overhall of the entire music/consumer headphone industry. Not to mention me having to give up my beloved sony headphones !

JamesPDX · Sep 3, 2016

There are two professional standards for TRS: 1/4" and 1/8" -The thinner you make it, the easier it's destroyed.

96-HUDSON-96 · Sep 3, 2016

You need to make it smaller but the port is already quite fragile../

dontwalkhand · Sep 3, 2016

There were accessories made for 3.5" jack too like the Quickbooks chip card reader, a thermeter, etc. how would these function? I know the new square reader is Bluetooth what about these other devices ?

willmtaylor · Sep 3, 2016

JamesPDX said:
There are two professional standards for TRS: 1/4" and 1/8" -The thinner you make it, the easier it's destroyed.

Sweet. A thread from 2 & 1/2 years ago that will be even more irrelevant in a week. Thanks for bringing it back.

Should the 3.5 mm jack get a redesign

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