A year after iPhone 7 omitted headphone jack, do you care? (a friendly wager)

[SquireSCA]

I'm glad I have to deal with less wires and chargers now, to be honest.

But you don't. You have the same number of wires, and now have another charger to carry or plug in...

You had a phone that you had to charge. One cable and one charger. The wired headphones didn't need a charger or plug.

Now you have BT headphones. That's two wires and two chargers.

You actually increased the number of wires/chargers, plus the inconvenience of having another device to charge...

 

[ericwn]

No. Wires are ridiculous especially when you're using headphones at the gym to workout.

Nothing is more irritating than small additional gadgets that I need to charge in order to make them work, but that’s just me. Beats the small inconvenience of a headphone cable anytime. Plus the added need to replace battery powered items after a few years if I cannot swap the batteries.

 

[zhenya]

I'm glad I have to deal with less wires and chargers now, to be honest.

But your position is no different than it would be if the headphone jack had remained. It's not a, keep the jack, lose bluetooth proposition. I'm also not sure how adding another headphones that must be charged is eliminating any charger wires or chargers?

 

[ericwn]

The new Apple Car, they remove the steering wheel, but it's ok, because they have a $1500 accessory that takes the place of the steering wheel! Doesn't work as well as the one they took off, but stop whining, you have a solution available to you, right?

Can’t wait for the usual apologists on here to explain that technology needs to move on from the steering wheel and why a subpar solution works equally well

 

[tromboneaholic]

But you don't. You have the same number of wires, and now have another charger to carry or plug in...

You had a phone that you had to charge. One cable and one charger. The wired headphones didn't need a charger or plug.

Now you have BT headphones. That's two wires and two chargers.

You actually increased the number of wires/chargers, plus the inconvenience of having another device to charge...

No.

Before I had a lightning cable in my bag to charge my phone, and headphone cables tangled up. (2 cables)

Now I have a lightning cable in my bag that also charges my headphones. (1 cable)

But I lied, because I plug my phone into CarPlay in the car and leave it on a wireless charger at home, and my headphones last all day so I don't bring a cable (0 cables).

 

[Apple fanboy]

But you don't. You have the same number of wires, and now have another charger to carry or plug in...

You had a phone that you had to charge. One cable and one charger. The wired headphones didn't need a charger or plug.

Now you have BT headphones. That's two wires and two chargers.

You actually increased the number of wires/chargers, plus the inconvenience of having another device to charge...

I use Bose QC35. The battery lasts all week.
It charges via USB. The cable fits in the supplied case.
The wireless iPhone charger sits by my bed.
iPhone lasts all day.
So the lightening adapter rarely gets used.
How am I carrying more?

Wireless isn’t the future. It’s the present. Who wants to go back to wired headphones. They are so yesterday.

 

[SquireSCA]

I use Bose QC35. The battery lasts all week.
It charges via USB. The cable fits in the supplied case.
The wireless iPhone charger sits by my bed.
iPhone lasts all day.
So the lightening adapter rarely gets used.
How am I carrying more?

Wireless isn’t the future. It’s the present. Who wants to go back to wired headphones. They are so yesterday.

And they are often better, and more practical...

Eg, when I ride my motorcycle, I have a BT system in the helmet. Despite it costing me over $300 for the comm system alone, the audio quality is nowhere near as good as even $25 wired, noise isolating earbuds... But it makes making and taking calls or talking to my wife as she rides easier, so I put up with it... And then several hours into a ride somewhere up in the mtns I realize that my headset's battery is about to die. I can't charge it while I ride, and so the next several hours I have no music, no calls, no way for someone to notify me that someone at the back of the pack broke down or crashed, or whatever... So the batteries died and now I am out of luck.

With wired ear buds, I could still have most of my communications and not have to worry about charging anything...

Bluetooth is from 1999. It's yesterday as well, and it's more limited than wired. Sometimes, newer isn't always better.

As people keep pointing out, this wasn't a "1 or the other" situation. There were two legacy connections in place, they simply removed one. They didn't add anything that you didn't already have. They took one away, and found a way to sell it back to you for a fee.

How is that progress, or in any sense of the word a "benefit", to me?
[doublepost=1543341775][/doublepost]The difference is that with ear buds that have to be charged, you create one more possible break down in the system. Whether it is me riding and 6 hours into my 10 hour ride my comm and music goes dead, or I need hands free on a presentation and $15k of commission is on the line and my BT headset goes dead in the middle of the call... I need as few points of failure and max flexibility...

I think you guys mistake these arguments as us throwing a fit, but we aren't.

All of us here bought the iPhone, knowing this to be an issue. We are making do, replacing ear buds or buying adapters and stuff. But pretending that its not an issue or that the headphone jack doesn't have a legit purpose for literally tens of millions of people, is both silly and dishonest...
[doublepost=1543342342][/doublepost]I mean, we could play the "what if" game all day, right? Apply it to other things...

Let's say a car maker just go rid of the rear view mirror... I mean, those are from the 1920's, right? Just use the backup camera and call it a day, that's "current"... SO what if it doesn't work well at certain angles, or if it is dark, or it's winter and there is snow and salt caked up on the lens, rendering it useless. It's new, its the way forward, so suck it up, back up and hope for the best? haha

Or why do you need music on your phone anyway? Let's get rid of that.... you can go back to buying an iPod for music, and use your phone for phone calls...

Why do we need text? You already have email, just use that, so get rid of texting, that crap is from the flip-phone days, afterall...

Do you really need a camera on your phone? I mean, if you want to take pics, go buy a damned camera... phones are for making calls...

We could do this all day, but at some point we will strike a feature that YOU like off of the phone, and then you will have the same reaction that we do...

It's easy to be callous about things that don't impact you personally, but to pretend that other people don't use them is very naive...

We could apply this to any topic, really...

Oh, you don't own guns, so you don't care about the Second Amendment? Ok, so if that goes and then next year they are taking away Free Speech or the 4th Amendment protections, those you might care about and you won't see the irony that in being callous about me losing the right that I cared about, in my example, that it is what opened the door and paved the way for rights that you DO care about, to be taken away...

That's just an example, it may not apply to you specifically, but I hope you at least get the point that I am making here...

 

[Bow Commander]

No, cuz it’s 2018, and AirPods are the bees knees.

 

[SquireSCA]

No, cuz it’s 2018, and AirPods are the bees knees.

Meh, again, more crap to charge and easy to lose or drop, and if they don't actually sound better, then it's a downgrade in my book.

And my having a headphone jack, doesn't remove your ability to have your Airpods...

 

[SquireSCA]

And not a single one of you AirPods evangelists has in any way addressed the point that at least half a dozen people have brought up, which is why not have BOTH. I understand if you prefer bt headsets and don't mind extra chargers and charging, etc...

You should absolutely have that option and choice, which you have, despite a headphone jack being included, or not.

One has NOTHING to do with the other, which is a simple concept that seems to elude many of you...

This is like trying to teach calculus to my cat, at times...

 

[SquireSCA]

And again, you seem to think that this is a one or the other, or one versus the other. Perhaps you need to find a reading comprehension app? is there an app for that?

Tens of millions of people wanting or needing a headphone jack, has literally NOTHING to do with you, your preferences or ability to cut the cord.

Ditching the headphone jack wasn't done to pave the way for something new and better. You already had your 19 year old BT technology. Nothing was gained, or added.

How does this not compute?

 

[Bow Commander]

BT is from the 1990's... Hardly cutting edge, son... LOL

And corded headphones were invented in the early 1900's. Thanks for furthering my point.

 

[andrewr2123]

I have Airpods and they are amazing, and I think I would have bought them even if my phone did have a headphone jack. I still use a pair of wired headphones (with the free adapter) on random occasion (mostly flights) because the Airpods aren't noise isolating at all, and there's occasionally times when I have to unplug my headphones to charge my phone...

To be completely honest, I wish it still had the headphone jack, it would be a nice option to have, rather than having to choose between charging and listening to music.

I'm not sure if the lack of a headphone jack helps with the water resistance, but I'm a big fan of the improved water resistance on newer iPhones. I think that alone makes the tradeoff worthwhile!

 

[Bow Commander]

I'm not sure if the lack of a headphone jack helps with the water resistance, but I'm a big fan of the improved water resistance on newer iPhones. I think that alone makes the tradeoff worthwhile!

Yes, it very much does help. Worth the tradeoff indeed.
[doublepost=1543343669][/doublepost]

BT is from the 1990's... Hardly cutting edge, son... LOL
[doublepost=1543343346][/doublepost]And again, you seem to think that this is a one or the other, or one versus the other. Perhaps you need to find a reading comprehension app? is there an app for that?

Tens of millions of people wanting or needing a headphone jack, has literally NOTHING to do with you, your preferences or ability to cut the cord.

Ditching the headphone jack wasn't done to pave the way for something new and better. You already had your 19 year old BT technology. Nothing was gained, or added.

How does this not compute?

Use the dongle and S***.

 

[SquireSCA]

And they often work better, sound better, and offer more options, like plugging your phone in to other devices that don't have BT.

This is like arguing how an all electric car us better because it's newer, meanwhile a drive from Atlanta to Buffalo that I did in 13 hours in my truck, would take you 2-3 days because you have to stop and recharge for many hours, every 200 miles...

Just because it's newer, and just because you see it as a status symbol and bought into the brand lifestyle, doesn't make it better. Your ignorance on this is amusing.

People should have options. The ditching of the headphone jack on Apple and some Android devices, isn't a benefit to us. You can make the case that it is inevitable, but so is death and taxes, but I don't look forward to those either...
[doublepost=1543343760][/doublepost]

Yes, it very much does help. Worth the tradeoff indeed.
[doublepost=1543343669][/doublepost]
Use the dongle and S***.

The Galaxy S9/+ have a headphone jack and the same water rating as the iPhone, so....

 

[zhenya]

Charging is not that big of an inconvenience compared to ghetto ass cords strung around your head and torso.
I’m an adult so I don’t lose valuable things.
They do sound better. Much better.
Next topic.

Sound better than what? Your .99 ear buds?

This point isn't even up for debate. You gain convenience. You lose sound quality. End of story.

 

[SquireSCA]

Sound better than what? Your .99 ear buds?

This point isn't even up for debate. You gain convenience. You lose sound quality. End of story.

And I would make the argument that you don't truly gain much convenience, having to carry around an extra charger and charge them up regularly...

 

[zhenya]

And I would make the argument that you don't truly gain much convenience, having to carry around an extra charger and charge them up regularly...

For most wireless sets that's certainly the case, many of which still charge from micro-usb. The Airpods are kind of an exception since they charge from the cable you already have and charge several times in the tiny case. Charging is minimally inconvenient. They are compelling. The sound quality just isn't there yet. Let alone any kind of isolation if I want to use them on an airplane which is one of my most important criteria.

 

[tromboneaholic]

And I would make the argument that you don't truly gain much convenience, having to carry around an extra charger and charge them up regularly...

You keep ignoring the fact that we don't carry around an extra charger.
[doublepost=1543344246][/doublepost]

For most wireless sets that's certainly the case, many of which still charge from micro-usb. The Airpods are kind of an exception since they charge from the cable you already have and charge several times in the tiny case. Charging is minimally inconvenient. They are compelling. The sound quality just isn't there yet. Let alone any kind of isolation if I want to use them on an airplane which is one of my most important criteria.

BeatsX offer better isolation than AirPods and charge with lightning.

 

[zhenya]

BeatsX offer better isolation than AirPods and charge with lightning.

Yeah, I know. Sound quality is still lacking though. It's really hard once you've gone high-end to ever go back.

 

[Dented]

Yes, it very much does help. Worth the tradeoff indeed.

This has nothing to do water resistance. Samsung achieved a higher IP68 rating for the S9 which still has a headphone jack!

This was never a “trade off” because there is no trade. They didn’t take away the jack in return for anything else, Apple didn’t give anyone anything in return, there was no benefit to any user. None. It was a net loss, and that’s it.

This “wireless is the future” BS is like poking yourself in the eye and declaring “ears are the future”. You already had ears.

 

[SquireSCA]

You keep ignoring the fact that we don't carry around an extra charger.
[doublepost=1543344246][/doublepost]
BeatsX offer better isolation than AirPods and charge with lightning.

So if you are out all day or traveling, you just use them till they die and then go without? That's weird...
[doublepost=1543344431][/doublepost]

For most wireless sets that's certainly the case, many of which still charge from micro-usb. The Airpods are kind of an exception since they charge from the cable you already have and charge several times in the tiny case. Charging is minimally inconvenient. They are compelling. The sound quality just isn't there yet. Let alone any kind of isolation if I want to use them on an airplane which is one of my most important criteria.

Oh, I see what you are saying... you charge up the BASE, and then the base is a battery and can charge them up a few times... Ok, fair enough, that would reduce some of the charging issues, although if they die in the middle of a call, it's not like you can charge them as you continue to use them...

 

[tromboneaholic]

So if you are out all day or traveling, you just use them till they die and then go without? That's weird...

They last me several days, and use the same cable my phone does to charge.

 

[SquireSCA]

They last me several days, and use the same cable my phone does to charge.

How much usage per day? I mean, if you spend a total of 6 or 6 hours on the phone, do they last several days? How about listening to music and making calls for a continuous 8-10 hours?

It's one thing to last several days if you just use them for a couple calls, listen to music for 25 miles on the train to work, maybe an hour at the gym, etc...

I also never found a pair of wireless ear buds that sat well in my ears, didn't wobble or wiggle around, and that let me pop on a helmet and go ride without them working loose and falling out when I removed the helmet...

 

[zhenya]

Oh, I see what you are saying... you charge up the BASE, and then the base is a battery and can charge them up a few times... Ok, fair enough, that would reduce some of the charging issues, although if they die in the middle of a call, it's not like you can charge them as you continue to use them...

Yeah, it's an exceptionally good execution. The charging base is tiny with a lid that snaps open and shut with a very satisfying click, easy to sit and fiddle with. Even my wife commented on how crazy-fast they buds charge in the base. Something like 10-15 minutes of charging gives hours of use. Even a few minutes is often enough.
[doublepost=1543344923][/doublepost]

How much usage per day? I mean, if you spend a total of 6 or 6 hours on the phone, do they last several days? How about listening to music and making calls for a continuous 8-10 hours?

It's one thing to last several days if you just use them for a couple calls, listen to music for 25 miles on the train to work, maybe an hour at the gym, etc...

I also never found a pair of wireless ear buds that sat well in my ears, didn't wobble or wiggle around, and that let me pop on a helmet and go ride without them working loose and falling out when I removed the helmet...

I think 4-6 hours per charge, and the base will re-charge them a couple of times. That's continuous listening time. They tend to sit well in most people's ears. You can run with them without worrying that they won't come out. Probably not quite flat enough or secure enough to be comfortable in a helmet, but might be worth a try.