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Apple Said to Be Removing Headphone Jack From Upcoming 2018 iPad Pro Models
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Apple still include the wired Lightning earphones with each iPhone that sound exactly like their wireless AirPods. Also, nowadays we can easily pick Bluetooth ear/headphones from all major makers, not to mention the non-branded EBay lot. I understand that serious sound/music listeners would need some high-end gear, but these are in minority.
Ahh yes, the wired lightning EarPods that don't work on anything else. That's a great solution... Also buying more bluetooth headphones doesn't help when I have plenty of headphones that work great with a headphone jack and I don't want to spend more $$$ fixing a problem that didn't need to exist in the first place. Also don't try the "they give you an adapter" BS either that everyone else likes to say... It's still a worse experience having to deal with a dongle.
Be humble and realistic, before you pronounce yourself the know-it-all super-engineer that knows better about designing mobile devices than Apple.
Yes.....and yet digital provides the best convenience to the public. It’s a balance that people have to weigh in for themselves. For myself, I couldn’t be more satisfied with iTunes in 4K. I’ve gone digital and not ever going back, despite the quality differences (which I personally find negligible) Not only that, but all my HD purchases on iTunes (save for Disney) gets upgraded to 4K automatically for free. Big win for both convenience and cost.
It’s thanks to Apple “pushing” me into this direction that I’ve adopted an extremely minimal lifestyle that I don’t see myself ever rescinding from. I prefer minimalism and convenience over sheer quality.
They’re not about reach the trillion dollar market cap for nothing.
Yes, and consider me happily locked into their eco system. The thing that people seem to forget here however, in which leads to blatant criticism towards Apple is that everyone DOES have choice here: play in Apple’s walled garden or be outside the garden.
The latency in the AirPods is almost non-existent. And I do have a workflow that involves MIDI cables from my piano to the iPad and, for that, I do need no latency at all. All I’ll need to do is get a lightning splitter to use the midi cable AND the headphone jack. How hard is that? Now, how many people have workflows that involve such low latency? And why would I use 1 cubic centimetre to keep a legacy port that most people won’t need anyways? My use case (extreme low latency for audio/headphones) represent less than 0.5% of use cases and, moreover, it is easily solvable with a lightning cable. I DO depend on the headphone jack (ou digital connection with wired phones) and I remain on Apple’s side when it comes to their (wise and industry-defining) decision to axe the ancient 3.5mm port. Don’t assume I am not aware of latency issues and other specific uses for the headphone jack. It still does not pay-off the waste of real estate in a limited-sized device.
Me too. For me, less physical stuff = more room for creativity and imagination.
Losing the headphone jack does not bother me. It's inevitable that there will be changes as the technology of connections advances. I actually think that Apple has been very good in limiting these changes - they have stuck with the lightning connector even as USB-C has developed, for example.
In fact I think that going from the old original iPod 30-pin connection to the current lightning connector was their last major change, isn't that so (done in 2012, according to the wikipedia article on the iPod)?
I personally don't use headphones with my iPhone or iPad, but I can see where the AirPods would be the way to go.
In fact I think that going from the old original iPod 30-pin connection to the current lightning connector was their last major change, isn't that so (done in 2012, according to the wikipedia article on the iPod)?
I personally don't use headphones with my iPhone or iPad, but I can see where the AirPods would be the way to go.
I’m sure Apple is humble considering the strive to be more profitable
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You’re right. We all have a choice. Considering many of us are long time Apple users, we are stubborn to adopt Apple’s current direction because it’s not solving existing problems.
I never said I was an all knowing super engineer, I am simply stating what I know based on my experience and personal use-cases. It's dangerous to trust that a company has your best interest at heart. They don't... They have profit as their best interest and so long as they can make you spend more money, they will. Marketing is incredibly adept at influencing the thoughts and desires of customers. Many companies will tout that the customer is #1, but when they say that in reality they are not talking about you, they are referring to the shareholders. The shareholders are the #1 customer of any publicly traded business, and you, the consumer shelling out your hard earned money for a product is #2 at best. If you really trust them as you say you do, then you have drank from the Kool-aid of a well funded marketing department. You also say you trust Apple's engineers, but then disregard input from another engineer when the only real difference is that I work for a different large company.
You mentioned in another post that designing something like the iPhone requires a number of tradeoffs, and that is absolutely true. The difference here is that the tradeoffs chosen are first based on what's best for the shareholders (more profitable), then once that is out of the way, they worry about what's best for the customer that still fits that infinite growth that shareholders expect which is also not reasonably sustainable. This is the root cause behind all corner cutting that results in what once was a good product turning to ****. It's small changes that slowly swap the best implementation for lesser implementations. Others may not have noticed that between the 5S and 6 the nice quality metal ring around the headphone jack had been swapped out for a cheap plastic one. I knew something was up the moment I saw that, it's typical cost cutting. The current Apple is just riding on the previous success and brand recognition. Moves like they are making now are going to continue slowly eroding the brand until they truly become just another generic computer maker or even fail. This type of thing happens constantly in today's business world. Read up on the story of the Craftsman brand if you want to see a good example of this that has played out before.
I don't think that everyone hated it when the headphone jack was removed. Things move on. Design moves on. And it's not gone - it's there in the lightning connector with the tiny adapter lead which in true fairness is better as it doesn't put a strain of the cable next to the 3.5mm plug. I've worn out 2 pairs of very very expensive earphones due to the cable wearing out near to the 3.5mm plug. Now, I have AirPods and i'd NEVER go back to wired. These AirPods work - very very well. Not getting my arm caught in cables is very very welcome! Now it almost looks odd when you see long cables running from poles earphones.
I think Steve WOULD of removed the socket too. He had a way of 'telling' people what they wanted. He also said that a smartphone should have a screen larger than 3.5". Look what happened.
People need to think outside of their little boxes. Thank God Apple does!
Two problems with removing the jack:
1. Maybe this is just me, and maybe I'm rare, but Apple plastic earbuds hurt my ears. Wearing a set for more than a few minutes actually causes physical pain in the cartilage in my outer ear. I've also tried those silicone caps that fit over them, and then they become too thick and the pressure causes pain. Sorry, but Apple earbuds are not one-size-fits-all. Since the rest of the world still does 3.5mm audio, I'm extremely hesitant to invest heavily in a pair of earbuds that only work on my iOS devices (any of the lightning-enabled devices). I'm a sucker and have bought into buying the $9 dongles. But that said, the only earbuds I've found that I can comfortably wear for a long period of time are Bose models with their all-silicone tips. So today I have a couple of wired sets that I have to use with the stinking adapter, and a couple of wireless sets that have another problem, which leads to the bigger issue I have with wireless:
2. Apple, STOP ACTING LIKE YOUR STANDARDS ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT MATTER! Every pair of wireless headphones I've tried on my iOS devices introduces a serious lag problem. It's annoying when you are watching videos. It's a dealbreaker if you are trying to play with GarageBand. And it's horrible if you try to use VoIP apps (most wireless headsets still only support 8khz GSM-quality audio from the mic to the device!). We have apt-X now, which yes, involves a licensing fee, but come on ... make it a paid add-on if you must ... but apt-X supports true low-latency (something like 3ms) audio and also high quality mic streams. (Bose isn't supporting apt-X either, which is an argument for another day, but I almost have to believe it's Bose focusing on Apple customers, because they do support Apple's proprietary standard) So, Apple, if you want wireless to become the next big thing, let's embrace ALL of the wireless audio standards and make the iPhone truly the most versatile device when it comes to wireless audio.
Bonus issue: What about iPads used in public displays where they are plugged in all the time and also need their audio output going to a speaker, projector, etc? I suppose "buy that Belkin charge-while-you-use-the-lightning-headphone-adapter" dongle, then pair it with the headphone dongle itself (which it sounds like they might not even include anymore) - now the iPad effectively jumped $50 or so in cost for kiosk use. Seriously... come on.
(Side note: Sony did it and still does it, now Apple's doing it - WHY do large tech companies feel the need to reinvent the wheel and make proprietary standards, and then not even let anyone else license them? If the Lightning connector is so great, then why not make a killing charging a per-device fee to Samsung for it? [Perhaps because USB-C has all the same functionality and is cheaper to implement...?] This mentality is effectively what killed or at least made irrelevant the Minidisc, Memory Sticks, FireWire, and what ultimately could kill the Lightning port, as USB-C continues to gain more and more momentum. -- I will grant you, Lightning may have come first, but if Apple hadn't been so "keep off the grass, beware of lawyer" about it, maybe Lightning might have become what USB-C is now...)
1. Maybe this is just me, and maybe I'm rare, but Apple plastic earbuds hurt my ears. Wearing a set for more than a few minutes actually causes physical pain in the cartilage in my outer ear. I've also tried those silicone caps that fit over them, and then they become too thick and the pressure causes pain. Sorry, but Apple earbuds are not one-size-fits-all. Since the rest of the world still does 3.5mm audio, I'm extremely hesitant to invest heavily in a pair of earbuds that only work on my iOS devices (any of the lightning-enabled devices). I'm a sucker and have bought into buying the $9 dongles. But that said, the only earbuds I've found that I can comfortably wear for a long period of time are Bose models with their all-silicone tips. So today I have a couple of wired sets that I have to use with the stinking adapter, and a couple of wireless sets that have another problem, which leads to the bigger issue I have with wireless:
2. Apple, STOP ACTING LIKE YOUR STANDARDS ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT MATTER! Every pair of wireless headphones I've tried on my iOS devices introduces a serious lag problem. It's annoying when you are watching videos. It's a dealbreaker if you are trying to play with GarageBand. And it's horrible if you try to use VoIP apps (most wireless headsets still only support 8khz GSM-quality audio from the mic to the device!). We have apt-X now, which yes, involves a licensing fee, but come on ... make it a paid add-on if you must ... but apt-X supports true low-latency (something like 3ms) audio and also high quality mic streams. (Bose isn't supporting apt-X either, which is an argument for another day, but I almost have to believe it's Bose focusing on Apple customers, because they do support Apple's proprietary standard) So, Apple, if you want wireless to become the next big thing, let's embrace ALL of the wireless audio standards and make the iPhone truly the most versatile device when it comes to wireless audio.
Bonus issue: What about iPads used in public displays where they are plugged in all the time and also need their audio output going to a speaker, projector, etc? I suppose "buy that Belkin charge-while-you-use-the-lightning-headphone-adapter" dongle, then pair it with the headphone dongle itself (which it sounds like they might not even include anymore) - now the iPad effectively jumped $50 or so in cost for kiosk use. Seriously... come on.
(Side note: Sony did it and still does it, now Apple's doing it - WHY do large tech companies feel the need to reinvent the wheel and make proprietary standards, and then not even let anyone else license them? If the Lightning connector is so great, then why not make a killing charging a per-device fee to Samsung for it? [Perhaps because USB-C has all the same functionality and is cheaper to implement...?] This mentality is effectively what killed or at least made irrelevant the Minidisc, Memory Sticks, FireWire, and what ultimately could kill the Lightning port, as USB-C continues to gain more and more momentum. -- I will grant you, Lightning may have come first, but if Apple hadn't been so "keep off the grass, beware of lawyer" about it, maybe Lightning might have become what USB-C is now...)
You are correct.
Apple hasn't been a computer company for a long time. They haven't even had computer in their name since 2007. And thank goodness. The Apple brand is hardly in danger of "eroding" toward becoming "another generic computer maker." The Apple Watch is one of the most useful devices I've had in my decades and decades of existence. And the Apple AirPods are simply extraordinary. And then there is my iPad Pro and Pencil and iPhone and iCloud . . .
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The semantics are irrelevant here, stop nitpicking the terminology. It's the idea behind it that matters, and they are absolutely in danger of the brand erosion regardless. I never said it was going to be fast, so of course they still have some compelling products.
Yup, I got one like that for my flights to Oz but actually the iPhone X battery is good enough to not need one. And flight mode nowadays leaves the Bluetooth on.
I was critiquing your own terminology, as you assert that Apple is devolving into becoming "another generic computer maker" which indicates to me that you don't understand Apple's current direction, much less its future.
Or, since you are an engineer, perhaps you might need to calibrate your crystal ball?
Wireless will NEVER deliver the same sound quality as wired.
You do know this right?
RIP quality and integrity for convenience and gimmicks?
You are missing the point here entirely. My point has nothing to do with what the product is that a company makes, and more with the erosion of a brand. The fact that I used the word computer is irrelevant. A phone is still in many ways a personal computer. So is the watch. They are still in the computing business, it just looks different than it did before. Stop getting hung up on the specifics and focus on the main point...
Perhaps Apple’s engineering and design teams are just getting dumber? I don’t have a better explanation.
And something is prohibiting you doing this now? my AirPods work well with my IPP although it still has a jack. however, I prefer my headphones over these tiny AirPods which I mainly use outside.
NEVER Huh? Of course wireless can already deliver the same audio quality as wired. Airplay audio is wireless and lossless quality, and the fastest wireless tech has much more bandwidth than even 32 bit 192 kHz audio would require.
Maybe you mean Bluetooth audio isn't currently as good as the best wired audio for headphones? I believe that is true. But then it's good enough for most people, and will keep getting better every year or two.
First, thank you for an extensive reply. I disagree completely, but I do enjoy a good discussion. Now, back to your post:
What you say is just not true. Ffs, you made this whole conclusion on one single port? How in the world is iPhone X just riding on previous success? It is the best iPhone Apple ever made. I can vouch for that as a happy customer: it has absolutely the best build, the fastest internals, a desktop-class disk speed, an incredible camera, the nicest screen I’ve seen on a device, insane details that are very expensive to make (why no other manufacturer makes edge-to-edge flexible OLED phones that tuck away in the frame), amazing Face ID - nothing about this phone feels cheap, nothing is off the shelf, build quality is noticeably higher than previous iPhones....
And lets talk about iPads: the best stylus on the market, the best screen on a tablet, top-notch build quality, faster than most laptops, amazing speakers....
....and you come to the conclusion that they are relying on their brand alone because you noticed a plastic ring around the headphone jack on iPhone 6?
Sheesh. Talk about constructing a narrative. Believe what you will. Believe I’m drinking kool aid or whatever. To me, iOS devices have never been better. And removing one port won’t change that.
And one more thing: Apple has been removing ports since they made the iMac, and the same story from a few disappointed users have been going around ad nauseam. “They have lost their way”. We had Apple doom scenarios for years. I can’t believe people still say that those who notice this as bs drink Kool Aid or whatever.
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I think the poster to whom you were replying was being tongue in cheek.
It's indicative just how important loss of ports and jacks, poor keyboard choices, throttling and overheating, and overall hardware erosion the last several years has been to a large number of Apple customers. Apple's reputation was largely honed in serving the high end professional customers, and in doing so, also benefitted everyday users with outstanding quality of product. Less so now.