Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Surveying MacBook Pro Users About Headphone Jack and Other Ports

MagnusVonMagnum said:
They already have. Witness the Macbook with ONE lousy USB-C port that has to be used for power as well as all connections. ONE port without a hub = disaster. But they claim in order to make that thin, they can't fit another port on there. Why include a headphone jack either? Just pretend you have sound or listen to tinny crap speakers that it comes with....

And what they call a "headphone" jack is also really the "line out" for most computer speakers. In other words, if you're going to "dock" with actual decent speakers, you need some kind of line connection. You can either buy a hub that comes with one or buy a professional audio output interface (although those were easier to connect in the days of having actual Firewire ports; now you need either a standard USB jack or adapter for USB-C or a Thunderbolt jack (not sure if USB3.x is low enough latency for a pro port or not. It's why I used Firewire on my MBP when I wrote songs).

Bluetooth is unacceptable for live connections. You need low latency. Even my Mac Mini is connected to my Klipsch 2.1 computer speakers via the so-called "headphone" jack.

Apple would really like you to buy some Beats headphones instead, though.... Maybe their sales aren't what they expected them to be. Some of us know quality headphones and they aren't them.
Click to expand...

apple is making a wi-fi smart speaker (ala amazon's echo).
that's what you're going to dock to.


--------
on a sidenote, it's weird (not really) how all the negativeNancys will say "apple is so stupid.. so much cable clutter" when whining about mac pro.. then when apple removes a port, it's "apple is so stupid.. wires are good"
 
MagnusVonMagnum said:
Why would I want to "dock" to a POS speaker? I use quality audio. That's unacceptable.
Click to expand...

wow, impressive!

meanwhile, i imagine many others who would also like to act all pretentious when talking about their quality audio would laugh at you in the face for talking about 3.5mm through a laptop computer.
 
I have to agree that removing the headphone jack on the phone is a good idea, but a terrible one on the MBP. In 2018/2019? We can discuss it, right now it would be bad for consumers.

I'd be open to removing it from the MacBook, but not the Macbook Pro. Same goes for the SD card reader, to a much lesser extent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
buckwheet said:
Also, every "pro"-grade pair of headphones I've owned has had a detachable cable, which means that all the major companies will no doubt provide lightning versions of their proprietary cables very soon. Yes, the proprietary cables are a total pain in the a**, but that's got nothing to do with Apple.
Click to expand...

Of course it's not just the cable, it's also a DAC that needs to be added to the Lightning version. They could add it as a sort of dongle or just build it into the Lightning plug thus making it the size of an old VGA cable end, but neither solution is likely. What is most likely is that they will sell you a new pair of Lightning headphones with the DAC built into the headphone itself, separate from the cable, and those special Lightning headphones will feature a special housing and color to match Apple products. Oh and they'll cost maybe $50 more than the same headphones with an analog cable.
[doublepost=1473990006][/doublepost]
flat five said:
if they figure out an effective method for charging the battery wirelessly, i'd say that's a pretty good reason to contemplate the removal of magsafe.
no?
Click to expand...

No. Leave the option to charge with a cable for optimum speed, efficiency, and portability. Who wants to carry around a big wireless charger anyways?
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
FrozenInferno said:
Why didn't they survey iPhone users.
Click to expand...
Careful what you wish for. I mean, the survey results might not match your expectation. Such a survey could backfire and instead end up giving Apple objective user feedback that there is minimal user support for the headphone port and others. Which would erode the built up stereotypes of Apple being dumb / hostile / self serving / whatever.

There was an informal poll on, I think, 9to5mac and only ~20% mentioned they'd be very upset at the removal, +50% either didn't care or would be fine with its removal. ~20% said they didn't like it, but it wouldn't affect their purchase.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
flat five said:
wow, impressive!

meanwhile, i imagine many others who would also like to act all pretentious when talking about their quality audio would laugh at you in the face for talking about 3.5mm through a laptop computer.
Click to expand...

They can laugh all they want but they'll only show their utter ignorance on the subject by doing so. The only thing you have to watch when using the jack is impedance matching with high impedance headphones (volume will eventually become an issue), but you can always get a headphone amp if it's a real problem. Use a powered amp (i.e. use it as line out) and it's just fine. OS X supports 24-bit output to analog. However, the same jack also doubles as a 100% DIGITAL optical jack just in case you had no clue about it and you can plug that into any DAC you like. In fact, I'd LOVE to hear WTF you THINK is "wrong" with it other than some vague BS nonsense about someone "laughing." ;)

Even so, with my MBP I typically use a PreSonus Firewire device with Logic Pro when I'm recording (it supports 24/96 recording) or playing back audio in my music/studio room since I need multiple inputs. I output this to bi-amped ribbon speakers with 10" stereo subs and custom crossovers. But I use that 3.5mm jack on my Mac Mini with Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers in my den all the time and I dare say the audio quality out of those speakers is just a bit better than some POS Amazon fracking TOY. I used the 3.5mm jack on the MBP at a dock station when editing home video. It was more than adequate over another pair of those same Klipsch speakers, which are probably the best small sub/sat system ever made anywhere near that price range (I use another pair in my bedroom as well I liked them so much). My home theater room uses PSB speakers with identical drivers in a 6.1 configuration with a 93" projection screen and Pansonic HD projector.

Hey, laugh all you want.... :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: rGiskard and villicodelirant
I would die if they got rid of the SD card slot! I need storage that is removable and flush with the MBP's body (Tardisk). Removable bc it lets me use my Mac while maintaining boundaries imposed by policy. Otherwise I'd have to use a corporate-issued Windows laptop, yuck! And flush because USB flash drives - even the low profile kind - stick out far enough to be a constant nuisance with the way it pokes into and catches on everything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Rossatron said:
For heavens sake, why even to contemplate the removal of MagSafe?! :|
Click to expand...
So you ever bemoan the fact that your Lightning cables don't have MagSafe?

If Apple can give us sufficiently long battery life in the laptops, our charging habits could begin to mirror those of iPads. Charge overnight, leave home without charging cable, while confident that you have enough juice to last the day. If my laptop doesn't need to be tethered to a public power point where people are constantly walking about, then MagSafe would be redundant.

Plus, with USB-C serving triple duty by supplying power, data and display (especially with the requisite adaptor), maybe you don't want the cable to get loose the moment someone yanks on it lest it results in loss of data or the disruption of your presentation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel and ikir
I've said it several times (moreso recently) - Apple's endgame is probably NO ports at all (regardless of form factor).

Once they crack wireless charging and video, it'll happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: villicodelirant
Mailia said:
a) You won't.
b) Clamshell mode requires a charger connected at all times.
Click to expand...
Clamshell mode implies you will be at your own desk. What are the odds of someone tripping over your power cable in such a situation?

To me, it sounds like an acceptable compromise. Connect all three to that USB-c adaptor, and I only need to plug in one cable to my MacBook. Who needs MagSafe in such a scenario?
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel and ikir
Mildredop said:
But what is the alternative?

I got annoyed with the iPhone, so moved to Android. It's great and I have no real desire to move back.

But if I wanted to leave the Mac, what is there? Windows? Ugh. Google Chrome? UGH!
Click to expand...

That's exactly how they get away with this - I'm not saying you're wrong, or that Windows is better for everyone etc. But when we have no alternative, they can ship any machine at any price point with any features and we'll be stuck buying it. And until people start moving away from the Mac, they won't have the economic signals to change.

In my case, I'm glad Windows worked for me (FWIW, I'm one of the people who actually liked Windows 10 but that sentiment isn't universal).
 
skellener said:
And here lies the sheer stupidity that is Apple right now. USB-C is taking over. Why didn't they just switch to it and ditch Lightning on the iPhone??
Click to expand...

Because Apple wouldnt make a killing on "Made For iPhone" licensing, along with their own over priced cables.

I remember ages ago, during the Jobs era, an ex-Apple PR guy, who worked for Dell later on, was asked what the is difference between the two companies. He said Apple make products they themselves love to use. I'm sure it was true back then, I loved equipment from that era, and still think the 2011/2012 MBP is one of their best.

Now we have a CEO who doesnt use a computer, lives off an iPad, and has no connection with the outside world apart from bean counting to maximise potential profits. This has me very scared, I love the Apple ecosystem, but I also need proper computers, not stylish gadgets.
[doublepost=1474006371][/doublepost]
Mildredop said:
But what is the alternative?

I got annoyed with the iPhone, so moved to Android. It's great and I have no real desire to move back.

But if I wanted to leave the Mac, what is there? Windows? Ugh. Google Chrome? UGH!
Click to expand...

Funny you should ask. I've had a lot of linux distros running as VM's, just as a hobby, but also an exit strategy incase Apple ever really started to stink. After this article I shrunk the ol' el capitan partition and installed the latest ElementaryOS, which is doing 'ok' running natively, but I might give the latest Gnome Ubuntu and a few other distros a go natively to see if any of them might be usable on a daily basis, and slowly ween off OSX.

Going to be tough to do, I absolutely love OSX.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
ukmacpro said:
I suspect that the next version of the iPhone will ship without a lightning adapter and probably without lightning headphones. They're trying to move everyone over to wireless headphones on the iPhone, and people will carry those headphones from device to device, so no need to include headphones in the box anymore.
Click to expand...

I guess in the future they'll ship with the lighting headphones only, they won't include the adapter forever.
I know they've always included headphones, but why they don't sell the iPhone without headphones and give each customer a gift card to buy the desired pair on headphones on the AS? They could include a gift card of $29 (the price of lighting EarPods), if you like those headphone you can have them for free and if you prefer bluetooth you can have a discount on AirPods or Beats. That would be fair
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
doelcm82 said:
I think the reason for getting rid of MagSafe is that the laptops are getting lighter. The sharp tug of a tripped-over cable used to be enough to snap the MagSafe out of its socket. With an ultralight laptop, that same sharp tug would likely send the laptop flying anyway.

They could reduce the strength of the MagSafe magnetic connection, but then it would come loose more often when there was no emergency. Just sliding the laptop across your desk might cause the MagSafe connector to fall out.
Click to expand...

Yeah but na. For the MacBook maybe. But not for a MacBook Pro! It should have enough weight to keep it stationary. You know with all the extra ports it "has" and stuff.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Used very little, my gaming headphones are USB. Soon or later it will be removed, especially if the make a super tiny mac like Macbook 12 where in little space a jack mean 1 less USB-C
[doublepost=1474008760][/doublepost]
tubeexperience said:
Can't wait until Schiller said that Apple removed the headphone jack from the Mac because of "courage"! /s

This is what happens when people are so full of themselves that they don't care about what others want.
Click to expand...
Or maybe is you. many adapters or headphones are USB already. I don't care about jack on a Mac. The only thing i agree is there much more space on a Mac than an iPhone.
 
removing ports on a pro machine ? Wtf is your problem Apple make the MB as light, thin and one dimensional as you want but don't touch the MBP line with this crap.

No HDMI port, SD slot are you ****ing kidding me!?

Yes, I do use the headphone slot it's really nice to not worry about battery life without using Bluetooth and secondly I'd like to get work done while being outside.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back