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Apple Surveying MacBook Pro Users About Headphone Jack and Other Ports

mainstreetmark said:
So, what, it'll have a lightning port instead? Can they make the "competing for space" argument?
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No, they will add the headphone jack, just about where the mag-safe is. Take a look at the photos of this rumored leaked case: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...or-oled-touch-panel-four-usb-c-ports.1975194/

The benefits are that:

1) It becomes a charging method using the same cable the iPhone uses, leaving the USB-C port free for peripherals.

2) It serves as a natively compatible headphone jack for the iPhone's Lightning headphones allowing iPhone 7 users to actually use their Lightning headphones on their Macs.

3) It serves an optional USB 3.0 port leaving the USB-C port free for something else to be used at the same time without a hub. This is especially important for the Retina MacBook, which will lose its headphone jack.

4) It allows Apple to simplify its adapter lineup by offering Lightning only adapters for common functions like SDXC card readers, USB 3.0 ports, HDMI ports, etc. It also allows a customer to immediately use any Lightning adapters they already own, where the prospect of buying a lot of USB-C adapters is a deterrent.
 
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I hope they don't remove the headphone jack or the SD slot. I guess they think everybody has an iPhone and takes pictures that way.
 
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.
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I still can't believe he said courage. Pushing the envelope, ok. We envision a wireless world, ok. But courage, come onnnnn lol
 
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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.
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You think Apple removed the headphone jack because they are full of themselves? One year from today, and you'll be thankful Apple removed the headphone jack. People are making a stink out of nothing. Apple *still* sells a high-performance iPhone with a headphone jack, if people really want/need that. Amazing!
 
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FightTheFuture said:
it's the exact opposite though - they are pushing to use fewer ports, or one port that interfaces with all of their devices.
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Yet annoyingly (and conveniently for them), they are pushing for different ports on different devices, the more profitable and stronger product using a proprietary port. If only they adopted USB type C for iPhone 7...

inhalexhale1 said:
I still can't believe he said courage. Pushing the envelope, ok. We envision a wireless world, ok. But courage, come onnnnn lol
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It fits Apple. Their products are magical, full of innovation and customers love them. Saying that it’s courageous to do this makes them appear more important and righteous than they are.
 
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I use the headphone jack on a daily basis on my Macbook and I'd hate to see Apple removing essential ports. I don't even mind compromises provided the Pros outweigh the Cons, but if they truly only have USB-C ports then frankly I'd be inclined to finally switch platforms.

There's less and less reason to stay with Apple now, at least for me. I don't think people should put up with it, vote with your wallets. Why would you want less ports on a Pro product? The future? USB-C is so new at the moment, very few to almost none have native support yet. What monitor could you buy? I can only think of one and it's pricey.

I don't want a computer that relies on adapters, half the tables going to be filled with adapters or wireless items. And I certainly don't want to have to buy new headphones, mouse, keyboard etc.. just to accommodate Apple's silly decisions.

Honestly I think It's getting kinda crazy, Apple is moving in a direction that I'm totally against. It's like Microsoft is coming to it's senses and Apple is the one with issues now :p.
 
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coolfactor said:
You think Apple removed the headphone jack because they are full of themselves? One year from today, and you'll be thankful Apple removed the headphone jack. People are making a stink out of nothing. Apple *still* sells a high-performance iPhone with a headphone jack, if people really want/need that. Amazing!
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Lightning = proprietary = licensing fees = more money for Apple
 
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If SJ was still here he wouldn't need to ask anyone. He would just demand they leave old tech in the dustbin of the past.

Keep it moving forward. Companies that stay in the past die in the future. Xerox, Smith Corona, Blackberry, the list is endless. If you ask people they will tell you to never get rid of the typewriter or the horseshoe. We saw how the comically ignorant contemporary tech bloggers responded to the 3.5 jack, the floppy, the spinning disks.

Don't listen to people stuck in the past, they're almost dead anyway. Release products for the future of the company and consumers, not people so stuck in rut they can't see.
 
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coolfactor said:
It is courageous to face the likes of people in this forum that have complained endlessly about the death of the headphone jack... would you want to be in their shoes?
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So you are saying Apple as a company deserves sympathy, and is indeed courageous, for introducing a smartphone without a headphones jack, because people might (understandably) complain?
 
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Don't forget the headphone jack is also optical digital which is hugely attractive to audiophiles.

I use it and I simply won't buy a Mac laptop without it.

I also use the SD card slot. Having dedicated ports is so much nicer than having to deal with dongles.
 
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I too believe "in a wireless future where all my devices connect in a seamless way" but not sure how I'd feel if the Macbook ditched the jack. I think the iPad is the next logical step though.
 
Looks like I may want to buy one of the 2015 models before it's too late, I use my MBP daily and travel all over with it, bad enough I need to carry and use a VGA adaptor, but to need adapters for USB and HDMI and possible lightning all to USB-C is just crazy. I also use SD card slot and I'm sure a lot of people and that is not something I would want to use through an adapter.

Honestly don't care about the lose of the headphone jack on the phone, but here I could care.
 
rp2011 said:
If SJ was still here he wouldn't need to ask anyone. He would just demand they leave old tech in the dustbin of the past.

Keep it moving forward. Companies that stay in the past die in the future. Xerox, Smith Corona, Blackberry, the list is endless. If you ask people they will tell you to never get rid of the typewriter or the horseshoe. We saw how the comically ignorant contemporary tech bloggers responded to the 3.5 jack, the floppy, the spinning disks.

Don't listen to people stuck in the past, they're almost dead anyway. Release products for the future of the company and consumers, not people so stuck in rut they can't see.
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While I agree on some points, them removing essential ports is insanity. USB-C is still quite new, and most accessories don't have native USB-C support.. Only very very few do, which will limit the choices for all of us.

Most monitors still use HDMI, Display Port and some still rely on DVI.. So are you going to opt for adapters for everything? I think the problem is you support the company but don't look at it from a consumer perspective, instead you look at it at a fan boy or business perspective. The implications of removing ports won't effect Apple, it'll effect the everyday user.
 
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rp2011 said:
Don't listen to people stuck in the past, they're almost dead anyway.
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You should rather say: don’t listen to people who don’t want meaningless change with purely commercial underpinnings. This isn’t about progress or technological advancement, only Apple claims that. There is no persuasive technical reason for removing the headphone jack, the alternatives are not qualitatively better and, in the case of wireless, even have practical shortcomings. On top of that Apple pushes for completely proprietary technology and will push for port fragmentation in audio devices. That the headphone jack is old technology, yet still so widely used, is a quality that should be respected and embraced, not ridiculed. Apple pretends to be virtuous, hence claiming it is courageous, but it is nothing of the sort. It is great marketing and profitable for them, nothing else.
 
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