Apple's Headphone Jack Adapter Remains a Top Seller at Best Buy

[Swift]

Where did it go? Look on the iPhone X. Face ID. Sensors. No home button. Better. Swipe interface. Lots better than that huge, stupid 1950s mini-jack.

A phone, an iPad, is mobile. Exercise: better with wire? NO. Shopping, listening to a baseball game. Want to have a wire? NO. Look at Amazon. Where are all the Chinese knock-offs in: Bluetooth over-ear headphones, in-ear earbuds, etc. Oh, you can get audiophile stuff. With wires. Really expensive wires. Now, you'd get much better sound with wifi headphones-- but there's problems there. Nobody makes them and they're expensive and take way more voltage. iPhones would last 4 hours, tops. So think. Want to be reactionaries? Want to "sell colored water all your life?"

 

[ericwn]

They got rid of the CD/DVD drive and people bought SuperDrives.

Now things are streamed and/or downloaded digitally.

Tons of people these days have wireless headphones/earphones. Why keep the port when they can make room for other components? And at least they include the dang adapter.

Isn’t hard to lose track of especially if you just leave it attached to said earphones/headphones...

No component was added. But one option and port removed. No gain.

The article goes to show how in demand the adapter still is, for many people out there. Folks wouldn’t buy it if there was no need.

 

[Kabeyun]

No, it's called "rip-off".

No, it’s called bringing technology. It’s what you give the millions of customers who have headphones with 3.5 mm jacks until wireless connectivity is dominant. That’s how the industry crossfades.

 

[Swift]

You know, I think your post is really reasonable, and respect you for saying it but personally, I've always thought that including the adaptor was an indication that even apple thought it was pushing things a bit too much. For example they didn't include a floppy drive or superdrive with their computers when they removed them. If you really think this is the future, then commit one hundred percent. BTW, how much does it cost Apple to manufacture these dongles en masses? 50 cents? 25 cents? Given that the iPhone X costs such a premium, well over a grand for essentially a different screen to the 8/8+, they really should have included airpods with the iPhone X. Just my IMO.

Also, I'm happy for everyone that loves their wireless headphones be it airpods or otherwise, but how would it have been a bad thing if Apple offered the airpods and kept the headphone jack? Please someone explain this point to me.

Lastly, let me remind you guys that no one, NO ONE, on these forums was advocating for the removal of the headphone jack despite excellent wireless headphones beforehand. So I personally feel everyone coming to Apple's defense after the fact are jumping on a bandwagon.

I got a dongle in mine, along with lightning EarPods. Hard to say it, with a $999 phone, but it is in the box, free.

 

[Nieval]

I got a dongle in mine, along with lightning EarPods. Hard to say it, with a $999 phone, but it is in the box, free.

I don't understand, please clarify. I've rearranged the paragraphs so give it another read before you reply.

 

[Swift]

Apple should outsource their dongle business into a separate company. Certainly the kind of stock a MR reader would buy. 100% secure investment with an almost guaranteed growth as long as Timi is in charge.

As a business, it sucks. It'll be over in three-four years.

 

[MrGuder]

apple-headphone-jack-adapter-top-seller-best-buy

For all the wrong reasons!! Highest #1 reason “I lost it”

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I do think you can use them as a standard bluetooth headset assuming the devices you mentioned have blueooth. Just isn't as seamless and easy as using it with the W1.

Yeah. Switch doesn't support bluetooth headsets, I don't think. Probably just a matter of needing a software update, since the controllers use bluetooth to communicate with the console.

 

[1252]

Does anybony know the parameters of the DAC inside the adapter? Its a 24 bit one?

 

[aevan]

Read the article. AirPods are the best selling Apple product at Best Buy. The world is going wireless. People don't care as much as people in this echo chamber seem to think.

If it wasn't the headphone jack, it would be something else. Apple symbolizes mainstream success these days, and people just love to criticize that.

Even if you use the headphone jack, it's not really that big of a deal people make it out to be.

 

[StarShot]

No. That can’t be possible. Tim Cook told us it was a 50 year old port! Nobody uses it!!! Lies!!! Lies!!!! Liesssss!!!!!

I've never used the jack adapter for my X, my previous 8 and the other previous phones that didn't have the 3.5mm jack.

So why do people scream "Lies!!! Lies!!!! Liesssss!!!!!" immediately? And it probably is a 50 year old port. This said, I really don't care if Apple includes the old port on the next model or not. If you don't like the iPhone without the 3.5mm, get an Android or get a life.

 

[Pugly]

Dongle's not the end of the world... but headphones connect to things outside of the computer world... stereos... musical instruments... game consoles.

So Apple is bifurcating the world of audio... headphones to connect to bluetooth... and everything else. It'll still be a long time... if not forever... until a bluetooth audio connection is standard on every piece of electronics like the headphone jack. I really don't think Apple has the pull to bring the whole world of audio connections over to wireless... on computers/phones possibly... but not for the multitude of other devices that connects. So for a person like me that hooks headphones to many things, I either have to maintain two sets of headphones and lose some versatility... or I have to deal with a dongle that I have to remember to bring/possibly lose...

So by what year will this wireless future arrive? 2022? 2036? By the time everything has wireless no one will be using iPhone 7s anymore... so what is the advantage of losing the port now?

But it's not like wireless headphones are new, and iPhones supported both bluetooth and a headphone jack before.

 

[CosmoCopus]

Such first world problems! 65 million people in the world don't even have anywhere where they can call 'home' and people moan about something as shallow as this! Get over yourselves humans!
I don't see the issue. If you like wired, simply use the dongle and being honest, it puts less stress on the earphones cable near to the 3.5mm plug. My earphones always wore on the cable part near to the 3.5mm plug due to the bend in the cable.

However, since i've had AirPods, I never want wired cables on earphones ever again.

People moaning over the 3.5mm socket going really makes me angry. They must lead very sad lives to worry about something that is easily fixed through a tiny dongle. Seriously!

Don’t blow a gasket.

 

[gaximus]

View attachment 767971
#courage

Get your dongles people.

Did you make that Meme yourself?

 

[oliversl]

Apple is just going for the money, the data clearly show people need the audio jack. But Apple will ignore the data. At lease in iOS12 they removed the code that makes iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 slow, I hope they never added that code in iOS7

 

[C DM]

If it wasn't the headphone jack, it would be something else. Apple symbolizes mainstream success these days, and people just love to criticize that.

Even if you use the headphone jack, it's not really that big of a deal people make it out to be.

To be fair, with that kind of approach pretty much anything and everything can be dismissed, whether or not there might actually be something to it.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

As a business, it sucks. It'll be over in three-four years.

That wasn't really serious ;P However, with the Macbooks being USB-C only and the iPhones still on Lightning... I doubt that's over in 3-4 years. There's too much legacy equipment on the market. And 3,5mm will remain. That's not going away soon. Once Apple moves to USB-C on the iPhone you'll need another set of adapters for legacy lightning equipment. Also, these small adapters are easily lost, borrowed and never returned, break easily,... Probably in 6-8 years the dongle nightmare is finally over when the mainstream stuff is all USB-C.

 

[obiwan]

That's a joke. People have to buy them because they break frequently. My wife has gone through at least 3 this year. She has a health device that (unfortunately) only syncs via a Lightning connection and because she has a newer iPhone. She also uses a pair of headphones she likes through the adapter. In the end, they get flaky and die after maybe 4-6 months. Even the ones she babies and keeps at home to sync her device.

We'd happily pay up if Belkin or whoever made a high-quality durable one, but I haven't seen an "upgrade" Lightning-to-headphone adapter. Anybody come across one that's better-made than Apple's?

This to me epitomizes the problem Apple has created. The lightning connector is far more flimsy and prone to failure than the headphone jack in the first place. Even though the dongle exists, it does a worse job than the original connection it replaces.

 

[0958400]

I have bought four so far - they all broke. That does explain the numbers.
And yay to Apple for issuing quality products like this one (sarcasm off).
[doublepost=1530133339][/doublepost]

Such first world problems! 65 million people in the world don't even have anywhere where they can call 'home' and people moan about something as shallow as this! Get over yourselves humans!
I don't see the issue.

Forgive me, but I guess you could start every single thread with a comment like that - on any issue.

 

[aylk]

They used to sell a lot of external floppy drives and SuperDrives too.

This is not true.

 

[bbednarz]

Yeah. Switch doesn't support bluetooth headsets, I don't think. Probably just a matter of needing a software update, since the controllers use bluetooth to communicate with the console.

Ahh gotcha, I tried using the AirPods as a mic with Ps4 to no avail too.

 

[Abazigal]

So by what year will this wireless future arrive? 2022? 2036? By the time everything has wireless no one will be using iPhone 7s anymore... so what is the advantage of losing the port now?

To set that foundation. And to start nudging people in said direction.

One cannot usher in a new world order without first doing away with the current one.

 

[aylk]

This report primarily indicates that people lose their adapters often.

Also indicates that Apple is making a lot more money after removing the jack from the phone. The removal of ports from their laptops is not a coincidence. This decisions are mainly about profits.
[doublepost=1530135004][/doublepost]

Not to say it's the same, but the best selling accessory for the iMac used to be an external floppy drive. So I guess they were lost to form over function back then too?

This is not true.
[doublepost=1530135259][/doublepost]

That's what I think is going to be the dumbest thing I read today. Thanks.

It's called critical thinking, you should try it.

 

[Kabeyun]

This is not true.

I believe it is, especially with external optical drives. Prove me wrong with data.

 

[Nieval]

I believe it is, especially with external optical drives. Prove me wrong with data.

Uhhhhh, why don't you prove him wrong with Data?

Folks, am I missing something here? I feel like this is a trap because the irony with this one is too strong.