How Apple Dropped the Ball in Handling the Removal of the Headphone Jack

[MICHAELSD]

While I see the removal of the headphone jack as a positive, the amount of public backlash has been staggering. Yet the only valid complaint I've seen about its removal is losing the ability to charge and listen to music over a wired connection at the same time. Apple could have avoided this entire situation by adding wireless charging to the iPhone 7, or waiting for an iPhone model that incorporates wireless charging so that nobody has to work around the iPhone's new minor limitation. However, iPhone 8 will likely win naysayers back with a wireless charging capability

Another way they dropped the ball is by not establishing a new wireless standard. Bluetooth streaming is fine up to a certain point. Sure, Apple's 256kbps AAC files can be streamed with no quality loss over the newest Bluetooth protocols but higher bitrate files are compressed while over a headphone (or Lightning) port they're completely uncompressed meaning there's no degradation in quality. They had a chance to introduce hi-fi into Apple Music as well as a lossless streaming protocol to convince consumers they've developed the audio standards of the future, yet they did neither. In hindsight they could develop this down the road, selling AirPods and Bluetooth Beats headphones now then targeting the same customers with hifi AirPods and a line of high-fidelity Beats.

To win over most people with the removal of the headphone jack Apple should have made it so that no customers have to give up the ability to charge and listen to music at the same time (mainly so there wasn't such an onslaught of complaints). To convince audiophiles Bluetooth was capable of replacing wired headphones, they should have developed a lossless protocol so that absolutely nobody loses out in the transition and so there are more marketable reasons for it being forward-thinking.

As of now, those are the two drawbacks to transitioning to a wireless future with the iPhone 7 and they should've been addressed before removing the headphone jack to convince everybody that now is the time. It was a bit premature for those reasons but personally I do embrace the future and see this as a stepping stone towards lossless wireless streaming and hopefully a revolutionary form of wireless charging.

 

[ActionableMango]

Apple doesn't have to do anything except wait for people to get over it. The headphone market has been headed in this direction for years, and the rate is accelerating.

(Yes, I think it's dumb that the red line represents bluetooth headphones, and the blue line represents non-bluetooth headphones.)

 

[jbachandouris]

Yet another thread on the headphone removal. Groan.

Nevertheless, I give credit to a well thought out post.

 

[lordofthereef]

At the end of the day people will either deal or they will not. It could honestly go either way.

I have to say that I thought the 10 bullet point iphone keynote was basically responding to all the internet chatter. "SEE???!?!! THIS IS A BRAND NEW PHONE DESIGNED FOR THE GROUND UP AND HERE IS WHY!!!!!"

Was't one of the better keynotes for me. Oh well. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be given anything that I needed so nothing here was really news, more affirmation.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

Only diehard fans will remember this kerfluffle when the iPhone 8 comes out.

 

[Blaze4G]

Apple doesn't have to do anything except wait for people to get over it. The headphone market has been headed in this direction for years, and the rate is accelerating.

(Yes, I think it's dumb that the red line represents bluetooth headphones, and the blue line represents non-bluetooth headphones.)

That graph shows market share based on total sale price not total units.

83% of earphones bought were wired, 17% were Bluetooth. However the total spent on that 17% of Bluetooth headphones was more than the total spent on the 83% of wired.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Apple doesn't have to do anything except wait for people to get over it. The headphone market has been headed in this direction for years, and the rate is accelerating.

(Yes, I think it's dumb that the red line represents bluetooth headphones, and the blue line represents non-bluetooth headphones.)

The moronic irony there.
[doublepost=1473391818][/doublepost]

Yet another thread on the headphone removal. Groan.

Nevertheless, I give credit to a well thought out post.

Figured I'd get this response as there are many but I figured this a fresh point of view plus I'm not a complainer as it doesn't faze me.

Bottom line is Apple could've avoided this by removing it at the same time they add wireless charging and also should've developed a lossless wireless standard.

 

[MrMac2015]

Well said sir!

 

[slippery-pete]

My cousin has the same view the op does. She debated me or 2 hours about it.

 

[Mac 128]

It's worse than that on a basic level.

1) Can't charge and listen at the same time without a bulky expensive adapter, when Apple already offers simpler technology for this in the form of a Lightning passthrough in their External Battery Case. The solution should have been in the box.

2) Can't share a single device with two sets of headphones with native solutions, neither Lightning or Bluetooth. The Belkin adapter likely doesn't support this either, despite appearances, possibly requiring yet another adapter. The only way to split the audio signal to multiple outputs is via the 3.5mm adapter.

3) Can't use the included Lightning EarPods on anything but newer iOS devices, including current Macs, nor anything else; requiring two different sets of headphones, or using the 3.5mm adapter with an old set of headphones for maximum convenience or compatibility. This is probably the most ridiculous aspect defeating Apple's entire narrative.

4) AirPods won't be available until LATE October, leaving new customers with only existing inferior BT technology, or what's included in the box (see 3 above).

5) Once you get your AirPods, you won't be able to charge your case at the same time you charge your phone and Listen without yet another splitter. Which brings up another question, whether the Lightning camera kit (or any other Lightning accessory) will work with the Belkin adapter, and so on.

Much of this is basic functionality of the headphone jack, and is taken for granted with 3.5mm. So far I don't see any solution for most of these problems, and the solutions that do exist aren't practical.

 

[AbSoluTc]

It's worse than that on a basic level.

1) Can't charge and listen at the same time without a bulky expensive adapter, when Applealready offers simpler technology for this in the form of a Lightning passthrough in their External Battery Case. The solution should have been in the box.

2) Can't share a single device with two sets of headphones with native solutions, neither Lightning or Bluetooth. The Belkin adapter likely doesn't support this either, despite appearances, possibly requiring yet another adapter.

3) Can't use the included Lightning EarPods on anything but newer iOS devices, including current Macs, nor anything else; requiring two different sets of headphones, or using the 3.5mm adapter with an old set of headphones for maximum convenience or compatibility.

4) AirPods won't be available until LATE October, leaving new customers with only existing inferior BT technology, or what's included in the box (see 3 above).

5) Once you get your AirPods, you won't be able to charge your case at the same time you charge your phone and Listen without yet another splitter. Which brings up another question, whether the Lightning camera kit (or any other Lightning accessory) will work with the Belking adapter, and so on.

Much of this is basic functionality of the headphone jack, and is taken for granted with 3.5mm. So far I don't see any solution for most of these problems, and the solutions that do exist aren't practical.

Oh, it's your superfluous points all over again.

You truly are grasping at straws here. The ONLY thing that might be a problem for some is the charging while using headphones. That's the only "big" problem I can agree with. Other than that, non issues all around.

 

[Mac 128]

Here's the Apple external battery case, which already has a passthrough port for Lightning. This port passes audio to the Lightning EarPods, while simultaneously charging the phone from the battery pack. At a minimum, adding this feature to the included Lightning charging cable would have solved this problem, easily. All we can do is hold out some hope that Apple will get to it. However since Apple worked closely with Belkin, it's unlikely we will see something this simple or efficient.

[doublepost=1473621089][/doublepost]

Another way they dropped the ball is by not establishing a new wireless standard. Bluetooth streaming is fine up to a certain point. Sure, Apple's 256kbps AAC files can be streamed with no quality loss over the newest Bluetooth protocols but higher bitrate files are compressed while over a headphone (or Lightning) port they're completely uncompressed meaning there's no degradation in quality. They had a chance to introduce hi-fi into Apple Music as well as a lossless streaming protocol to convince consumers they've developed the audio standards of the future, yet they did neither. In hindsight they could develop this down the road, selling AirPods and Bluetooth Beats headphones now then targeting the same customers with hifi AirPods and a line of high-fidelity Beats.

To win over most people with the removal of the headphone jack Apple should have made it so that no customers have to give up the ability to charge and listen to music at the same time (mainly so there wasn't such an onslaught of complaints). To convince audiophiles Bluetooth was capable of replacing wired headphones, they should have developed a lossless protocol so that absolutely nobody loses out in the transition and so there are more marketable reasons for it being forward-thinking.

As of now, those are the two drawbacks to transitioning to a wireless future with the iPhone 7 and they should've been addressed before removing the headphone jack to convince everybody that now is the time. It was a bit premature for those reasons but personally I do embrace the future and see this as a stepping stone towards lossless wireless streaming and hopefully a revolutionary form of wireless charging.

While I agree that Apple should have done something to improve the audio performance of wireless, I'll reserve judgement until I hear what the W1 chip and the AirPods have to offer. Lightning is there in the interim for anyone who needs higher quality audio than the AirPods (or Beats with W1 chip). So that's really not a problem. The problem is that they removed the headphone jack without offering comparable functionality either in BT or Lightning. The biggest problem is not being able to use Lightning with all of Apple's products, and no adapter to make that possible, nor with the wider world outside of Apple. That alone undermines much of Apple's narrative in this transition.

I'll give Apple a year or two of using the Lightning jack to get their wireless game up to speed, what I can't abide is that their substitution for the higher quality wired option isn't practical out of the box -- and as if they're trying to sabotage their own launch, they include a 3.5mm adapter encouraging customers to continue to use their old headphones, made all the more necessary because the Lightning EarPods don't work with anything else that doesn't have a Lightning jack, as well as a couple of iPod models that do, and no way to make that happen. The fact that I can't use a single Lightning headphone on my iPhone 7 AND my Retina MacBook is ridiculous. Never mind I can't charge and listen to my iPhone at the same time without a $40+ adapter that does't appear to do anything else.

 

[Armen]

While I see the removal of the headphone jack as a positive, the amount of public backlash has been staggering. Yet the only valid complaint I've seen about its removal is losing the ability to charge and listen to music over a wired connection at the same time. Apple could have avoided this entire situation by adding wireless charging to the iPhone 7, or waiting for an iPhone model that incorporates wireless charging so that nobody has to work around the iPhone's new minor limitation. However, iPhone 8 will likely win naysayers back with a wireless charging capability

Another way they dropped the ball is by not establishing a new wireless standard. Bluetooth streaming is fine up to a certain point. Sure, Apple's 256kbps AAC files can be streamed with no quality loss over the newest Bluetooth protocols but higher bitrate files are compressed while over a headphone (or Lightning) port they're completely uncompressed meaning there's no degradation in quality. They had a chance to introduce hi-fi into Apple Music as well as a lossless streaming protocol to convince consumers they've developed the audio standards of the future, yet they did neither. In hindsight they could develop this down the road, selling AirPods and Bluetooth Beats headphones now then targeting the same customers with hifi AirPods and a line of high-fidelity Beats.

To win over most people with the removal of the headphone jack Apple should have made it so that no customers have to give up the ability to charge and listen to music at the same time (mainly so there wasn't such an onslaught of complaints). To convince audiophiles Bluetooth was capable of replacing wired headphones, they should have developed a lossless protocol so that absolutely nobody loses out in the transition and so there are more marketable reasons for it being forward-thinking.

As of now, those are the two drawbacks to transitioning to a wireless future with the iPhone 7 and they should've been addressed before removing the headphone jack to convince everybody that now is the time. It was a bit premature for those reasons but personally I do embrace the future and see this as a stepping stone towards lossless wireless streaming and hopefully a revolutionary form of wireless charging.

It's not exactly convenient to drag around a "wireless" charging hockey puck with you everywhere either let alone in a car.

Apple did just fine. They were decent enough to include an adapter. People need to get over it. This isn't the first phone with no headphone jack.(Moto and others already got rid of it)

How soon people forgot that cellphones used to ship with proprietary headphones not so long ago.

 

[douglasf13]

Oh, it's your superfluous points all over again.

You truly are grasping at straws here. The ONLY thing that might be a problem for some is the charging while using headphones. That's the only "big" problem I can agree with. Other than that, non issues all around.

If you're a musician, you'd know that the analog jack in the iPhone is still used quite a bit for a lot of reasons. Sure, I'm not saying musicians are a major share of iPhone buyers, but Apple tends to market towards artists, so it's a little disappointing.
[doublepost=1473621772][/doublepost]

It's not exactly convenient to drag around a "wireless" charging hockey puck with you everywhere either let alone in a car.

Apple did just fine. They were decent enough to include an adapter. People need to get over it. This isn't the first phone with no headphone jack.(Moto and others already got rid of it)

How soon people forgot that cellphones used to ship with proprietary headphones not so long ago.

Yeah, like the first iPhone required an adapter for 3rd party headphones. It was one of the biggest issues people had with the device, and Apple fixed it with the 3G.

 

[Armen]

If you're a musician, you'd know that the analog jack in the iPhone is still used quite a bit for a lot of reasons. Sure, I'm not saying musicians are a major share of iPhone buyers, but Apple tends to market towards artists, so it's a little disappointing.
[doublepost=1473621772][/doublepost]

Yeah, like the first iPhone required an adapter for 3rd party headphones. It was one of the biggest issues people had with the device, and Apple fixed it with the 3G.

"Wireless" charging is only convenient when the charging pad is permanently in 1 spot. It's not convenient to carry around

 

[douglasf13]

"Wireless" charging is only convenient when the charging pad is permanently in 1 spot. It's not convenient to carry around

I think you may have replied to the wrong person?

 

[Macalway]

I'm keeping my 6 until it's an antique.

(which it is already, perhaps )

They can't honestly believe those super expensive, stupid dongles are going to cut it, can they?

(I think i'll come here everyday and post something angry )

 

[Armen]

I think you may have replied to the wrong person?

Oops sorry.

 

[brsboarder]

The biggest problem is that they didn't replace it with anything. Does anyone care about a haptic engine? Why not just keep the old button?

 

[Macalway]

The biggest problem is that they didn't replace it with anything. Does anyone care about a haptic engine? Why not just keep the old button?

Tim had to do something....new&bold

Kudos

 

[MVallee]

The biggest problem is that they didn't replace it with anything. Does anyone care about a haptic engine? Why not just keep the old button?

Most likely so that they could make it water-resistant.

 

[Shanghaichica]

We are not going to have a choice in the long run. Now that Apple have removed it the rest of the phone manufacturers will follow suit and some android phones have already removed it. So the question is do you want to cling onto old tech for years so you can keep your headphone jack or are you going to go with the flow. It would be like holding onto an old computer because it can take floppy disks and refusing to buy a new one because you can't get one with a floppy disk drive.

I will admit that initially I was not enamoured with the idea when the rumours first began circulating but I'm over it now.

As for those moaning about having to buy dongles and adapters the same thing happened when Apple switched to the Lightning connector. People moaned that their old docks and accessories didn't work. Yet we all got over that in time. At least this time they are supplying an adapter in the box which is something I didn't expect them to do. You also have the option of using Bluetooth headphones.

There is a lot of misinformation being spread about this. I read on Facebook that someone heard on the radio that you can only use Bluetooth headphones with the new iPhone.

 

[dukebound85]

Oh, it's your superfluous points all over again.

You truly are grasping at straws here. The ONLY thing that might be a problem for some is the charging while using headphones. That's the only "big" problem I can agree with. Other than that, non issues all around.

Oh, it's your needless apologizing for apple again.

These are issues Apple hasn't provided an elegant solution for and are short sighted given they brought this on themselves

 

[MVallee]

We are not going to have a choice in tbe long run. Now that Apple have removed it the rest of the phone manufacturers will follow suit and some android phones have already removed it. So the question is do you want to cling onto old tech for years so you can keep your headphone jack or are you going to go with the flow. It would be like holding onto an old computer because it can take floppy disks and refusing to buy a new one because you can't get one with a floppy disk drive.

I will admit that initially I was not enamoured with the idea when the rumours first began circulating but I'm over it now.

That's what I keep saying to people when they ask what I'm going to do without a headphone jack.

There is already affordable technology out there to replace wired headphones. Floppy drives got replaced by CD drives, hard drives got replaced by SSD, ethernet by wifi and so on. Old technology has to be abandoned at a certain point so that progress can be made on newer things. If everyone starts removing the headphone jack you can bet over the next few years Bluetooth headphones will only keep improving.

I use my headphone jack everyday but I'm not bothered by them removing it. Wired headphones get caught on things, get tangled up, and the wires fray eventually. All of those issues will be eliminated by using Bluetooth headphones and if for some reason people don't want to use Bluetooth, then there is the lightening adaptor which is provided for free. Are that many people really charging their phones and using headphones at the same time?

 

[Shanghaichica]

That's what I keep saying to people when they ask what I'm going to do without a headphone jack.

There is already affordable technology out there to replace wired headphones. Floppy drives got replaced by CD drives, hard drives got replaced by SSD, ethernet by wifi and so on. Old technology has to be abandoned at a certain point so that progress can be made on newer things. If everyone starts removing the headphone jack you can bet over the next few years Bluetooth headphones will only keep improving.

I use my headphone jack everyday but I'm not bothered by them removing it. Wired headphones get caught on things, get tangled up, and the wires fray eventually. All of those issues will be eliminated by using Bluetooth headphones and if for some reason people don't want to use Bluetooth, then there is the lightening adaptor which is provided for free. Are that many people really charging their phones and using headphones at the same time?

even I have a pair of Bluetooth earphones and have done for a good few years now. They are not the main headphones that I use but I can adapt.