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

[TitsLegendary]

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.

Point 3 is the most valid point of them all. Assuming you insist on using wired headphones, you either have to use the Lightning dongle to convert your 3.5 headphones with your new phone or wait for a 3.5 to lightning adapter to use your lightning headphones with your Mac. Can't use one pair on both devices without a dongle.
The ideal situation is just to convert to Bluetooth (which I've already done) and you won't have an issue either way.

 

[Shanghaichica]

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.

 

[Blaze4G]

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?

Was CD drives better than floppy when floppy got eliminated? Yes.
Was ssd better than mechanical drives when mechanical drives got eliminated (still in process of being eliminated)? Yes.
Ethernet has not been eliminated IMO. It still us widely used with desktops.

Bluetooth is not better than aux wired connection. So your examples makes no sense.

Edit: its like saying let's get rid of ssd for ABC because ABC is smaller and lighter. Not better when it comes to performance however it may have the possibility to be better.

 

[AbSoluTc]

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

These are non issues. It will be forgotten after a couple of months save for a few jokes here and there.

 

[FrancoRumors]

These are non issues. It will be forgotten after a couple of months save for a few jokes here and there.

Agreed - I've never needed to charge my phone and use wired headphones... If I'm charging my phone - most likely I'm sitting near speakers.

I'm a musician and I was stoked to finally get a mic that attaches via lightning and usb. The days of using a headphone jack are over. 3.5mm has let me down so many times in the past.

Bring on the airpods - or Bragi dash if I get the feeling they truly work out the bugs.

I may be in the minority - but come on already.

On 1 point I do agree. Bluetooth sound quality should be addressed. The first time I listened to Bluetooth in a car I nearly **** myself and reached for that darn cable in disgust.

If getting rid of a fossilized headphone jack generates some wireless innovation... I'll pay my part and wait.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

One must move forward, let them be mad, overtime they will why Apple did this.

 

[thats all folks]

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

fixed it for ya

 

[MVallee]

Was CD drives better than floppy when floppy got eliminated? Yes.
Was ssd better than mechanical drives when mechanical drives got eliminated (still in process of being eliminated)? Yes.
Ethernet has not been eliminated IMO. It still us widely used with desktops.

Bluetooth is not better than aux wired connection. So your examples makes no sense.

Edit: its like saying let's get rid of ssd for ABC because ABC is smaller and lighter. Not better when it comes to performance however it may have the possibility to be better.

There are many ways that Bluetooth is better than wired headphones though, which is what I described in my post. (Wires get tangled and ripped and keep you tethered to your device) Wireless has a lot of advantages.

If you are looking at it from an audiophile standpoint then sure there are downsides to Bluetooth, but that's not an issue for the average consumer. Even if it was, there is an adaptor included for free so that people concerned about audio quality or battery life can continue to use their wired headphones.

 

[sportsfrk214]

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

100% agreed. I know this is off topic, but can someone explain to me the advantage of wireless charging? I mean it, I would genuinely like to know. I don't see how it would dramatically affect the user experience. Right now, I plug my phone into an outlet and place it on my nightstand. With wireless charging, I would place my phone on a pad on my nightstand that would be plugged into an outlet. I don't really see the benefit. Placing it on the pad saves me a couple seconds at most. In fact, if anything I see a negative - I now have a pad constantly taking up space that's constantly plugged into an outlet. And forget it if wireless charging ever gives Apple an excuse to ditch the lightning port all together. Then I would need to carry my charging pad around with me or own multiple ones.

So yeah, I mean it when I say I would really like to hear a persuasive argument as to why wireless charging would be so great, aside from the aforementioned comment that you could listen to music while wirelessly charging. While that is indubitably a positive, I don't see that as being a good enough reason.

And to the OP - solid points. I share your view that removing the headphone jack isn't a huge deal, but that perhaps there could have been a slightly better time/way to do it.

 

[_Refurbished_]

Was CD drives better than floppy when floppy got eliminated? Yes.
Was ssd better than mechanical drives when mechanical drives got eliminated (still in process of being eliminated)? Yes.
Ethernet has not been eliminated IMO. It still us widely used with desktops.

Bluetooth is not better than aux wired connection. So your examples makes no sense.

Edit: its like saying let's get rid of ssd for ABC because ABC is smaller and lighter. Not better when it comes to performance however it may have the possibility to be better.

"Better" is open to interpretation, as each have their strengths and weaknesses.

In a few years Bluetooth headphones will be "better" and will have fewer downsides.

 

[dukebound85]

There are many ways that Bluetooth is better than wired headphones though, which is what I described in my post. (Wires get tangled and ripped and keep you tethered to your device) Wireless has a lot of advantages.

If you are looking at it from an audiophile standpoint then sure there are downsides to Bluetooth, but that's not an issue for the average consumer. Even if it was, there is an adaptor included for free so that people concerned about audio quality or battery life can continue to use their wired headphones.

Aside from tangled wires, what exactly are the benefits of wireless if they are so many?

 

[M. Gustave]

While I see the removal of the headphone jack as a positive, the amount of public backlash has been staggering.

What 'backlash'? What's the latest ship date estimates for the iPhone 7? November? December?

You make the common mistake of thinking that the people on this forum are a good cross section of consumers. They're not.

 

[MICHAELSD]

What 'backlash'? What's the latest ship date estimates for the iPhone 7? November? December?

You make the common mistake of thinking that the people on this forum are a good cross section of consumers. They're not.

There are thousands of posts complaining about it across the Internet, and I imagine the average person knows little about it beyond them removing it and maybe that Apple is going to sell "AirPods."

 

[M. Gustave]

There are thousands of posts complaining about it across the Internet...

By a very vocal minority. There are 'thousands of posts' about any design decision Apple makes, and the haters complain no matter what they do.

This iPhone is already selling well, completely undermining the premise of your comments.

 

[Mac 128]

 

[MVallee]

Aside from tangled wires, what exactly are the benefits of wireless if they are so many?

When I wear headphones while working out or doing yard work I have to fish the wires through my shirt so they don't get caught on the machines or in the way of what I'm doing. When I don't do that I've had them catch on door handles and things like that countless times which rips them out of my ears or worse pulls my phone out of my pocket. All of this frays the wires eventually meaning I need to buy new headphones. With Bluetooth headphones I can move around and keep listening to music without having my phone in my pocket.

In my car before I had Bluetooth I had to find the wire and plug my phone in whenever I wanted to listen to music, which was dangerous to do if I was driving. There was also the countless aux cables I had fail on me during the winter from being left out in the cold weather. Now I hit a Bluetooth button on my stereo and it starts playing without having to plug anything in.

Besides battery life and listening to audiophile quality music, what are the benefits of using wired headphones?

 

[Bryan Bowler]

SO tired of hearing people whine about the audio port! Who cares? Wires are so old school. Good riddance!!

 

[caelius]

I don't see how it would dramatically affect the user experience.

Truth be told, I really hate the wireless charging on my Watch. Can't really use it while charging since the magnetic force isn't strong enough. Plugging in that cable is much more convenient since it just sticks.

Regarding wireless headphones: At least with my Momentums, I honestly don't think that streaming over APT-X sounds that much worse compared to having them plugged in. Even with Lossless Tidal. And even if I would: it's so much more practical to not have cables tangling along my shirt, interfering with bags etc. that I'd gladly take a small hit in audio quality when being outside. And when being at home it isn't that much of a hassle to use the adapter anyway.

 

[ziggo]

100% agreed. I know this is off topic, but can someone explain to me the advantage of wireless charging? I mean it, I would genuinely like to know. I don't see how it would dramatically affect the user experience. Right now, I plug my phone into an outlet and place it on my nightstand. With wireless charging, I would place my phone on a pad on my nightstand that would be plugged into an outlet. I don't really see the benefit. Placing it on the pad saves me a couple seconds at most. In fact, if anything I see a negative - I now have a pad constantly taking up space that's constantly plugged into an outlet. And forget it if wireless charging ever gives Apple an excuse to ditch the lightning port all together. Then I would need to carry my charging pad around with me or own multiple ones.

So yeah, I mean it when I say I would really like to hear a persuasive argument as to why wireless charging would be so great, aside from the aforementioned comment that you could listen to music while wirelessly charging. While that is indubitably a positive, I don't see that as being a good enough reason.

And to the OP - solid points. I share your view that removing the headphone jack isn't a huge deal, but that perhaps there could have been a slightly better time/way to do it.

My jones for wireless charging was sated in 2009 when I brought a Palm Pre (the ONLY phone besides the OG Moto Droid and The HTC Evo 4G that were truly iPhone "killers") and the wireless charging puck. Nothing was life changing about it really. It's a cool little gimmick for about 2.5 minutes and then you go back to using regular wired charging.

As for the headphone jack "debacle", I've seen very little real world furor over it. I work at Best Buy and most everyone uses some form of Bluetooth headphones (The LG Tones are the most popular) I've had perhaps two customers lament the headphone jack removal (one guy because he used the Square Reader for his business. One woman because she didn't even know they included the Lightning EarPods) and both customers still ended up preordering.

It's really not the end all apocalypse that I've seen people and bloggers go on about online. In 2016 when Bluetooth is more popular than ever and you get an INCLUDED ADAPTOR ACCESSORY it's almost a moot argument

 

[Blaze4G]

There are many ways that Bluetooth is better than wired headphones though, which is what I described in my post. (Wires get tangled and ripped and keep you tethered to your device) Wireless has a lot of advantages.

If you are looking at it from an audiophile standpoint then sure there are downsides to Bluetooth, but that's not an issue for the average consumer. Even if it was, there is an adaptor included for free so that people concerned about audio quality or battery life can continue to use their wired headphones.

The key functionality of headphones is audio. Bluetooth is not better. Key functionality of floppy and CD drives is storage. Which the CD drive was better.

I honestly don't mind Bluetooth audio myself. I just don't want something to charge everyday.

 

[MVallee]

The key functionality of headphones is audio. Bluetooth is not better. Key functionality of floppy and CD drives is storage. Which the CD drive was better.

I honestly don't mind Bluetooth audio myself. I just don't want something to charge everyday.

When wifi first came out it was slower than Ethernet but it had enough advantages that people started using it anyways. That's how technology advances. The more people who use it the more it will improve over the next few years. Already I can't notice a difference in audio quality between Bluetooth and wired headphones.

 

[The Doctor11]

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

Even with wireless charging though you need to set it on a mat type thing. That would not be the ideal situation to use your phone.

 

[Mac 128]

When wifi first came out it was slower than Ethernet but it had enough advantages that people started using it anyways. That's how technology advances. The more people who use it the more it will improve over the next few years. Already I can't notice a difference in audio quality between Bluetooth and wired headphones.

I'm sure you would agree that a 1080p HD digital TV picture is far better than a CRT SD analogue TV picture. However, whenever I go into my mom's house, she's got her 40" flat screen tuned to an SD station, with the widescreen stretch function turned on. There's nothing better about that picture than what she used to get on her 19" CRT. The only advantage in that situation is that her TV is larger but takes up much less room than her old one. I fix it every time I'm there, but she's reverted it by my next visit -- she doesn't like the black bars on the sides and top.

The point is, BT is not yet up to 1080p HD broadcasts, it's still putting out SD. The 3.5mm Jack in contrast is putting out 4K video, continuing the analogy. just because you don't personally hear the difference is no different than my mom watching a stretched SD broadcast and not seeing the difference. The disparity exists.

 

[caelius]

I don't want to sound rude or anything, but: everyone really needs to accept that one can either deal with it or never buy an iPhone again as it's pretty certain that the jack is gone for good and will never come back.

No matter if it's good or bad for you, it's just the way it is.

 

[MVallee]

I'm sure you would agree that a 1080p HD digital TV picture is far better than a CRT SD analogue TV picture. However, whenever I go into my mom's house, she's got her 40" flat screen tuned to an SD station, with the widescreen stretch function turned on. There's nothing better about that picture than what she used to get on her 19" CRT. The only advantage in that situation is that her TV is larger but takes up much less room than her old one. I fix it every time I'm there, but she's reverted it by my next visit -- she doesn't like the black bars on the sides and top.

The point is, BT is not yet up to 1080p HD broadcasts, it's still putting out SD. The 3.5mm Jack in contrast is putting out 4K video, continuing the analogy. just because you don't personally hear the difference is no different than my mom watching a stretched SD broadcast and not seeing the difference. The disparity exists.

Going off your analogy, when I got my first HDTV there were no HD channels available from my provider, BluRay had not been released yet and everything was simply stretched. That didn't stop me and many others from buying them. Within a few years of HDTV's becoming more affordable and more widely used the content followed and now it has become the standard. The same is happening with 4K right now (technology is out there but most content is just stretched).

Bluetooth will continue to improve and the gap in quality will close. In the meantime everyone who is able to hear a difference is free to use the included adapter.