Not that I see too much similarity in that statement as the alternatives to that were phased in over some years and were cheap in their implementation, but if that's your annoyance I respect that.
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I actually miss my headphone jack
- Thread starter kevinkyoo
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You mean I'm the only one that uncovered the hidden 3.5 port by drilling?
I understand what you are saying but I'm not talking about professional DJs. We were discussing family gatherings and parties where all you need is a speaker, amp and aux cord. The Aux cord worked with everything.
Just this past weekend, my friend left his dongle at home, we were riding in a car that doesn't play music over Bluetooth, but had an auxiliary port.
Again, while I have no issue with having no headphone jack, I know I'm not the majority. I have Bluetooth headphones and my car has Bluetooth. But, if I go to my Grandmother's or my aunt's house and want to play music through their receiver I better have my dongle or I'll be listening to someone else's playlist.
It used to be all you needed was a speaker, and amp, and an aux cord -- and that's assuming the informal gathering you were at had an AUX cord. Most people have a speaker and an amp, but not everyone has an AUX cord. Many members of my family don't, much less in their cars. So already I would have to carry an AUX cord to their house if anybody else was going to play anything. With the iPhone 7 I have to bring the adapter, and in some cases I still have to bring an AUX cord, so nothing has really changed.
But let's jump to modern times -- I have a Sonos system. That means anyone with a smart phone can jump right into the fun. Not everyone has Sonos, but maybe they should, or something like it in the future. Failing that, I also have Bose BT speaker. And for those friends and family who don't have a Bluetooth speaker, maybe that would be a good Christmas gift, or better yet an Apple TV for use with AirPlay, and which they will get much more use out of. Too much money you say? No problem -- how about a $20 BT dongle for their home stereos, AND their cars. The $20 BT dongle I bought for my car was one of the best investments I made until I upgraded my factory head unit with a $200 unit with built-in BT. I now carry that same dongle with me when traveling. Or at an absolute minimum, you buy $9 Lightning dongles for stocking stuffers for everyone you know to keep in their cars and houses for when you, and other Apple users visit.
But that last one is strictly transitional. Apple has removed the headphone jack, and as a result forces people to rethink how they handle music needs such as this. The direction this is that everyone will have wireless capable devices, whether BT, wifi, or something else. Apple is merely the first to lead the way down this inevitable path.
Was reading through your posts and associated replies. Most of it is clear and thoughtful. One aspect I want to take a step further - I italicized and colored above. When I look at the equipment I own, the varying brands, and quality, going wireless as a base is still a few years out. Until I reach that point, dropping in a wireless central component (phone) would require too much of an immediate outlay and would be financially disruptive. So many posters state that it is simple, it is the future, it is... then totally fail to look at the associated cost unless they have very little or a limited investment.
Someday cordless. For now, no.
well thought out except, the thing about buying things other people don't need or use, is that it will get lost or thrown away. If people are satisfied with what they have, they aren't changing because a phone lacks a headphone jack. They will just purchase a phone with a headphone jack. While many have iPhones, it's nothing to switch up to something else.
It's not that I'm not thinking about it, it's just inevitable. There's very few cases where the industry begins to change where somebody gets left out in the cold. Apple has always been progressive in this regard, whether it costs them sales or not. So far the net result doesn't appear to be significantly detrimental. We'll know better when the 1st quarter results are posted in January though.
True. But there are already Android phones appearing without headphone jacks, even before Apple. Apple was the first major to do it, and therefore pays the biggest price. But as I mentioned above, it hasn't seemingly been a serious problem for iPhone 7 sales yet. We'll see how this develops though. The point is, there are a lot of options for dealing with the lack of headphone jack depending on what a customer's needs are. I've pushed my family forward with Apple products, and devices which make my life easier when I'm with them, and even my mother has learned to make use of, and appreciate the new technology -- a wireless speaker is the pinnacle of party friendly entertainment. This is what Apple's gambling on, not the stubborn user base that clings to the old way of doing things. There are good arguments on both sides, but in the end, there's really on one path for consumers, and they either get on board or they don't, but that's always been the way with Apple. We'll see if they still have the magic that got them this far ...