And 90% of the time people don't charge and listen at the same time. And thus having only one port is the 90% solution.
Moreover, while doing so you are tethered to your desk (or seat). And if you have some freedom on what to install on your computer, you could listen to things by using your computer and plugging in your headphones to your computer.
It's funny how much this reflects on the biggest critique I have with Apple since 2013, namely their focus on quantity instead of quantity...thinness/weight instead of the user experience and features/flexibility. # of innovations since last release instead of the meaningless of any innovations since last release. There are a host of things on our i-devices we use less than 10% of the time but where their absence results in near 100% inconvenience and annoyance...
If I add up %'s, I charge my phone at work at least 20-25% of the day (5-8 hours a day, easily) because...20-30% of the day I'm listening to a podcast or music on my phone that's not on my work computer.
90% of the time we aren't togging the mute switch, should that be moved to the control panel? We don't use certain parts of our anatomy to go to the restroom, should those be removed?
I've switched to Bluetooth headphones two years before I got my first headphonejack-less iPhone. I wouldn't want to go back. But then 90% of my headphone use is away from any desk. While you have to charge one more thing every night, Bluetooth headphones allow you to charge your phone while you a walking around in your home or office.
I hope I can explain this without sounding like whining. Very honestly: yes one *could* do what you describe. But there's a certain instantness from plugging in your headphone that's light years quicker than connecting bluetooth headphones. At home, my phone is bluetooth-enabled for my TV home theater, my JBL speaker, my laptop, my mac pro, etc. Same for my iPad. Too often there's this tug-of-war dance I need to do with toggling bluetooth on & off on one or both of my i-devices when I want to connect one of them to one of my those stereo/computer items, and it just gets annoying after a while. Same thing with my LifeX lights which I love, but which have a certain annoying delay when calling up my iOS app to control them...same thing for my SimpliSafe alarm system and the iOS app delay to control it... I play music often from my i-device and charge simultaneously often due to the battery drain, and the instantness of a cabled connection is something I value greatly and would truly miss...then if I needed to keep track of a Y-jack, that'd start adding those annoying delays to something that was once *instant* and easy. Unfortunately, replacing the "instant and easy" solution with something "elegant and minimalist" is too-often Apple's MO these days... Leading to:
You forgot Steve in that list. Jobs was quite happy to remove ports as well. Apple, at least since Jobs returned in 1998, was always a 90% company.
I agree, and it was often in ways that focused on benefitting the user/customer as opposed to today, where the majority of ports/functions/features removed by Apple feels too often to be rooted mostly in trying to make a statement and "force the future."
Not to canonize Steve too much, but the majority of things he didseemed rooted in surprising and pleasing the customer; he'd remove something but the pain didn't last, and there were obvious advantages to the customer as a result.
On the other hand, most things removed since 2013 (intuitiveness in the software, tactile/moving trackpads, ports, etc) have resulted in lasting pain and decreased ease/flexibility of use by the customer. The majority of "courage" displayed by Jony, Phil, and Timmy after 2013 feels way too rooted in trying to please the design team's desire to run minimalism design contests for how "they" feel things should work. Such as...:
Although I like your post, I firmly believe removing the jack is mostly the result of Jony Ive and other so-called expert designers trying to over-apply Apple’s golden bullet of minimalism too unnecessarily far, and for no good reason other than to challenge and entertain themselves. That’s about it. It was one thing to minimize past the “Intel inside” sticker graffiti and silly multi-colored & textured case designs (by others) when going to a clean-looking unibody MacBook. Similarly for removing optical drives when downloadable software and digital music were clearly the future...generally a win-win for all. This current minimalization war on ports, Magsafe, function keys, home buttons, headphone jacks, removable SDDs (all the things that make a phone or laptop convenient and flexible to use) all seem to have noticeably negative impacts to the customer/user experience while providing no clear functional improvement to the customer that outweigh the negatives. But it lets Apple stretch courageously and make something thinner and lighter. That’s about it.
Yup, from Apple's point of view, mostly a budget phone with the added benefit of satisfying the small-phone fans. Not only would 'innovation' cost money, Apple needs to have a wide-enough feature-gap between a $350 (SE) and $699 (iPhone 8) phone.
Agree. It would be truly wonderful if Apple offered a "contrarian" option in both price and "elegantness of removed hardware features supposedly for the benefit of the customer" that was grams heavier than their flagship phone(s) but also offered certain caveman-like conveniences like headphone ports, an intuitive UI closer to the intuitive iOS6 way of interacting with the user, and even a switch for screen-rotate like the early iPads (which I would LOVE) to have, as I flip the screen often each day...)
You don't get it, removing the headphone jack is not about the advantages that brings. Apple removed it because they can. Because they revel in simplicity.
Sir, I agree with you 100%.
I wouldn't have advised Apple to remove it. I don't applaud Apple for removing it. I simply accept that this is how Apple rolls.
Sir, now I am jealous of your ability to accept like that. I'd gladly buy you a beer, I admire your last two posts so much.
I’m so excited for iPhone SE 2 