Next rMBPs Ditching Headphone Jacks for lightning/USBc?

[rhyzome]

Does the (rumored) iPhone 7's ditching of the jack and (possible) inclusion of lightning headphones more or less entail that rMBPs are due to drop the jack and replace it with lightning/USBc? (do USBc ports accept lightning connectors?) Any-who, discuss!

 

[maflynn]

Given the rumors that apple is dropping it from the iPhone 7, it wouldn't be very surprising to see its removal in the next model of the MBP

 

[Steve121178]

It would be idiocy to drop it from the MacBooks! I've invested a lot of money in great headphones and if they think I'm going to have to use them with some sort of silly optional adapter protruding out of a USB-C port then I've possibly bought my last Mac.

 

[CE3]

Yeah, given all the people who use Macs for music, it would be a pretty foolish move on their part.

 

[benguild]

Yeah, given all the people who use Macs for music, it would be a pretty foolish move on their part.

Most people who do music have a high-quality external sound card, so the only people that this will affect are those that are using outdated headphones.

 

[T5BRICK]

Does the (rumored) iPhone 7's ditching of the jack and (possible) inclusion of lightning headphones more or less entail that rMBPs are due to drop the jack and replace it with lightning/USBc? (do USBc ports accept lightning connectors?) Any-who, discuss!

The retina MacBook still has a headphone jack. I don't see any logical reason why the retina MacBook Pro would lose the headphone jack on the next revision just because of the iPhone.

 

[CE3]

Most people who do music have a high-quality external sound card, so the only people that this will affect are those that are using outdated headphones.

Yes, I'm aware. I have a thunderbolt interface for my MacBook, and there are still times I use the jack for my headphones. The standard itself may be old, but it's still very much the universal standard and there's nothing that makes my headphones outdated or inferior to any newer technologies. Lightning or USBc headphones aren't going to sound any better (so how is it better?), and bluetooth comes with its own share of drawbacks, like latency.

 

[ctg7w6]

Most people who do music have a high-quality external sound card, so the only people that this will affect are those that are using outdated headphones.

I have switched to wireless headphones, but it still angers me when I hear people say the ubiquitous jack is outdated. Nothing has replaced it in popularity or quality, so I'd like to know how it is outdated.

I think what you are really saying is "old=outdated" which is not true.

 

[spaceballl]

I would love nothing more than for my new, thin rMBP to have a row of USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) ports on the left and a couple lightning ports on the right.

 

[Spudlicious]

Well, as (rumoured) new MBP features won't be applied retrospectively (definitely) I don't give a monkey's. Manufacturers have to keep coming up with must-have features to drive sales, but we don't have fall for it, there's always a choice, and there's always an adaptor.

 

[Algus]

That's a 3.5mm audio jack, it is useful for a lot more than headphones. I use mine for actual speakers. To me it is insane that you would take it out of a computer.

But in the quest for thin nothing would surprise me I guess.

 

[benguild]

I have switched to wireless headphones, but it still angers me when I hear people say the ubiquitous jack is outdated. Nothing has replaced it in popularity or quality, so I'd like to know how it is outdated.

I think what you are really saying is "old=outdated" which is not true.

That's not the point.
Apple has always been about simplification and consolidation. They got rid of the floppy disk. They went all USB.

Once you update your peripherals it won't matter anymore. If for some reason you (and only you) need a 3.5mm jack later on, there will be an adapter available from several manufacturers if for some reason you need to leave that attacted to whatever device you're plugging in just to be able to use it. There's no point in adding bulk for everyone else just so that you can have an adapterless attachment.

 

[Xerotech]

I don't mind them simplifying and making things easier, but I find it cumbersome having adapters for everything or eliminating ports, which I need for my external HDD (editing), usb mouse, etc.

 

[ajcgn]

That's not the point.
Apple has always been about simplification and consolidation. They got rid of the floppy disk. They went all USB.

Once you update your peripherals it won't matter anymore. If for some reason you (and only you) need a 3.5mm jack later on, there will be an adapter available from several manufacturers if for some reason you need to leave that attacted to whatever device you're plugging in just to be able to use it. There's no point in adding bulk for everyone else just so that you can have an adapterless attachment.

It's a Pro, not an Air. I don't get how a 3.5mm jack is considered bulk. Not to mention that it would be nice if Apple gave one free adaptor whenever they "simplify" a product, given that many of us still use the old complicated stuff.

 

[Freyqq]

It's a Pro, not an Air. I don't get how a 3.5mm jack is considered bulk. Not to mention that it would be nice if Apple gave one free adaptor whenever they "simplify" a product, given that many of us still use the old complicated stuff.

Also, I haven't heard a single explanation how whatever the replacement for the 3.5mm jack is actually superior. Lightning is proprietary and only on a few iOS devices. Bluetooth quality is arguably worse that 3.5mm, and you have to worry about batteries, disconnecting, etc. Some sort of airplay wifi solution would drain battery too quickly to be useful.

 

[leman]

I see how dropping the 3.5mm makes sense on the iPhone, but on a laptop its a bit premature. Maybe in a few years, where we have a better market for wireless audio. I do hope that they will move to USB-C though.

 

[ctg7w6]

That's not the point.
Apple has always been about simplification and consolidation. They got rid of the floppy disk. They went all USB.

Once you update your peripherals it won't matter anymore. If for some reason you (and only you) need a 3.5mm jack later on, there will be an adapter available from several manufacturers if for some reason you need to leave that attacted to whatever device you're plugging in just to be able to use it. There's no point in adding bulk for everyone else just so that you can have an adapterless attachment.

Yes, they went non-floppy because there was something better. They got rid of PS/2 ports and whatever because USB was better. And there were plenty of things coming out on CD and with USB.

But unfortunately, that is not the case here. There isn't anything particularly better than 3.5 and no-one is making any peripherals that use anything else. Not very many anyway. Some use the bigger jack for better quality. A few will make lightning cables.

Nevertheless, I think this is a push for wireless headphones, which I do kind of support. Even though the quality isn't as good, I honestly can't really tell. My bluetooth wireless headphones sound great, I believe.

I think of it like this... I think they should hold out another gen or 2. Wireless is the future for the average listener, and prices are coming down quickly. They don't really have to kick people into getting wireless. Most people want wireless headphones anyway, because the average listener can't tell the difference, and wireless is more convenient. There is no real need for the typical Apple coercion.

 

[benguild]

Also, I haven't heard a single explanation how whatever the replacement for the 3.5mm jack is actually superior. Lightning is proprietary and only on a few iOS devices. Bluetooth quality is arguably worse that 3.5mm, and you have to worry about batteries, disconnecting, etc. Some sort of airplay wifi solution would drain battery too quickly to be useful.

"The Lightning terminal with iOS 9 is compatible up to 192kHz/24Bit."

If you buy new headphones and they're Lightning or USB-C, who cares about 3.5mm anymore? I primarily only use a single pair of headphones (maybe two if I have one "to go" and one at home/office for my desk) ... and it's easy enough to attach an adapter to those until I replace them eventually with something that has digital connectors.

With analog connections you're always risking noise interference. It's better to take digital as far as you can.

 

[MrAverigeUser]

"The Lightning terminal with iOS 9 is compatible up to 192kHz/24Bit."

If you buy new headphones and they're Lightning or USB-C, who cares about 3.5mm anymore? I primarily only use a single pair of headphones (maybe two if I have one "to go" and one at home/office for my desk) ... and it's easy enough to attach an adapter to those until I replace them eventually with something that has digital connectors.

With analog connections you're always risking noise interference. It's better to take digital as far as you can.

IF they go digital-out-only you will be forced to have always an external (bulky and heavy) D/A-converter with amplifier for your headphone, together with more/bigger Batteries - is this "innovative" or just their way to make more money with apple-lemmings?

I am not against an ADDITIONAL digital-out for those customers who desire that - but I am clearly against any decision of the dictator named Jonny Ive to stop the 3,5mm world-standard.

 

[PKBeam]

unlike on the iPhone the MBP is not even close to the stage where they'd start thinking about taking out the 1/8. also the 1/8's height is on par with TB, MagSafe 2, HDMI and USB-A (i.e. all other ports on the MBP). so if apple ripped out the headphone port anytime around this year to 2017, there would be a huge ****storm and those responsible would be eaten alive.

 

[AgentMcGeek]

unlike on the iPhone the MBP is not even close to the stage where they'd start thinking about taking out the 1/8. also the 1/8's height is on par with TB, MagSafe 2, HDMI and USB-A (i.e. all other ports on the MBP). so if apple ripped out the headphone port anytime around this year to 2017, there would be a huge ****storm and those responsible would be eaten alive.

I think you are highlighting something important.
Replacing the 3.5 Jack on the rMBP only makes sense if it is driven by the needs of a thinner redesigned case.
But in order to get a case this thin, they would need to get rid of TB, MagSafe 2, HDMI and USB-A and find replacements accordingly.
However, this scenario is not totally improbable. USB-C could easily replace all these ports: it can be TB-enabled, charge, transport audio and video flux... It basically renders all other ports redundant.
And I am not talking about Wireless Charging and Wireless HDMI...all coming with Skylake.
Obviously, this means a lot of current peripherals would require an adapter...But Apple is known to be a trend-changer in that respect.

 

[maflynn]

Replacing the 3.5 Jack on the rMBP only makes sense if it is driven by the needs of a thinner redesigned case.

But by the same token if Apple removes the jack in the iPhones and has a suite of products to sell that is using Apple's Lightening port products, they may remove it from the laptop to help with sell those.

 

[MrAverigeUser]

But by the same token if Apple removes the jack in the iPhones and has a suite of products to sell that is using Apple's Lightening port products, they may remove it from the laptop to help with sell those.

YES, sadly, you will be right.

It is all about money….

 

[maflynn]

It is all about money….

There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[OllyW]

There's nothing wrong with that.

Maybe not for Apple but it's a pain in the wallet for their customers.