R.I.P. iPhone

[aristobrat]

But when Apple gets up there and pronounces that we no longer need wired headphones and that wireless is the answer, well, I expect them to give me a better solution than "just use Bluetooth".

Why do you have that expectation?

When the nixed the floppy, there wasn't really an ubiquitous "better solution". Sure, there were CD/DVDs, but very few people had CD-writers, creating one took for-freaking-ever, and you couldn't re-use them unless you bought the more expensive CD-RWs. Way more hassle than a floppy.

When they nixed the CD/DVD drive, their solution was "we offer everything you need via a digital download", which was far from the case for some folks. So their alternative solution was "buy our external SuperDrive", which in reality seems to work about as well as your thought on how the headphone adapter will work for you, ... which is the adapter will sit around somewhere until you actually need it, and then it won't be with/near you.

IMO, when Apple gets up there and pronounces that we no longer need something, they really haven't had a good track record of immediately giving a "better solution".
[doublepost=1473444594][/doublepost]Complete sidenote, after all of the rMB threads, I never thought I'd see the day where @dogslobber and @boltjames are basically agreeing on something.

 

[deeddawg]

I'm sorry but 2 adapters or a dock is not a solution.

Then it sounds like he needs to not upgrade until the aftermarket provides an alternate solution.

Since Apple has gone in a direction that doesn't support his usage scenario he's going to either need to stick with his current phone or go elsewhere. That's called voting with your wallet.
[doublepost=1473445975][/doublepost]

IMO, when Apple gets up there and pronounces that we no longer need something, they really haven't had a good track record of immediately giving a "better solution".

They certainly do get a bit ahead of the market at times. This I believe will be another one. Many will take to the new paradigm fairly effortlessly and many won't be able to do so quite so easily. Apple was ahead of the curve on eliminating the floppy, but it is where the world has ended up. Same with optical; increasingly not included on new windows laptops.

It will be interesting to see where things stand in a year or two.

 

[pixel_junkie]

... and they include both a set of wired headphones in the box, as well as a lighting-to-1/8-audio adapter. So two options for wired right in the box.

The option for wireless is in your wallet/bank account and that's what Apple is after. "Wireless is the answer" for Apple to get more $$ out of you.

 

[boltjames]

[doublepost=1473444594][/doublepost]Complete sidenote, after all of the rMB threads, I never thought I'd see the day where @dogslobber and @boltjames are basically agreeing on something.

Yes, that is the irony.

Though I think he's trolling while I'm serious.

BJ

 

[Technarchy]

I was sorta bugged about the headphone jack situation when the rumors first appeared, but between the dongle and the absolutely ingenious Airpods it's no great loss.

 

[mtcowdog]

No headphone jack is a nuisance in the short term, but come on. It's a deal breaker. Really? I'm an old guy. And even old guy me thinks the best approach is to keep moving forward. Old 3.5mm headphone jacks are not the future. Sometimes we have to let go.

Now, here is where I am sympathetic. Charging while listening to (old school) wired headphones is not a crazy request for today. Buy a $50 dock? Uh, no. So the transition is not without pain. I feel this pain. But no pain, no gain. Right? In a few years, wireless headphones will the standard. I'm ready.

 

[deeddawg]

The option for wireless is in your wallet/bank account and that's what Apple is after. "Wireless is the answer" for Apple to get more $$ out of you.

Yes, Apple is always interested in digging deeper into your wallet.

So is most any other for-profit company out there, it's sort of the nature of the beast.

I'm not enamored of the earpods myself.

 

[pixel_junkie]

No headphone jack is a nuisance in the short term, but come on. It's a deal breaker. Really? I'm an old guy. And even old guy me thinks the best approach is to keep moving forward. Old 3.5mm headphone jacks are not the future. Sometimes we have to let go.

Now, here is where I am sympathetic. Charging while listening to (old school) wired headphones is not a crazy request for today. Buy a $50 dock? Uh, no. So the transition is not without pain. I feel this pain. But no pain, no gain. Right? In a few years, wireless headphones will the standard. I'm ready.

All sounds sweet but why not (since Apple are such pioneers) include a set of wireless headphones in the package? It is because that move isn't so much about the future of this technology but about getting you to spend even more.

 

[Lakailb87]

All sounds sweet but why not (since Apple are such pioneers) include a set of wireless headphones in the package? It is because that move isn't so much about the future of this technology but about getting you to spend even more.

Or perhaps just wireless charging, that alone could have solved some of these issues.. such innovation

 

[Kissaragi]

A dongle for a smartphone? Come on! This isn't a retina MacBook, it's a portable device that should have all required functionality built in. It's ridiculous to suggest that this removal is acceptable and disingenuous for anybody suggest the pro-headphone lobby should go elsewhere if it doesn't suit.

Step 1, Plug headphones into tiny dongle.

Step 2, use headphones as normal with a slightly longer cord now that the dongle is attached.

problems solved.

 

[boltjames]

No headphone jack is a nuisance in the short term, but come on. It's a deal breaker. Really? I'm an old guy. And even old guy me thinks the best approach is to keep moving forward. Old 3.5mm headphone jacks are not the future. Sometimes we have to let go.

The headphone jack is not a deal breaker. The fact that the iPhone 7 is boring is the deal breaker.

Apple could have done itself a major favor by doing something innovative here, and since they made the courageous decision to cut the headphone cord the obvious innovation that's missing here is a wireless audio protocol that gets customers excited. Bluetooth headphones have been in the market forever and they are a niche business, only joggers and gym rats use them. If Apple could have solved the battery issue and the sound quality issue, it would have been the killer feature of the iPhone 7 and the non-athlete would finally be compelled to cut the cord. Instead they did a lot of talk about the future and only provided us solutions from the past.

Ironic since that's what losing the 3.5mm jack is supposedly all about.

BJ

 

[Kiwikat88]

everyone has seen them, 85% of the public doesn't want them.

Just curious- You've used this statistic at least a half dozen times in this thread. Where did it come from? Does it include every headphone sold with every phone? If so, do you have a statistic just for headphones purchased separately?

 

[douglasf13]

Just curious- You've used this statistic at least a half dozen times in this thread. Where did it come from? Does it include every headphone sold with every phone? If so, do you have a statistic just for headphones purchased separately?

No wonder the companies want to sell us Bluetooth headphones...

 

[deeddawg]

Or perhaps just wireless charging, that alone could have solved some of these issues.. such innovation

THAT would have opened my wallet, but for now I've not seen anything that's drawing me away from my iphone6.

 

[douglasf13]

THAT would have opened my wallet, but for now I've not seen anything that's drawing me away from my iphone6.

Yeah, when battery life substantially improves, and/or all of my devices automatically charge every thing, things will be more compelling.

 

[mtcowdog]

All sounds sweet but why not (since Apple are such pioneers) include a set of wireless headphones in the package? It is because that move isn't so much about the future of this technology but about getting you to spend even more.

Because today's Apple is a profit whore. I don't hate them for that. They are a business duking it out in the current insane today's numbers only marketplace. I wish they had taken away and given something better. They didn't. This doesn't mean I accept their decisions. I understand their decisions. As a consumer, I always look at my options. Today's I'm Apple. I don't see better for me, this moment. Tomorrow is not guarenteed.
[doublepost=1473450020][/doublepost]

The headphone jack is not a deal breaker. The fact that the iPhone 7 is boring is the deal breaker.

Apple could have done itself a major favor by doing something innovative here, and since they made the courageous decision to cut the headphone cord the obvious innovation that's missing here is a wireless audio protocol that gets customers excited. Bluetooth headphones have been in the market forever and they are a niche business, only joggers and gym rats use them. If Apple could have solved the battery issue and the sound quality issue, it would have been the killer feature of the iPhone 7 and the non-athlete would finally be compelled to cut the cord. Instead they did a lot of talk about the future and only provided us solutions from the past.

Ironic since that's what losing the 3.5mm jack is supposedly all about.

BJ

I get boring. iPhone 7 is boring. There I said it. And I pre-ordered one. LoL. But it's pretty good given the competition. And (not but) the future for all of us is wireless. It's not here today. My cheap bluetooth headphones aren't usable for all needs. That won't change quickly. You have legitimate points. Change is never easy or an instant switch. I am not covering for Apple. I am angry with them. But I have to admit I get the point of where they look to be taking us. Some steps are easier than others.

 

[Kiwikat88]

I get boring. iPhone 7 is boring. There I said it.

I kind of feel like you're going to be let down by every smartphone going forward then. It is not an exciting technology anymore. A slightly different shape, curved OLED screen, wireless charger, and more RAM doesn't make it any more exciting either.

IMO smartphones hit the mature level about 2-3 years ago. That's when stuff stopped being "exciting" to me. I think I'm OK with it too. I don't need my phone to be exciting, I need it to be reliable and fast. Most of today's phones are doing both of those things fairly well.

 

[pixel_junkie]

Because today's Apple is a profit whore. I don't hate them for that. They are a business duking it out in the current insane today's numbers only marketplace. I wish they had taken away and given something better. They didn't. This doesn't mean I accept their decisions. I understand their decisions. As a consumer, I always look at my options. Today's I'm Apple. I don't see better for me, this moment. Tomorrow is not guarenteed.

I hear you. I understand their decisions also and part of me wants to applaud the ultra clever marketing which allows them to get away with rape. You can't call it unfair if their clients themselves are so into it. But I do think that one of these days, greed will push them over the edge.

 

[mtcowdog]

I kind of feel like you're going to be let down by every smartphone going forward then. It is not an exciting technology anymore. A slightly different shape, curved OLED screen, wireless charger, and more RAM doesn't make it any more exciting either.

IMO smartphones hit the mature level about 2-3 years ago. That's when stuff stopped being "exciting" to me. I think I'm OK with it too. I don't need my phone to be exciting, I need it to be reliable and fast. Most of today's phones are doing both of those things fairly well.

I'm with you. We are in a a mature environment for "innovation." That will change eventually. Is it Apple? Is it someone else we expect like Google? Is it someone out of the blue? For those of us detached from brands, this is really cool. I am so conflicted with Apple right now. I love what they have stood for. Their current products keep me forking over hard earned money. But they don't guarantee a single dollar from me in the future. I'm watching very closely.

 

[deeddawg]

IMO smartphones hit the mature level about 2-3 years ago.

Yep, they were leveling off even before that. 3GS to 4 and 4 to 4S were decent annual bumps. I skipped the 5 and got a 5S due to touchID. With the 6, the larger screen was enough to get me to buy. 6s was incremental and I skipped it, and though I've not seen the 7 in person I'm not currently thinking to buy one. The water resistance is a nice add on, but so far I've done just fine with a ziplock baggie and haven't lost a phone due to moisture in twenty years of cellphone ownership.
[doublepost=1473451096][/doublepost]

For those of us detached from brands, this is really cool. I am so conflicted with Apple right now. I love what they have stood for. Their current products keep me forking over hard earned money. But they don't guarantee a single dollar from me in the future. I'm watching very closely.

I agree -- while I am deep into the apple ecosystem it's all based on functionality and meeting my needs. If someone else brings up a product that does a sufficiently better job to justify a platform switch, I'll do so in a heartbeat.

 

[boltjames]

I get boring. iPhone 7 is boring. There I said it. And I pre-ordered one. LoL. But it's pretty good given the competition. And (not but) the future for all of us is wireless. It's not here today. My cheap bluetooth headphones aren't usable for all needs. That won't change quickly. You have legitimate points. Change is never easy or an instant switch. I am not covering for Apple. I am angry with them. But I have to admit I get the point of where they look to be taking us. Some steps are easier than others.

Just to clarify, I'm an early adopter, I'm one of those freaks who waited on line for the iPhone 3GS, 4, and 5 releases, I had the first VHS machine on the block as a kid, I had the first CD player in my dorm as a young adult, Walkman, Discman, GPS, HDTV, Slingbox, pick a product, I had it first in my social circle. Change is easy. I love it.

My problem with the iPhone 7 is that it's change for the sake of change, it's change to move investor needles on Wall Street, it's not change for the betterment of consumers. It used to be. It's not anymore.

Today is a monumental day for me, it's the day I stopped being an iPhone early adopter. Where I'd usually be up last night at 4AM EST hitting the 'refresh' button on my browser and in the store app simultaneously for my preorder, I had a good nights sleep, I'm not feeling any pangs of missing out at all.

And that's incredibly sad.

BJ

 

[Lakailb87]

Just to clarify, I'm an early adopter, I'm one of those freaks who waited on line for the iPhone 3GS, 4, and 5 releases, I had the first VHS machine on the block as a kid, I had the first CD player in my dorm as a young adult, Walkman, Discman, GPS, HDTV, Slingbox, pick a product, I had it first in my social circle. Change is easy. I love it.

My problem with the iPhone 7 is that it's change for the sake of change, it's change to move investor needles on Wall Street, it's not change for the betterment of consumers. It used to be. It's not anymore.

Today is a monumental day for me, it's the day I stopped being an iPhone early adopter. Where I'd usually be up last night at 4AM EST hitting the 'refresh' button on my browser and in the store app simultaneously for my preorder, I had a good nights sleep, I'm not feeling any pangs of missing out at all.

And that's incredibly sad.

BJ

Exactly how I felt last night. I was up and even went through the pre order process but I couldn't bring myself to press submit, I kept thinking about the feeling I would get throughout the week up to when it was delivered, I was feeling no joy or excitement at all like I always have. I have owned iPhones since the 3G and always upgrade on the whole number refresh. This is the first time since 2008 Apple has failed to make a phone I didn't even want to preorder when in the past I would wait in like for 5 hours at 3 AM.

 

[I7guy]

I can't preorder because I have to play with the 7 plus. Try before you buy. I was always a late adopter, but I can't wait to get my hands on the iPhone 7.

 

[imlynxy]

I'll just leave this here.

... and also it comes with explosives, but who knows how good is ip7. I liked Note7, so sad it was recalled. I was about to say good bye, bit they recalled it.
[doublepost=1473454761][/doublepost]

I mean I'd rather not have a headphone jack, than risk a smartphone exploding in my pocket.

We can say it only people start using they iphones. So far we don't know what to expect.

 

[Moccasin]

Headphone jack likely removed in this iteration to pave the way for changes necessary in the next. Apple taking the pain & low level ridicule this year so that there's no distractions from the 2017 model, which probably requires removal of the 3.5mm jack more than this version. It won't be coming back, and it may have been on the critical path to preparing for the 2017 iPhone. Next year's iPhone being more different than the 7 may have long been planned as an anniversary or may just be because the tech required wasn't ready for primetime yet. No doubt the new home button is also an early version of the rumoured future change to flush/in screen button - learning from this version can be applied next year. I'm sure that's not the only component /process in the iPhone7 that's being readied in the background for a bigger role next year.

They may even be prepared for more trouble ahead if they need to use customers to fully prototype a component/process that's critical next year and are expecting some quality issues. The company can easily weather the storm for another year yet if required.