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Removal of iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Was Essential for Water Resistance, New Camera System
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The new AirPods might not be pretty, but given their minimalism, they are IMO a lot nicer and more discreet than wired earphones, let alone clunky, gaudy, tacky headphones. But we all have different tastes.
Very much in favour of removing the headphone jack. Cutting cables has long been in Apple's vernacular, and I loathe the look and inconvenience of having a wire dangling round my body and snagging as I work.
And Apple isn't the first manufacturer to remove the jack. And it won't be the last.
I am old enough to remember when digital cameras first came out and countless people said they'd never buy a digital camera and that digital cameras would never replace film. Not only has digital replaced film, but the digital standalone camera itself has now largely been replaced by cameras in phones.
Some people baulk at change. That's their problem. Not technology's. Some people just don't want to move with change, and they have every right to hold on to what they want and to watch as the world moves on.
What's really sad, IMO, is that in 2016, people are still playing ancient arcade games such as Super Mario and Pokemon. Those two should retire.
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Very much in favour of removing the headphone jack. Cutting cables has long been in Apple's vernacular, and I loathe the look and inconvenience of having a wire dangling round my body and snagging as I work.
And Apple isn't the first manufacturer to remove the jack. And it won't be the last.
I am old enough to remember when digital cameras first came out and countless people said they'd never buy a digital camera and that digital cameras would never replace film. Not only has digital replaced film, but the digital standalone camera itself has now largely been replaced by cameras in phones.
Some people baulk at change. That's their problem. Not technology's. Some people just don't want to move with change, and they have every right to hold on to what they want and to watch as the world moves on.
What's really sad, IMO, is that in 2016, people are still playing ancient arcade games such as Super Mario and Pokemon. Those two should retire.
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Because adaptors are unnecessary and they are ugly hack job pieces of design. The iPhone 7 aka iPhone 6 series 3 is such a closed piece of device.
We will just have to use the adapter for now and the "Y" adapter when released and wait maybe 24+ months until the tech improves.
Its not a big deal we will
move on.....but it will take time the transition.
But your Denon AHD-2000, Denon AH-MM400 and Sennheiser HD-25-II will still be in use in 10 years time.
The standard bluetooth audio protocol is a piece of garbage in every single way. It's just bad.
Visually impaired people still rely on wired headphones, why do you think ATMs have headphone jacks. Or what about people that own multiple electronic things with audio out like say a computer and a phone? Enjoy that delay when hopping between devices assuming they're even compatible with one another which the EarPods don't seem to be.
Of course theres also the whole e-waste thing.
adapters are a pain I had the one when moving to lightning kept misplacing it but it worked and got me through - still
have it - still use it on occasions.
One thing was the price £25.00!! the "Y" adapter better not be that.
Cheers
People baulk at stupid decisions not change. People didn't want to buy an original 1MP camera because the quality was terribly poor. People are playing those old games today because many new games released today are pure casino style games that focus on extracting cash from players instead of giving a truly genuine focus on a fun gameplay experience.
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Exactly.
I would have thought visually impaired folk would benefit wireless more. My
eyesight isn't the best and I stuggle getting the 3.5mm plug in.
Never knew ATMs have 3.5mm
not in the UK unless I have missed that.
The compatable issue will be sorted in time.
The waste is bad. Maybe apple will contribute to a recycling scheme.
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I believe you and most everyone here were not listening/watching the keynote.
In regular Apple-fashion, they didn't elaborate but based on rumors and the short design video/explanation given - the AirPods and new Beats lineup do NOT rely on Bluetooth 4.2. Rather Apple has designed its own "Bluetooth" chip and used that instead. Things like a "one touch setup", the lack of pairing and repairing, "more consistent connection", etc were all mentioned in relation to the AirPods.
There were various rumors pre-keynote as well that Apple had been developing a wireless chip like this for some time to replace existing Bluetooth technology.
Comparing the AirPods and new Beats lineup to any existing Bluetooth headphones wouldn't be accurate because the technology is clearly not the same.
I'm immensely excited to hear these new headphones for myself and to see Apple's incredible prowess designing chips expand into various different territories improving many functions of our devices.
Yep, I think the main disadvantages will be buying and fiddling with those pesky adapters, until wireless audio will mature (I'm guessing three to five years, tops).
Quoting SixColor's Jason Snell:
(I joked on Twitter last week that it’ll cost $19 if Apple’s sort of sorry, $29 if it’s not sorry, and if it’s free in the box then Apple’s really afraid of consumer backlash.)
I predict the adapter will be free in next year's iphone too.
The one thing that could have eased even more the transition would have been if the AirPods were free or cheaper but that would mean less profit for Apple, I guess.
Folks like you and many of the posters here will never be satisfied. It's a shame....too blinded by wanting to complain to really see that we are moving forward.
Careful, you might get clipped as we rush by you into the future.
With no 3.5 jack connection how am I going to charge my phone overnight (so that it is fresh in the morning) and listen to podcasts at night as I go to sleep? This is a monumental fail for me, my business and my pocketbook. I have been a solid apple user for over a decade and am now looking into how to migrate to another platform just so I don't have to deal with bs like this any longer. I strongly suspect that there are more than a few others out there that feel like this decision is going to make owning an Apple iPhone more expensive and more difficult to use effectively.
For the first time I can't imagine wanting this newest iteration of a phone I have used successfully for years. I am annoyed that I have this much invested in the Apple platform and feel betrayed At least this 6s will be last long enough for me to find an exit strategy that won't kill my pocketbook What part of having to worry if another piece of kit is sufficiently charged before it can be used is a good thing? If the failure mode to not having wireless earphones charged is to pull the backup wired earphones and dongle out then why have the bluetooth earphones in the first place?
Rant over, as well as my loyal business
For the first time I can't imagine wanting this newest iteration of a phone I have used successfully for years. I am annoyed that I have this much invested in the Apple platform and feel betrayed At least this 6s will be last long enough for me to find an exit strategy that won't kill my pocketbook What part of having to worry if another piece of kit is sufficiently charged before it can be used is a good thing? If the failure mode to not having wireless earphones charged is to pull the backup wired earphones and dongle out then why have the bluetooth earphones in the first place?
Rant over, as well as my loyal business
Oh. A device that does far less and has less technology? Cool. That really proves...some point I guess
Don't let the bullet train to the future hit you as we whoosh by.....
I guess now I understand why folks buy crap like Samsung. Because they don't understand what actually goes into these products and are too blinded by tiny little changes to notice huge user experience upgrades they'll regret not having when they leave.
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Ha agreed - similar to the point that if Samsung could figure out water resistance with a headphone jack, then Apple could too.
Never mind that the goal isn't to go backward to some laggy, buggy piece of crap. If Apple wanted to be more like Samsung they'd sell a piece of dynamite in a box.
Buzzfeed's article mentions "Bluetooth chip with secret sauce", the AirPods are compatible with Bluetooth devices but seem to "perform" better when paired with the iphone 7 that's what I've gathered:
“We use a Bluetooth connection, but cover it in a lot of secret sauce.”
(Sidenote: AirPods will work with non-Apple devices. No secret sauce, though.)
Secret sauce could indeed solve many Bluetooth issues and I have no doubt that by W3 (first releases tend to be a little flaky) the devices will be miles better and more convenient than wired 'phones.
"exploding Apple iPhone" - 24,600 results
"exploding Samsung Galaxy" - 43,000 results (and rising!)
Yes I was hoping the AirBud would be free esp. with no "Y" adapter.
The cost of the Airbuds is outrageous - I wouldn't pay a penny over £49.99 but they should be free as no "Y" adapter in box.
Bluetooth headphones and speakers are laggy too, by definition. They tend to flake out also, moreso than equally priced wired devices...Just sayin
At this point in time, the term Bluetooth is ubiquitous for any wireless peripheral connection to a device.
Again, there's definitely some Apple-shroud here. But reading some of the pre-keynote reports this is an entirely new chip that's been in R&D for at least 5 years.
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Pay attention - AirPods and Beats with the W1 are NOT comparable to current Bluetooth headphones.
Until we have a tear down and first hand reviews, it would appear this is a new wireless technology similar and compatible with Bluetooth.
Or perhaps think of it as a new standard ala 802.11ac - when an AC-enabled router is paired with another AC-enabled device, new features are available such as beam forming. Of course you wouldn't say an AC-router/device is laggy like an N-router because it's not. I believe the same applies here.
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Develop a brand new technology over the course of 5 years superior to any competitive technology - give it away because a poster doesn't want to pay for it.
You folks make me laugh
