Samsung Mocks Apple's Decision to Remove the Headphone Jack in iPhone 7

[emayteeteex]

Uhh, Samsung apparently doesn't pay attention to any other competition besides Apple.

Moto Z just beat the iPhone 7 to dropping the headphone jack
By James Peckham June 10, 2016 Mobile phones

You'll need an adaptor instead

Soooooo.....who we're they really attacking?

 

[DudeDad]

Problem is BT will not equal wired in a year, I've used BT for years, it's a convienice, wired is superior .

Same was said about wireless matching wired , no contest, wired is still far superior , and how long ago did macs transition to wireless?

Yes, wired is superior, I agree. But BT headphones have gotten better (not all, buy many). Apple ditched the mini floppy and the CD drive. We all complained, and we survived. I think it's not as big of a deal as most are making. We shall see.

 

[truthertech]

OK, next time you're flying, make the bluetooth connection to the seatback video playing device. Next time you meet the cute stranger who wants to share a video or song, ask to make the bluetooth connection to their device and see how ready they are to grant your request. Next time you are at the client's office and they want you to hear the new presentation, request a bluetooth connection to do that and watch their eyes glaze over (if they are not IT people... or even if they are in some cases). Etc.

No doubt Bluetooth works for some people. But 4-star ratings don't mean the world is embracing bluetooth over 3.5mm... it just means the people that have bought those like them. There's also plenty of great reviews for 3.5mm headphones too.

Besides, Bluetooth is not a great answer for everyone. Quality is generally sacrificed. Video latency. Another thing to try to keep charged. Sure, it delivers the benefits of wireless but those come at a cost of quality, experience and certainly relative ubiquitousness.

I'm glad you like your Bluetooth buds. But your happiness & satisfaction is not necessarily transferrable to everyone else. As is, current iDevices let you get your audio as you want it, Lightning believers get theirs as they want it and the 3.5mm crowd get theirs too. This change- whether it's made or not- apparently has no effect on you. But it does affect a LOT of other people.

You're ignoring that in June BT overtook wired headphones in revenue sales for the first time ever and now nearly one in five purchases are for wireless. New BT headphones almost daily. BT 5 will blow folks away. Within two years wireless will likely be dominant mode. All of your "doomsday scenarios" have been thought of and are solved/solvable. Capitalism works!

The future is here.

 

[x0vash0x]

I'm a student. I use headphones constantly throughout the day when not in class. What am I doing in the library? I'm listening to lectures/music. What am I doing on my way home? I'm listening to podcasts. What am I doing when I'm cooking dinner? I'm listening to music/lecture.

Pretty much all the time.
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No. That is why we have media distributed over the internet. Blueray was never going to be a thing.

I'm honestly wondering how many hours of continuous playback that really is. I would be surprised if it's more than 4-6 hours. Even in that case, you would need to charge them once a day. It's not different than how often you would charge your phone.

 

[leroypants]

Uh....
https://www.amazon.com/AYL-Bluetoot...70227291&sr=8-1&keywords=bluetooth+headphones

Less than $30 and thousands of people have bought them and think they're good enough. Which proves my point: the average person is not going to care at all about this. Also, where the Hell are you getting 'easily $100' for bluetooth headphones? Have you looked at Amazon.com at all? There are tons of ~$30 bluetooth headphones with 4-5 star ratings by hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

This isn't saying they are better quality. I'm only saying that, clearly, people are speaking with their wallet and clearly many, many, people think cheap bluetooth earbuds are good enough, which is my point entirely.

Wow a few thousand people might use crap wireless headphones and ear pieces that won't last for music, and either ignore the delay when watching video or don't care. Did you also ignore the 23% three star or less reviews including over 400 1 star reviews that say those earbuds are essentially garbage.

A few thousand people does not outweighs the hundreds of millions of people who use and are satisfied with wired headphones. Their is zero benefit to removing a headphone jack to the customer.
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You're ignoring that in June BT overtook wired headphones in revenue sales for the first time ever and now nearly one in five purchases are for wireless. New BT headphones almost daily. BT 5 will blow folks away. Within two years wireless will likely be dominant mode. All of your "doomsday scenarios" have been thought of and are solved/solvable. Capitalism works!

The future is here.

Total units sold which is higher BT headphones or wired headphones.....

 

[jamezr]

Why don't you just buy bluetooth headphones? Your son an audiophile?

That isn't the point though. I can buy things to replace what they removed. But why should I have too? I mean what are they going to add to replace the headphone jack? What new or better technology did they add to replace the functionality?
To be frank.....they did nothing but remove functionality to make the phone thinner and make more money from new lightning accessories.

 

[shk718]

Like I said before, how much do you really use your headphones in a day? Because, frankly, the average person doesn't listen to more than an hour or two music a day, which means they have to charge their headphones maybe once week, twice if they're heavy users. That's probably less than you charge your phone.

The only issue you could have is on a long flight, which is the only argument I'm sympathetic too. Seriously, how many hours of continuous audio playback is enough for people to think bluetooth headphones are 'long lasting'

on a long flight you'd have two options - the beats headphones can also use a chord and my guess is the new ones will be able to be charged by the phone when they're plugged into it's lightning port. I just bought a pair and i'm loving the wireless aspect of them. I'm getting about 3 days of use on one charge.

 

[truthertech]

Like I said before, how much do you really use your headphones in a day? Because, frankly, the average person doesn't listen to more than an hour or two music a day, which means they have to charge their headphones maybe once week, twice if they're heavy users. That's probably less than you charge your phone.

The only issue you could have is on a long flight, which is the only argument I'm sympathetic too. Seriously, how many hours of continuous audio playback is enough for people to think bluetooth headphones are 'long lasting'

Easily solved. Apple has many options, e.g., lightening equipped headphones, adapters for existing ones, more efficient wireless, fast charging of wireless ones, etc.

 

[Branskins]

While it is was obvious to any objective person that Samsung copied the iPhone, it is now obvious it has surpassed it in hardware features. If the roles were reversed we would be lauding Apple on how far ahead they are in the phone market. It takes more than just hardware to make a smartphone, but Samsung has shown incredible leaps in arguably useful features.

I can give Apple a break for couple of years, they are building an enormous new campus and are probably spending a tremendous about of time on picking the paint colors for their new offices... white or arctic white. Perhaps the same reason they can't seem to update their Mac line. Colors are hard.

Apple fanboi since 1983.

Honest question: what innovative features has Samsung introduced in their phones that changed the landscape?

It is not innovative to just throw stuff at a product that sounds "exciting" and then never really take advantage of it.

Innovation doesn't almost mean "first".

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I don't understand why someone wouldn't let you connect their bluetooth headset to their phone. Is it really that complicated or personal? I could grant you the issue about flying, but how many flights are people taking during the year? A handful at most. It's a minor inconvenience, and why would you use the in-flight entertainment if you have an iPhone/iPad/Computer? I'll grant you the thing about the clients office, but that's a unique use case that most people never encounter.

Who made you the all-encompassing judge of what is "minor." Some people basically fly every week, even several times a week.

And what do they want to watch not on their iDevice? Recently for me, it was most of the NBA playoff games LIVE. I got to watch many good games because I could unplug my headphones from my iDevice and jack right into the seatback video device (because they have 3.5mm but they don't- and probably won't ever have- Lightning. Nor was there any option to connect via Bluetooth).

Why wouldn't someone let you connect to their device via Bluetooth? Maybe they don't know how? Maybe they worry about security (and don't grasp the limited security risks)? Maybe they don't want to hand their device to a stranger to make the connection? Etc.

Obviously, I do travel a lot and most of that is for business. Most of that inevitably involves being able to jack into client hardware. In short, I offer counterpoint to your arguments from DIRECT EXPERIENCE. Am I "minor inconvenienced" or a "unique case". No and no. Am I representative of EVERYONE such that Apple should cater to me. NO. But, "as is" you can completely get your view of how this should be covered and I can too. Soon, your experience will remain the same but mine will be meaningfully affected. For what exactly? What do you or I get out of this change? For you, it's no change at all. For me, it's carrying along 1-2 dongles to cover all bases or carrying along 2 sets of headphones: one to work with "everything else" and one for just Apple iDevices.

 

[leroypants]

I don't get the benefits of removing the headphone jack (if true, and highly likely).
Samsung and Sony's proven you can do waterproofing with the port uncovered, and there are some thin devices that still use them. Also, I can use Bluetooth if I want, or resort to reliable passive earphones. Lastly, there's issues with charging (unless iPhone 7 comes with wireless charging, but again - rumor for now).

Other than more profit for Apple their is not a single benefit for removing the head phone jack.

 

[DJ Dilbert]

You know what this reminds me of? "Oh and you know what our laptops have? A disc drive! lololol" And now everyone else is following up with no optical drives because it's old technology.

 

[truthertech]

Wow a few thousand people might use crap wireless headphones and ear pieces that won't last for music, and either ignore the delay when watching video or don't care. Did you also ignore the 23% three star or less reviews including over 400 1 star reviews that say those earbuds are essentially garbage.

A few thousand people does not outweighs the hundreds of millions of people who use and are satisfied with wired headphones. Their is zero benefit to removing a headphone jack to the customer.
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Total units sold which is higher BT headphones or wired headphones.....

Gotta get with the trend. From nothing to already one in five. That's why manufacturers, whose survival is dependent on meeting consumer wants, are rushing out so many new ones

 

[chrisadams]

It's going to be awkward like when Samsung mocked Apple a few years ago for not having removable batteries and changed their design so when they eventually move to one USB-C port, which is where the market is moving, they will try to forget this.

 

[DevNull0]

Yes, wired is superior, I agree. But BT headphones have gotten better (not all, buy many). Apple ditched the mini floppy and the CD drive. We all complained, and we survived. I think it's not as big of a deal as most are making. We shall see.

The thing is, the macs were used by computer people to get things done. The iPhones are very much a mass-market fashion item. If it doesn't fit people's lifestyle, they're going to ditch it rather than try to adapt.

Last weekend, I went on a fairly long road trip with a bunch of friends. Everyone wanted their turn to play music, and we used a cable plugged into the Aux port. Each person would take the cable, plug it into their phone, play a few songs and pass it to the next person. If anyone's phone had not had a 3.5mm output, they would have been left out and we absolutely would have made fun of them for the whole trip. There is no way to get that functionality out of bluetooth, it would be a pita to keep repairing the car even if the car had bluetooth, which it didn't. And people aren't all going to replace their cars to get carplay next year either.

You may be thinking the person without the headphone jack could have used an adapter, but that assumes he would have remembered to bring it with since it wasn't planned that way, it just sort of happened. If he was just carrying BT or lightening headphones, he would have still been out of luck. And even if he had it, we still would have ridiculed him for a phone that needs an adapter. With fashion being a huge part of iPhone sales, who's going to buy a phone that makes them the odd one out in a group?

 

[Xnykr35]

So really let's look at this, removing the headphone jack is probably fine and will lead to a better audio experience anyway to due the limitations of the jack. I use Bluetooth headsets anyway except for confrence calls because I don't want to risk the drop. I suspect lightening head sets will far outperform current offerings.

I think the 7 will be a steppingstone upgrade. The engineers will play with a few features that are really going to pop on the iPhone 8.

The reality is we buy apple for the ecosystem. Sure, expandable memory seems like a nice touch. I think we all know the 7 will have better water resistance. The ecosystem is what brought me to apple from Windows years ago and it will probably be why I stay for many more. Samsung is a good product but the fragmentation kills the ecosystem.

 

[x0vash0x]

Who made you the all-encompassing judge of what is "minor." Some people basically fly every week, even several times a week. And what do they want to watch not on their iDevice. Recently for me, it was most of the NBA playoff games LIVE. I got to watch many good games because I could unplug my headphones from my iDevice and jack right into the seatback video device (because they have 3.5mm but they don't- and probably won't ever have- Lightning. Nor was there any option to connect via Bluetooth).

Because, the average iPhone user doesn't fly. Look. Apple doesn't care about tail-end users. It's a mass-market company now. It doesn't care about special use-case. It doesn't care about placating all possible consumer desires. It cares about mass-marketing a product. Apple doesn't care about inconveniencing a minority of users who fly a lot. Either they find a way to deal with the in convince, or they don't buy an iPhone. It doesn't matter to Apple. So, either you'll learn to deal, or you won't buy an iPhone. Apple doesn't care about your feelings, it cares about making money. iPhone users are the most loyal users in the industry, Apple can pretty much bully its consumers, and they'll still come back. People switching away from iPhone is such a minority that it's irrelevant to Apple. So, chances are, you'll complain, but you'll still buy an iPhone.

Why wouldn't someone let you connect to their device via Bluetooth? Maybe they don't know how? Maybe they worry about security (and don't grasp the limited security risks)? Maybe they don't want to hand their device to a stranger to make the connection? Etc.

Okay? So, you don't listen to the song then? I don't get the issue. Plus, if the issue is 'talking to a cute girl' then its something you can talk about. Really don't see the issue with this

Obviously, I do travel a lot and most of that is for business. Most of that inevitably involves being able to jack into client hardware. In short, I offer counterpoint to your arguments from DIRECT EXPERIENCE. Am I "minor inconvenienced" or a "unique case". No and no. Am I representative of EVERYONE such that Apple should cater to me. NO. But, "as is" you can completely get your view of how this should be covered and I can too. Soon, you're experience will remain the same but mine will be meaningfully affected. For what exactly? What do you or I get out of this change? For you, it's no change at all. For me, it's carrying along 1-2 dongles to cover all bases or carrying along 2 sets of headphones to work with "everything else" but just Apple iDevices.

Like I said before, Apple doesn't care. But an iPhone or don't buy one. Chances are, if you have an iPhone, you'll buy one regardless of what Apple does. No matter how much you complain, and moan, chances are, you won't switch. Apple knows this, which is why it can be consumer-hostile and the saying goes.

 

[admob71]

Agreed because you know the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 will not have an audio jack.

You were in the production planning meeting then? Anything else you would like to share with the group.

 

[lowendlinux]

And after all this by the morning of September 16th the best smartphone on the market will be released and literally like always will outpace EVERYTHING on the market until next September again. This is not being partial by any means I just feel it's been that way for the last decade what makes ANYONE think 2016 will be different?

So the Nexus will be announced September 16th?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

You're ignoring that in June BT overtook wired headphones in revenue sales for the first time ever and now nearly one in five purchases are for wireless. New BT headphones almost daily. BT 5 will blow folks away. Within two years wireless will likely be dominant mode. All of your "doomsday scenarios" have been thought of and are solved/solvable. Capitalism works!

The future is here.

Yes, that spin is spin. I do buy Bluetooth too (so I've contributed to those revenues). They seem to last about 2 years for me. I've bought 1 set of wired headphones in the last 10 years. Still going strong and sound great. My parents have a set of wired headphones they purchased in the 1970s still working just fine too.

And just about everyone selling audio-playback mobile devices GIVE away wired headphones or buds with their devices, while Bluetooth generally must be purchased separately.

For all those reasons, it's little surprise to me that revenues could get above revenues for wired.

I said nothing about "doomsday" but I would certainly argue that all issues with Bluetooth have not be solved. Are they ever solvable? Sure but why not solve them first and THEN shift to this superior "the future" you describe? Killing 3.5mm is no obstacle to improving Bluetooth quality, getting rid of the video latency issues, etc. And anyone who believes Lightning is far superior can already embrace Lightning headphones (for more than a year now).

 

[milo]

Mocking the removal of the headphone jack? Get in line.

 

[admob71]

It's going to be awkward like when Samsung mocked Apple a few years ago for not having removable batteries and changed their design so when they eventually move to one USB-C port, which is where the market is moving, they will try to forget this.

You mean like jobs mocking making a mini tablet. Cutting fingers off wasn't it he said... what's your thoughts on that?
[doublepost=1470233117][/doublepost]

It's going to be awkward like when Samsung mocked Apple a few years ago for not having removable batteries and changed their design so when they eventually move to one USB-C port, which is where the market is moving, they will try to forget this.

You mean like jobs mocking making a mini tablet. Cutting fingers off wasn't it he said... what's your thoughts on that?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Because, the average iPhone user doesn't fly. Look. Apple doesn't care about tail-end users. It's a mass-market company now. It doesn't care about special use-case. It doesn't care about placating all possible consumer desires. It cares about mass-marketing a product. Apple doesn't care about inconveniencing a minority of users who fly a lot. Either they find a way to deal with the in convince, or they don't buy an iPhone. It doesn't matter to Apple. So, either you'll learn to deal, or you won't buy an iPhone. Apple doesn't care about your feelings, it cares about making money. iPhone users are the most loyal users in the industry, Apple can pretty much bully its consumers, and they'll still come back. People switching away from iPhone is such a minority that it's irrelevant to Apple. So, chances are, you'll complain, but you'll still buy an iPhone.

That's the answer! Comply with whatever Apple wants to serve because Apple is always right. Resistance is futile.

Again, the Apple mantra used to be "think different." Now apparently one can only "think different" when it aligns with whatever Apple wants to serve. "Think different... by thinking like us."

Was Apple supposed to represent the woman in the 1984 Mac commercial? Or is Apple supposed to be the guys on the screen... with us consumers the lemmings in the audience... and the woman a rebellious element to be crushed for not wanting to just go with the flow? (rhetorical)

 

[leroypants]

The person who spent money on high end wired headphones will simply add an adapter to the end of the wire and forget it. "99% "of folks use one set of headphones; thus not the life altering experience some are suggesting. Moreover, those who purchase high end wired headphones are exactly the people who will most appreciate the improvement in sound that the new phone is providing, better speakers, improved wireless, two way DAC, etc.

The gullibility of Apple cultists and drones is pathetic if they actually believe that compressed streaming audio is going to sound magically better through lightning connector headphone.

 

[Abazigal]

Last weekend, I went on a fairly long road trip with a bunch of friends. Everyone wanted their turn to play music, and we used a cable plugged into the Aux port. Each person would take the cable, plug it into their phone, play a few songs and pass it to the next person. If anyone's phone had not had a 3.5mm output, they would have been left out and we absolutely would have made fun of them for the whole trip. There is no way to get that functionality out of bluetooth, it would be a pita to keep repairing the car even if the car had bluetooth, which it didn't. And people aren't all going to replace their cars to get carplay next year either.

Have the iPhone user bring his own portable bluetooth speaker along. The rest can use use the audio jack all they want. Play your own music through your own speaker when it's your turn, bearing in mind never to be a jerk about it.

You may be thinking the person without the headphone jack could have used an adapter, but that assumes he would have remembered to bring it with since it wasn't planned that way, it just sort of happened. If he was just carrying BT or lightening headphones, he would have still been out of luck. And even if he had it, we still would have ridiculed him for a phone that needs an adapter. With fashion being a huge part of iPhone sales, who's going to buy a phone that makes them the odd one out in a group?

Change has got to start somewhere.

I remember the uphill task of trying to convert my friends and colleagues to Telegram. Despite its obvious technological superiority to WhatsApp (most notably there being proper desktop and tablet apps), many people were content using whatsapp because that's what they were accustomed to and where most of their friends and family were.

Switching to telegram also meant leaving years of whatsapp chat history behind, but fast forward to today, and I have more than rebuilt that chat history with a small but dedicated group of telegram users.

Ushering in a new world order can seem lonely at times when you go at it alone, and the rest of the world seems pitted against you, and there is often a huge switching cost as you have to rebuild your ecosystem from scratch, but someone has to take the first step. Maybe it will work out, maybe it won't. I am willing to give Apple that benefit of the doubt.

To your question, what I would do is to ensure that I am self-sufficient by having my own adaptors on me at all times so I am never caught unawares or become a burden in any situation, but at the same time, be ready to showcase the benefits and advantages of the path you have taken and the choices that you have made. I am not sure what alternatives could have been had in such a scenario. The onus will be on the iPhone user to hold his head up high, show that the headphone jack is somehow redundant, or that a better alternative exists, and be ready to stand by his choices and decisions.
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The gullibility of Apple cultists and drones is pathetic if they actually believe that compressed streaming audio is going to sound magically better through lightning connector headphone.

Maybe the point is that with compressed streaming audio, the quality is pretty much the same whether you use high-end, thousand-dollar wired headphones or a decent pair of bluetooth headphones. So you aren't giving up much in terms of listening experience by going wireless.