Who is Seriously Considering Moving to a Non-Apple Phone?

[jblagden]

Specs only go so far particularly on paper. Apple has shown this year after year. They have stuck with lesser ram, lesser camera mp, dual processors, etc and still manage to hold their own in benchmarks and reviews. I wouldn't hold my breath on the performance of that phone.

The extra RAM is for convergence. When you plug that phone into a monitor, keyboard and mouse, it turns into an Ubuntu desktop. That way, you can carry your computer in your pocket and dock it when you get to your desk at work or home.
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I doubt the 3.5 mm headphone jack will be around for decades to come. It's old technology, being replaced by Bluetooth. One could argue its innovative since no one else is doing it. It has the potential to force the standard from jack to wireless and become mainstream.

Once Apple does it and becomes accepted watch other phone manufacturers follow suit.

I guess you also think Wi-Fi will completely replace Ethernet.
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Just buy an adapter. No big deal.

I really shouldn’t have to use an adapter to make up for something which was removed even though it really didn’t need to be removed. You don’t have to remove the headphone jack to be able to use Bluetooth Lightning headphones. If you want to use Bluetooth or Lighting headphones, go ahead - but don’t make the rest of us suffer.

Let me ask you a question: Who benefits by removing the headphone jack?
Hint: Who sells iPhones and expensive headphones?

 

[Crzyrio]

I guess you also think Wi-Fi will completely replace Ethernet.

Wi-Fi has completely replaced Ethernet for the average consumer.

The same way bluetooth will replace hardwired headphones for the average consumer.

 

[jblagden]

Wi-Fi has completely replaced Ethernet for the average consumer.

The same way bluetooth will replace hardwired headphones for the average consumer.

I agree 80% on the Ethernet, but only 40% on the headphones.

Just because something old doesn’t mean something new is always better.

 

[Crzyrio]

I agree 80% on the Ethernet, but only 40% on the headphones.

Just because something old doesn’t mean something new is always better.

I don't know, once Bluetooth has matured it will offer benefits to most people that will far out way the headphone jack.

 

[aPple nErd]

I wouldnt mind not having the headphone jack if there was a way to have headphones that i can plug into my pc, then right into my iphone which is obviously impossible if they use lightning, and i also cant have something else i have to charge. Keeping my phone charged is too much of a job already.

That being said, i will definitely think about buying the 7 even if it has no headphone jack, but if the hardware is similar ebough to a 6s and the exclusive features arent world changing for me, ill be going from a 6 to a 6s.

 

[Alexrat1996]

I won't switch I go wireless

 

[CEmajr]

Not switching. The alternatives are just not as well refined as the iPhone and iOS. Despite their superior specs on paper the old 6S Plus still blows away current top flagships from the competition in actual performance.

 

[caelius]

Me - I'm really tempted to buy a Nexus phone. Not because Apple wouldn't be awesome anymore (they are!), but after nine years, iOS feels just sooo boring and uninspiring. :/ Maybe I'll need a little affair with the Nexus to appreciate iOS again.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I'm sticking with iPhone.

 

[Fuchal]

I'll get over it. iPhone. Using a lightning adapter isn't enough to make me throw out my devices and apps.

Hell, we had to use an adapter on the original iPhone just to extend the 3.5mm port. I found that more outrageous than this.

 

[mattopotamus]

I would love to have a nexus phone (have owned every iteration of it), but I cannot pull away from the apple eco system. iMessage, iCloud photos, shared photo albums, FaceTime, etc. I would be asking others to make compromises or download apps so we can communicate in the same way. IMO, that is really the edge apple has over google and it makes it much easier to switch from Android to IOS.

The main reason I would like to switch is android does a much better job at putting information at your fingertips. I do not care if they "mine data", it makes things really convenient.

 

[maxsix]

I have been wireless for some time and have not used the "jack" in years now.

I've have been _100%_ wireless for years, thanks to Google Android. OTA updates, Bluetooth, wireless fast charging and more.

It's unfortunate that Apple remains addicted to wires. Apple kept us tethered to iTunes long after Android set the wireless OTA standard. Now years later Apple still FAILS to accept that wireless fast charging is the way to go.

Apple's obsession with proprietary wires and connectors designed to fatten up profits and lock in customers are the reason.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

We skip Bluetooth because it has three major failings:
1. Lower audio quality than an analog set in the same price range.
2. A huge pain if you’re going to use a set of Bluetooth headphones with say, your laptop, your iPhone, and your iPad.
3. They have to be charged. It’s difficult to determine when to charge a pair of Bluetooth headphones before they desperately need charging.

Not to mention that with Bluetooth, you have a wireless device attached to your head, irradiating your brain.

There are a few well reviewed headphones in the reasonable $50 range that have both Bluetooth and corded option. It's a good training wheels option. It will be interesting to see people go for that option and find themselves wanting to use the cord less and less.

I sympathized with the "one more thing you have to charge" issue for a minute but then realized you are most likely connecting them to something else you need to charge. Just charge them at the same time. There are many third party charger options where you can plugin 5 -10 devices at a time.

This also got me to thinking about people complaining about the Apple Watch only lasting a day. Don't people take their watch off at night anyway? What's the big deal? That you have to take 3 seconds to place it on a charger instead of just dropping it in a general area? It amazes me what people consider a major inconvenience today while completely forgetting the incredible technology we have.
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Apple's obsession with proprietary wires and connectors designed to fatten up profits and lock in customers are the reason.

Always a precious sentiment.

Yes, proprietary wires are a huge reason people are locked into Apple's ecosystem and are a big percentage of Apple's profits. There could be no other explanations.

 

[DMVillain]

I recently bought a Nexus 5p from a Groupon sale. $240 felt like a good investment to try going back to Android. I've never returned anything so quick.

 

[valinda]

frankly i haven't had to use the headphone jack on my 6 or 6s, so that's 2 years i could have done without it. They WON'T bring it back, they never brought the floppy or CD/DVD drive back did they?

That's why I keep my old iMac. I have free music on there that I cannot transfer to my 6s+. I can still burn CD's and
play music on my truck.

 

[acidburn]

I currently have an android phone and am thinking about going back to an iphone. I haven't decided if I will go for a 6s or 7(whatever it is called) and the headphone jack is a factor for me. I would like the discount on the 6s once the new one gets announced or released so we'll see what else the 7 has to offer.
I have a 2014 Moto X from AT&T that stopped getting updates 6 months after I bought it and security updates are getting rare. So I want to go back for my next phone at least and see what I have been missing.
Anyway, Apple does seem to eliminate things faster than others - like optical drives on laptops, I think they got rid of floppy drives faster than PCs did etc...
I can see benefits but from the perspective of someone who cares about SQ I don't know how I feel about it. I think hard core audiophiles would be fine in some ways - they likely have an external dac or headphone amp that they are already using. But the convenience of a headphone jack, no flaky pairing process, is something that I would miss. I have an external dac but sometimes don't want to set it up for a quick listening session and iphones have pretty decent SQ to me without it.

 

[Pipper99]

I used the Nexus 6P with the current Android OS as my daily driver for a month because I wanted to try something different. Although I enjoyed using it and playing around with the customization options, I didn't see a compelling reason for me to switch: the platforms seem closely matched, now. I missed Messages, iCloud, having open Safari tabs appear on my Mac and iPad, among other things. I do understand why many like Android, though, especially with having access to the file system. I'm too invested in the Apple ecosystem. I do like the design of the Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 7. To my eye, the 6s+ screen is more appealing than the Nexus 6P: if I turned the phone at the slightest angle, colors shifted dramatically on the 6P.

I use Bluetooth earbuds with my iPhone because I dislike the wire: I can't seem to keep from yanking the wired earbuds out of my ears. Bluetooth pairing was unreliable with Nexus 6P. I'm guessing that all of the manufacturers will move away from the headphone jack, but we'll see. Hopefully, an adapter won't be an expensive or too unpleasant workaround for the time being. I think that Apple is getting rid of the headphone jack this year because of the likely major redesign for the 2017 iPhone: this way they get the negative press regarding the headphone jack out of the way with this year's launch instead of tainting the 2017 launch.

 

[acidburn]

I used the Nexus 6P with the current Android OS as my daily driver for a month because I wanted to try something different. Although I enjoyed using it and playing around with the customization options, I didn't see a compelling reason for me to switch: the platforms seem closely matched, now. I missed Messages, iCloud, having open Safari tabs appear on my Mac and iPad, among other things. I do understand why many like Android, though, especially with having access to the file system. I'm too invested in the Apple ecosystem. I do like the design of the Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 7. To my eye, the 6s+ screen is more appealing than the Nexus 6P: if I turned the phone at the slightest angle, colors shifted dramatically on the 6P.

I use Bluetooth earbuds with my iPhone because I dislike the wire: I can't seem to keep from yanking the wired earbuds out of my ears. Bluetooth pairing was unreliable with Nexus 6P. I'm guessing that all of the manufacturers will move away from the headphone jack, but we'll see. Hopefully, an adapter won't be an expensive or too unpleasant workaround for the time being. I think that Apple is getting rid of the headphone jack this year because of the likely major redesign for the 2017 iPhone: this way they get the negative press regarding the headphone jack out of the way with this year's launch instead of tainting the 2017 launch.

Yes, bluetooth pairing on android has not been reliable for me on 2 different phones. That drives me nuts when using my car's speakers. So if Apple can implement that process well then that is one hurdle they will be clearing for me. My last iphone was the 4s and never had trouble like I have with android, I miss that a lot.

 

[wproct]

I've owned my Iphone almost 2 years and haven't used the headphone jack more than 2-3 times. We bought our Iphones kind of by a fluke, but we are sold on them now. No plans to change brands in the near future.

 

[dj1891]

Me - I'm really tempted to buy a Nexus phone. Not because Apple wouldn't be awesome anymore (they are!), but after nine years, iOS feels just sooo boring and uninspiring. :/ Maybe I'll need a little affair with the Nexus to appreciate iOS again.

I had a little affair with a 5X for a month and came back with my tail between my legs.

 

[aPple nErd]

i'm actually really surprised that most people on here never use wired headphones. Where I live, everybody uses wired ones and i dont think i've ever seen Bluetooth headphones in the wild... you guys must all live on the east and west coasts because here in illinois, nobody uses wireless.

 

[majkom]

Been playing with this idea, but imessage is a killer app for me... If only ios could be migrated to sgs edge...

 

[jblagden]

Been playing with this idea, but imessage is a killer app for me... If only ios could be migrated to sgs edge...

Skype and Telegram are good alternatives. Skype is the best because it's available on most operating systems and it's commonly used.

 

[jblagden]

I would love to have a nexus phone (have owned every iteration of it), but I cannot pull away from the apple eco system. iMessage, iCloud photos, shared photo albums, FaceTime, etc. I would be asking others to make compromises or download apps so we can communicate in the same way. IMO, that is really the edge apple has over google and it makes it much easier to switch from Android to IOS.

The main reason I would like to switch is android does a much better job at putting information at your fingertips. I do not care if they "mine data", it makes things really convenient.

FaceTime and iMessage can be substituted with Skype, which encrypts messages and calls. iCloud photos can probably be substituted with Dropbox. I suppose you could use Dropbox to substitute for shared photo albums, or you might even be able to host your own server for that. The nice thing about Skype is that it’s encrypted, available on pretty much every operating system, and it’s a very common app, especially for Windows users as well as Mac users who want to be able to video chat with Windows users or Android users.

 

[mattopotamus]

FaceTime and iMessage can be substituted with Skype, which encrypts messages and calls. iCloud photos can probably be substituted with Dropbox. I suppose you could use Dropbox to substitute for shared photo albums, or you might even be able to host your own server for that. The nice thing about Skype is that it’s encrypted, available on pretty much every operating system, and it’s a very common app, especially for Windows users as well as Mac users who want to be able to video chat with Windows users or Android users.

that was my main point, I can make the switch, but it will cause others to make compromises too. That is a loss less true for people going from Android to IOS b.c the stock apps are pretty much all cross-platform.

I use FaceTime, iMessage (and its features), and shared photo stream a few times a week with 5 or 6 people. Those 5-6 people are not going to want to use Skype, dropbox, hangouts, etc.