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They don't need to switch to anything. Right now everything works fine with a standard jack. Apple had the space to keep it and chose not to, to increase sales of peripherals while their growth is floundering meanwhile spinning it as innovation - it's simply not. (Hey I wonder if they own a headphone company? That could be profitable.) Further it alienates long time customers, and erodes their brand. Getting rid of disk drives in laptops at least had the obvious benefit from the start of creating lighter notebooks for consumers - this move has none.



The only "gross hyperbole" right now is believing in a future that does not exist while ignoring the very real problems created by this current reality. It's obviously your prerogative to do so which is fine as it is mine to spend money on something that's actually useful.

Got it. You have a different axe to grind. Enjoy debating your conspiracies.
 
I'd rather have a $300 pair of headphones that works with everything than simply Apple devices and I'd rather have a phone that doesn't need adapters everywhere I take it. It's really that simple.

Then won't it be great once they tackle wireless charging and remove the lightning port? No more adaptors!

By the way, the whole point of the adaptor system is to give options to the widest range of people. Instead of having an iPhone with ports galore, you have one port and you can buy an adaptor to suit your specific needs. Apple has said, with the iPhone, the audio jack is now a specific need. I think they went above and beyond by including the adaptor with the phone - they could have just as easily said "nope - here's your lightning headphones. Enjoy!"
 
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Wireless is the future and people should have seen this coming. The lightning port has a BIG target on it. People talk about wanting Apple to move to USB C, but once Apple has fast wireless charging figured out, the lightning port's days are numbered.

Yes, exactly. Last night, I put my Apple Watch on its charger, then fumbled with plugging in the Bluetooth earphones into their micro USB charger, and wished they also had inductive charging like the Apple Watch.

Plugging in charging cables isn't a big problem with devices as big as iPhone and up, but for smaller devices, inductive charging is so much better!

The only "gross hyperbole" right now is believing in a future that does not exist while ignoring the very real problems created by this current reality. It's obviously your prerogative to do so which is fine as it is mine to spend money on something that's actually useful.

The future does exist. I described how I'm using it now with my Bluetooth earphones. Once you try good quality wireless audio, you never want to go back. I am looking to buy Bluetooth transmitter dongles to cover things like airplanes. Newer cars already come with Bluetooth, it's a matter of time before airlines catch on and start building Bluetooth transmission into their inflight entertainment equipment.

I'm sure people were resistant to replacing their perfectly working horse and carriage with automobiles. Why bother replacing something with another thing that caused all kinds of other problems, like where to buy gasoline?
 
The future does exist. I described how I'm using it now with my Bluetooth earphones. Once you try good quality wireless audio, you never want to go back. I am looking to buy Bluetooth transmitter dongles to cover things like airplanes. Newer cars already come with Bluetooth, it's a matter of time before airlines catch on and start building Bluetooth transmission into their inflight entertainment equipment.

Right so basically your apple ecosystem - like I said it's not a universal standard and there's absolutely no reason other than increased profit to get rid of it at this point.

...they could have just as easily said "nope - here's your lightning headphones. Enjoy!"

And I will just as easily say "nope" to buying their phone. It works both ways.
 
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Right and per your own words you primarily use them with your Apple ecosystem. Again - not the real world, but enjoy the fantasy.

I've seen my friend using a Bluetooth headset with his Android phone. I believe that means I could use my Bose earphones with Android phones, if I wanted to. I haven't checked Windows tablets and hybrids, but I'd be surprised if they didn't work with Bluetooth.
 
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I've seen my friend using a Bluetooth headset...

Right another thing that needs to be charged.

You keep rebutting but never with a simple reason for why the audio jack needed to be removed from the iPhone 7 - answer - it didn't. You don't need to convince me you're for throwing out perfectly practical solutions for impractical ones. I simply am not.
 
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Right another thing that needs to be charged.

You keep rebutting but never with a simple reason for why the audio jack needed to be removed from the iPhone 7 - answer - it didn't. You don't need to convince me you're for throwing out perfectly practical solutions for impractical ones. I simply am not.

Oh, sorry. It is so obvious to me that wireless technology has a big benefit -- NO WIRES. No more cords to get tangled up in. No jumping up to prevent your cat from stealing the meat off a plate and having your phone go flying because it was attached to you with a headphone cord. Having to be connected to your device with a wire in order to listen to music is like the definition of impractical.
 
Oh, sorry. It is so obvious to me that wireless technology has a big benefit..

Yes you love blue tooth - I got that. Still not a reason to ditch an audio jack (despite your desire for a false dilemma) and yes it's impractical to have to charge them if you use headphones a lot during the day. It's pretty straight forward stuff.

Then your choice is made. Enjoy your Android Phone!

Yes if the jack doesn't reappear by next year's model that will be my upgrade option.
 
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Yes you love blue tooth - I got that. Still not a reason to ditch an audio jack (despite your desire for a false dilemma) and yes it's impractical to have to charge them if you use headphones a lot during the day. It's pretty straight forward stuff.

Yes if the jack doesn't reappear by next year's model that will be my upgrade option.

Good quality Bluetooth audio arrived about a year or two ago, but as long as devices had headphone ports, not many people were switching. Removing the port is Apple shoving the world along. Batteries on Bluetooth headphones / earphones are small and charge quite quickly. If you need to recharge during the day, there are portable batteries and charging cases. And as to your plans to switch to Android, I bet most flagship Android phones will quickly follow Apple's lead in ditching the headphone jack. There will be some phones catering to niche audiences who insist on sticking with legacy corded headphones, but most will quickly move to wireless.
 
yes, because there is no reason to remove one of the largest components in a small device that is literally crammed pack of stuff, which people constantly complain about low battery life, when there is a better, and useable choice already on the market. Tell me again how they didnt need to remove it. this is the lighting port all over. whine whine whine, and in 3 years you'll forget you ever used wires to begin with.
 
yes, because there is no reason to remove one of the largest components in a small device...

Yep. You are correct. What exists there now in the space is simply a piece of plastic, which is why you can find any number of people drilling holes in their iPhone 7's on youtube. More than a few good points have already been made by people that don't read every Apple press release uncritically:

For many, Apple’s design decision with the iPhone 7 is alarming because it effectively abandons a universal, simple, reliable and durable technology for an entirely proprietary alternative. If you’re a headphone manufacturer who wants to make Lightning-based headphones, you’ll have to pay Apple for the privilege. If you own a pair of Lightning-based headphones, the only device in the world that can make use of them is the iPhone 7, unless, of course, you want to carry around an adapter with you everywhere you go.

This marks a huge shift in how Apple expects its users to listen to audio and Apple did a horrible job of justifying the rationale behind said shift. In this respect, Apple’s removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack is not at all comparable to previous instances of Apple abandoning legacy technologies.

As Chris Taylor of Mashable astutely observed: “This is in no way the equivalent of losing the CD drive or the 30-pin connector. There is no technological excuse for this. Music does not sound better over a Lightning cable. Nor does it sound better over Bluetooth, or the proprietary wireless technology Apple is using in its AirPods. There’s simply more audio information traveling over a wire than can travel over the air. Say it with me now: wired almost always sounds better than wireless.”

Rob Pegoraro of Yahoo, meanwhile, opined that “Apple killed a technology that’s worked fine for decades and left you with solutions that are costlier or more complex and work no better at the core function of delivering sound to your ears.”
link1 link2
Further there's an obviously false premise in your post - that being - that the size of the phone is somehow fixed. By that logic the phone's camera should just have been done away with because of its awful protruding form - sorry not enough space. Oh wait they made some. :rolleyes:

Start shopping now - it's not coming back.

Thankfully Tim Cook is not a fanboy that can't distinguish a bad idea and realizes when people aren't buying the PR spin, he's first and foremost a businessman and if Apple loses money or market on its decisions so far he's shown a predilection towards correcting it: http://www.apple.com/iphone-se/

Removing the port is Apple shoving the world along...There will be some phones catering to niche audiences who insist on sticking with legacy corded headphones, but most will quickly move to wireless.

There's nothing that needed to be 'pushed along' you are simply buying into a false dilemma of blue tooth vs wired. We had both and it was perfectly pleasant to have either option - this isn't. Further your wild speculation about a wireless world of headphones is pure - baseless - fantasy. Or how did I put it?

The only "gross hyperbole" right now is believing in a future that does not exist while ignoring the very real problems created by this current reality. It's obviously your prerogative to do so which is fine as it is mine to spend money on something that's actually useful.
 
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Say it with me now: wired almost always sounds better than wireless.

Yes, that's true, for now. But wireless audio will continue to improve. And for the purposes of mobile listening, the sound quality of the best current wireless earphones are more than adequate.

Thankfully Tim Cook is not a fanboy that can't distinguish a bad idea and realizes when people aren't buying the PR spin, he's first and foremost a businessman and if Apple loses money or market on its decisions so far he's shown a predilection towards correcting it: http://www.apple.com/iphone-se/

So you think iPhone sales will go down because people miss the headphone jack? We'll see. So far it appears that there is healthy demand for iPhone 7 models, even without the headphone jack, but it'll take a bit longer to get solid sales numbers.

There's nothing that needed to be 'pushed along' you are simply buying into a false dilemma of blue tooth vs wired. We had both and it was perfectly pleasant to have either option - this isn't. Further your wild speculation about a wireless world of headphones is pure - baseless - fantasy.

My speculation about a wireless future is based on my own experiences with how pleasant it is to have a wireless headphone/earphone without being attached to my device with a cord. And I think many people need a "shove" to try something new. And I think most people, once they realize how pleasant it is not to be tied to their devices with a cord to listen to music, would never look back.

And I know there are some problems caused by removing the headphone jack, but I think the tradeoff is worth it. But time will tell which one of us is right.
 
[Wired is better than wireless] Yes, that's true, for now.

It's not just true for now - it's true indefinitely. Anything else is speculative fantasy. That's why I underlined and bolded this part of the article: There’s simply more audio information traveling over a wire than can travel over the air

I fixed the rest for you (even the grammar):

My speculation about a wireless future is based on my own [anecdotal] experiences with how pleasant it is to have an [inferior] wireless headphone/earphone without [having to] attach my device to a [superior] cord. And I [can't stand people that disagree with my preferences so I] think many people need a "shove" to try something new. And I think most people, once they realize [my preferences are superior to theirs will see] how pleasant it is not to be tied to their devices with a [superior] cord [to] listen to music, [and will] never look back.

And I know there are some problems caused by removing the headphone jack, but I think the tradeoff is worth it [because Apple tells me so even though it's completely unnecessary]. But time will tell which one of us is right.

The second article put it best:

 

Well, I remember when wireless printers were slow to print, because wireless information transfer was much slower than wired. But now, wireless printers are as fast as wired ones. I think eventually, wireless will catch up to wired for audio information, too. Sure, wired might always be faster than wireless, but the amount of information needed to transmit audio isn't infinite.

As for you ascribing motivations and rationales for my statements, well... I'll just leave it up to other readers to make up their own minds about whether you are right.
 
I think eventually, wireless will catch up to wired for audio information, too.

I thought I already said your inability to distinguish between reality and speculation was impressive - there's no need to continue repeating yourself.

As for you ascribing motivations and rationales for my statements, well... I'll just leave it up to other readers to make up their own minds about whether you are right.

Your insistent 'wireless is better' responses I'm sure already has.

BMW Owners Experiencing Bluetooth Audio Issues
 
I thought I already said your inability to distinguish between reality and speculation was impressive - there's no need to continue repeating yourself.

Well, sure, there's some speculation involved. But you've done some speculating yourself, such as suggesting Apple will reverse themselves when iPhone sales go down because of the missing headphone jack. We don't yet know for a fact that that will happen, so that's speculation on your part.
 
Let me see if I can summarize the debate, y'all...

Wireless only
PROS:
- no cord to tangle up and restrict you
- frees up a tiny bit of space in device (note: this seems to be an advantage only in small devices like phones; although in the iPhone 7 Apple doesn't seem to fully utilize this freed up space, indicating space may not have been such a major motivation for Apple)
CONS:
- battery needs to be kept charged (and any extra battery peripherals need to be carried and kept charged)
- lesser sound quality

Wired and wireless
PROS:
- gives you the option for whichever you prefer
CONS:
- doesn't push forward wireless audio technology as hard
- takes up a tiny bit more space in device (see above note)

But it's these questions that make the debate impossible to resolve at the moment:
- do most people care more about the wireless advantages or the wireless disadvantages?
- does wireless audio quality have a good chance of catching up to wired in the near future?

People and even companies think differently about the answers to these questions, but really only time can tell us.
 
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Let me see if I can summarize the debate, y'all...

Wireless only
PROS:
- no cord to tangle up and restrict you
- frees up a tiny bit of space in device (note: this seems to be an advantage only in small devices like phones; although in the iPhone 7 Apple doesn't seem to fully utilize this freed up space, indicating space may not have been such a major motivation for Apple)
CONS:
- battery needs to be kept charged (and any extra battery peripherals need to be carried and kept charged)
- lesser sound quality

Wired and wireless
PROS:
- gives you the option for whichever you prefer
CONS:
- doesn't push forward wireless audio technology as hard
- takes up a tiny bit more space in device (see above note)

But it's these questions that make the debate impossible to resolve at the moment:
- do most people care more about the wireless advantages or the wireless disadvantages?
- does wireless audio quality have a good chance of catching up to wired in the near future?

People and even companies think differently about the answers to these questions, but really only time can tell us.

You've pre-conditioned your conclusions based on your personal assessment of the size of the headphone jack.

Nevertheless, the iPhone 7 may not make full use of the space, but then again, in the space it has left, a headphone jack would not fit. Could they have engineered it differently? Probably, but likely not without making the phone larger, and basically redesigning the phone, which they did not want to do. This move also sets up the changes they intend for the next complete redesign, which may have zero additional room. Further, Apple claims the plastic part filling the "unused" space serves an important function to equalize the pressure of a more water-tight enclosure. Either way, there does not appear to physically be enough room for the jack, whether the plastic part is needed or not.

The 7 Plus is slightly different, and is bigger, so they likely could have found a way to squeeze the jack into it without changing the outer dimensions, but that would have led to more fragmentation. Apple wants a clear break with the headphone jack, and supporting it on one iPhone and not the other sends a mixed message. Likely it would have to be dropped with the next redesign anyway, so why make it an issue now?

In the end it's not about the advantages of wireless or wired, or even quality of audio, but how many people will be inconvenienced by having to deal with the lack of a standardized 3.5mm headphone jack. And so far I have not seen any data that gives a clear indication of what the majority of mobile phone customers would prefer. Without that data, all of this is subjective. In the end, all that matters is what Apple wants to accomplish, and how many of its customers the decision impacts. If 20% of Apple's customers will be inconvenienced to the point they will switch to Android, Apple has to decide if it's worth pressing its agenda. Apple removed the DVD drive, despite the fact that many of its customers still use CDs and DVDs, so as long as that number is something they can live with, it's the right decision for Apple.
 
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