Would no headphone jack force you to move away from the iphone?

[mwd25]

Im surprised at the comments but not surprised at the poll. Most people dont really care. I see a lot of people saying things like...."Eww, I dont want to HAVE to buy bluetooth" or "God, this sucks, if you dont charge your Bluetooth your screwed"

You WILL NOT have to use bluetooth, just because their wont be a 3.5 audio jack doesnt mean you will not be able to connect wired headphones. Speaking to that option, we are getting the people saying, "Eww, I dont want to use a big, clunky,massive adapter" Im not sure where any of that is coming from. Have these people already seen the renderings of the needed lightning adapter for the phone that hasnt even been confirmed will drop the audio jack???? Not sure how they've done that.

Lets not forget, it wasnt too long ago that people were complaining about 3.5 audio jacks. Most people had headphones that didnt have mic's. There was a time that every over the ear headphone used a 6.35 mm headphone jack. Try finding a pair that uses that jack today, it wont be easy. Apple started using the 3.5 and all of a sudden every pair of headphones was sold with a set of adapters. And what do we mean by adapter? Its essentially the same size as the plug you have now.....you just plug your current plug into new adapter....done. It isnt this huge clunky thing. It makes the plug of your headphones slightly longer.

Not long after adapters were included with all headphones, they just switched to 3.5. Thats where we are now, almost every manufacturer makes their headphones with the 3.5 connector. Where as prior to 2008, no one did.
If listening to music through a pair of BT headphones or lightning port connected headphones, degrades the experience so much that you cant stand it, if you are that much of an audiophile, then you probably shouldnt be listening to music on a smartphone. Remember these......

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This is actually what I'm the most interested in .... knowing which BT stereo headphones out there have the best sound quality (and which of those don't cost a small fortune!).

I find most of the reviews out there have to be taken with several BIG grains of salt, because audio is such a subjective thing. What one person says sounds "Amazing!" may be a disappointment to the next person. (And honestly, I think this is mostly because the average person has only experienced poor to so-so audio from most consumer products, so they don't have very high expectations.)

I'm not one of these audiophiles who will spend thousands on exotic equipment, but I do expect more out of a pair of earbuds than I'd say 90% of them off the store shelf deliver. For example? I'm currently using an LG HBS-900 bluetooth headset with the Harmon Kardon audio. (I got this as an Xmas gift from my wife, who already used a pair and thought they were great.) Personally, I find they lack bass (even though you can configure several different sound profiles on them, and I'm using the one with the most bass), and they really reproduce certain types of music FAR better than others. In fact, I can't remember a pair of speakers or headphones I've ever owned where it differs this drastically? (They really sound quite good when you listen to music like Dave Matthews or vocal-heavy music from a female singer like Adele. If you listen to something like heavy metal or hard rock though, they tend to sound a little shallow or tinny.)

I have a $39 pair of Sennheiser wired earbuds that have far better bass response, while performing well over a much broader selection of music genres.

So that's what I'm wondering .... Can I buy a pair of stereo BT earbuds that sounds as good as or better than what Sennheiser does with wired earbuds in the $40-60 price range? And if so, what do I have to pay to get them?

My answer would be yes. I have these http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-B...qid=1458229070&sr=8-3&keywords=back+beat+go+2
I have used V-Moda Vibe Duo, which sounded great but as many people who have owned them will say, the wiring in one side or the other fails like clockwork. Bose in ear headphones, love them. Beats by Dr Dre Tour, ok sounding, they still work at least.
I would definitely give Plantronics a try. I got mine at Frys Electronics. Some BT headphones have issues with not holding connection. Havent had any issues with these. I had a pair of Motorola BT and I had to keep my phone in my hand or a chest pocket ( if I was wearing a shirt that had one) otherwise I would get connection popping in and out. Totally annoying when your rocking out to a song and it cuts out!!!! I can put my phone in a back pocket or a waist pack, or in a ankle holster and it keeps solid connection. Sound quality is a couple steps above ear pods or a step equal to Beats I would say. Only issue is they dont get super loud. I can max out volume on phone, but that might just be me.

 

[dontwalkhand]

I don't see how it ever would now.

Square Reader now uses Bluetooth and most cards are chipped cards. If the credit card still doesn't have a chip I'd just manually enter it.

My car has Bluetooth which solves the car problem. You also could use USB to lightning to play in the car if you want a wired connection. If your car does not, consider adding this ability. Even a 1962 Benz can have Bluetooth with the right equipment.

At home you can use, the I'm sure Apple will either sell or provide an adapter.

People are making a bigger fuss over this than they need to!

 

[RadioGaGa1984]

I've had the 6S for a while now and I've yet to plug in a pair of headphones. Probably used a couple of times with my 6 So no. That won't stop me buying a 7 if in fact the rumors are true.

 

[joeblow7777]

Yes, they'll be cheap but you'll still have options of using adapters.
But why the flat refusal to switch to modern tech? Still using 5.25" floppy discs?

Because people (myself included, I admit) are having difficulty seeing how this new tech is an improvement. Technology doesn't change just because it's been around a long time, it changes because someone comes up with something, better, or faster, or more convenient.

No one is still using floppy disks because newer forms of portable storage offered clear advantages. It'll be on Apple to prove that lightning or Bluetooth earphones offer advantages that are worth the initial inconvenience of the transition, and they probably will because that's what they do, but just saying "the old tech is old so it's time to change" isn't good enough. You don't put square wheels on a car just because round ones have been around too long so something new must be an improvement.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I wonder if Gibson will release a lightning cable for my Les Paul Standard?

 

[Kiddiqp]

Im surprised at the comments but not surprised at the poll. Most people dont really care. I see a lot of people saying things like...."Eww, I dont want to HAVE to buy bluetooth" or "God, this sucks, if you dont charge your Bluetooth your screwed"

Lets not forget, it wasnt too long ago that people were complaining about 3.5 audio jacks. Most people had headphones that didnt have mic's. There was a time that every over the ear headphone used a 6.35 mm headphone jack. Try finding a pair that uses that jack today, it wont be easy. Apple started using the 3.5 and all of a sudden every pair of headphones was sold with a set of adapters. And what do we mean by adapter? Its essentially the same size as the plug you have now.....you just plug your current plug into new adapter....done. It isnt this huge clunky thing. It makes the plug of your headphones slightly longer.

Now, I don't know where you were shopping for headphones in the 90's or 00's, but the headphones I was buying at the time came had a 3.5mm plug by default; admitedly with a 3.5->6.35mm adapter, but the default endpoint would be a 3.5mm jack with a 6.35mm adapter.

 

[lagwagon]

The thing is, the rest of the industry has remained stagnant with regards to changing the headphone connector and it takes one company willing to buck the trend and have enough volume to force a shift to something new. And an open standard usually starts out as a proprietary piece, so it's not like Apple can go around and get consensus from every phone, stereo, headphone manufacturer. They're likely working with key companies who will likely see any change as positive as it gives them something new to sell.

Sure, people who are heavily invested in the current or old tech will always complain about change, but it's going to happen. You can not like it, sign some worthless petition hoping to stop forward progress, but just be prepared to spend more money or live with what you have for as long as you can, cause things will keep changing.

I agree and a lot of people tend to forget the part I bolded in your quote.

Blu-Ray (and soon to be UHD Blu-Ray) is still proprietary. It belongs to Sony and manufacturers have to pay Sony in licensing to make a BD players, external BD drives, release things on BD.

Proprietary doesn't mean it can't become a standard.
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Now, I don't know where you were shopping for headphones in the 90's or 00's, but the headphones I was buying at the time came had a 3.5mm plug by default; admitedly with a 3.5->6.35mm adapter, but the default endpoint would be a 3.5mm jack with a 6.35mm adapter.

Sure 3.5mm was around, but it wasn't a standard size. It was pretty much Apple that made 3.5mm a standard everywhere. (In 2007 or 2008?)

 

[Shamgar]

The audio would almost always be better. A dac and amp cannot be just be better. They need to be paired with drivers with the correct impedance to perform at its best.

You can't expect a single amp or dac to be suitable or enable all headphones to perform at their best.

And I think you'll get less interference.

The only possible advantage I can think of for pairing DACs and drivers is to include processing to compensate for deficiencies in the frequency response of the headphones. If the headphone manufacturers did that and did it well, you could see an improvement over the same headphones without processing. Better headphones would gain less as they would have less to compensate for, but would lesser headphones even bother? Cheaper headphones would probably just go with a cheaper DAC to offset costs. The worse get worse and the better stay the same. The middle ground will depend on the economics.

As far as impedance of the amp goes, that's a matter of just being good enough for the task at hand. Can the amp drive the headphones to the desired loudness? Y/N? No improvement for low impedance headphones, and the limitations of battery power will remain for high impedance headphones. The ones in the middle could benefit, but that might require some bulk to the amp.

 

[Kiddiqp]

I agree and a lot of people tend to forget the part I bolded in your quote.

Sure 3.5mm was around, but it wasn't a standard size. It was pretty much Apple that made 3.5mm a standard everywhere. (In 2007 or 2008?)

Are you accidentally or deliberately ignoring the fact that a very common complaint about the original iPhone was that a _standard_ 3.5 jack wouldn't fit into its plug due to its narrow sleeve? Hell, if you're going to state that Apple made it a standard at least make it close to being a credible claim like claiming that it's been standard since the iPod; but even then you would be sadly mistaken in how common the 3.5mm jack was in the 90s.

It was the Walkmans and subsequent media players in the late 80s and especially the 90s, that made the 3.5mm jack commonplace, the standard pretty much everywhere (while including a 3.5->6.35mm adapter).

But, always nice to know that by coincidence every headphone I bought since the mid 90s had a then non-standard 3.5mm jack (/s).

 

[lagwagon]

Are you accidentally or deliberately ignoring the fact that a very common complaint about the original iPhone was that a _standard_ 3.5 jack wouldn't fit into its plug due to its narrow sleeve? Hell, if you're going to state that Apple made it a standard at least make it close to being a credible claim like claiming that it's been standard since the iPod; but even then you would be sadly mistaken in how common the 3.5mm jack was in the 90s.

It was the Walkmans and subsequent media players in the late 80s and especially the 90s, that made the 3.5mm jack commonplace, the standard pretty much everywhere (while including a 3.5->6.35mm adapter).

But, always nice to know that by coincidence every headphone I bought since the mid 90s had a then non-standard 3.5mm jack (/s).

Many cell phones and early smartphones didn't use a 3.5mm. It wasn't until the success of the iPhone that all phones and smartphones used 3.5mm.

So yeah, in the phone market they did make it standard.

 

[jmgregory1]

Many cell phones and early smartphones didn't use a 3.5mm. It wasn't until the success of the iPhone that all phones and smartphones used 3.5mm.

So yeah, in the phone market they did make it standard.

If I remember correctly, my first gen iPaq, from Compaq, had the even smaller than 3.5mm port. Worthless as I owned nothing with a micro headphone jack on it. That was late '90's I believe.

The 3.5mm was a standard for Walkman-type cassette and then CD players back in the '80's as I was in high school then and carried my Walkman with pride, including the foam covered headphones, with me everywhere. This after years of walking around with a boombox, the precursor to a personal music player.

My best friend had the most kickass boombox that not only had separate tweeters and bass speakers, but included a massive 8" bass speaker as well. Funny how far things have progressed.

 

[mwd25]

Now, I don't know where you were shopping for headphones in the 90's or 00's, but the headphones I was buying at the tim

e came had a 3.5mm plug by default; admitedly with a 3.5->6.35mm adapter, but the default endpoint would be a 3.5mm jack with a 6.35mm adapter.

Where was I shopping in the 90's???? Circuit City, Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc. Did you have a cell phone combo mp3 player back then??? Did you have a mp3 player back then???? Any stereo system came with 6.35. Please show me a stereo or boombox even that wasnt 6.35.....didnt exist. Now you had maybe a walkman or portable cd player but......nothing back then had mic and controls to skip song ahead, answer end calls etc. So, starting in 2008 or so if you bought a iphone you were going to need to replace your headphones or carry around two pairs. How old were you back in the 90's or were you even alive. You should know this. There was a long stretch of time where I had multiple pairs of headphones none of which had mic or controls on them. I slowly had to start replacing them with ones that could answer and end calls. In the image, you have a headphone cable on the left that is pre Iphone, on the right post Iphone. Notice the 3 black bands on right instead of 2. Headphone cable on the left is how all smaller cables were for walkmans and cd players and even mp3 players when they hit the market. If you had over the ear headphones they were more then likely 6.35 during this time as ear buds were the big thing. Dj's and audiophiles used over the ear, beats by Dr Dre didnt exist and the standard was 6.35. That all changed post Iphone. Now you could still use the headphones with 6.35 with a adapter or you could still stick your two band 3.5 in your Iphone but dont expect to answer a call or skip a track or adjust volume with them......hence, unless you wanted to carry around two pair, you had to replace your quality headphones with new ones. Thats all Im saying.

 

[Closingracer]

Judging by a lot of comments in general from the main thread in the news forum about now headphone jack being heavily rumored with Bluetooth earbuds/ adapter needed

Who here would be tempted to move away from the iPhone in the short term? Maybe get the s7/s7 edge maybe?

How is this rumour affecting your thought on if a change is needed?

Yes I would seriously consider going back to Android. Only thing that is making me think of it vs just doing it is my Macbook Pro

 

[iZac]

I mentioned before, I expect to see a Bluetooth receiver /battery, so you don't have to abandon your old headphones. I have three £100-350 pairs that aren't going anywhere soon.

Whether this is made by Apple or a 3rd party - who knows, but I expect it look something like this:

 

[yep-sure]

Im surprised at the comments but not surprised at the poll. Most people dont really care.

The poll is meaningless and doesn't represent real world statistics. All this shows is that Apple enthusiasts still plan to buy iPhones if the headphone jack is removed.

Go jump on public transport and you'll see about 95% of iPhones users have headphones plugged in.

Now go to to any corporate office and see what percentage of iPhones users who are listening to music through headphones also have their chargers plugged in.

Out in the real world, an iPhone without a headphone port is going to be a large inconvenience to a lot of people.

 

[bingeciren]

Sure 3.5mm was around, but it wasn't a standard size. It was pretty much Apple that made 3.5mm a standard everywhere. (In 2007 or 2008?)

You are wrong my friend. Apple had nothing to do to make the 3.5mm standard. All Sony Walkmans, all portable CD players way back in the late 80's and 90's had only 3.5mm audio out. Apple in those years had nothing to do with portable music. When Apple introduced the first iPod, there were already many MP3 players in the market all with 3.5mm audio out.

If you want to credit a company making the 3.5mm a standard, that would be Sony with their Walkman Cassette Players (circa 1979) and later on with the Walkman CD Players in the late 80's. Not Apple!

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

You are wrong my friend. Apple had nothing to do to make the 3.5mm standard. All Sony Walkmans, all portable CD players way back in the late 80's and 90's had only 3.5mm audio out. Apple in those years had nothing to do with portable music. When Apple introduced the first iPod, there were already many MP3 players in the market all with 3.5mm audio out.

If you want to credit a company making the 3.5mm a standard, that would be Sony with their Walkman Cassette Players (circa 1979) and later on with the Walkman CD Players in the late 80's. Not Apple!

I guess those of us who owned Walkmans in the 80's and 90's remember this lol. I still have a pair of headphones with yellow sponge ear pads that came off a Walkman. They have the 3.5mm audio jack on them and are about 27 years old.

 

[lagwagon]

You are wrong my friend. Apple had nothing to do to make the 3.5mm standard. All Sony Walkmans, all portable CD players way back in the late 80's and 90's had only 3.5mm audio out. Apple in those years had nothing to do with portable music. When Apple introduced the first iPod, there were already many MP3 players in the market all with 3.5mm audio out.

If you want to credit a company making the 3.5mm a standard, that would be Sony with their Walkman Cassette Players (circa 1979) and later on with the Walkman CD Players in the late 80's. Not Apple!

I'm well aware Walkmans used 3.5mm. I was around back then.

Walkmans aren't phones. In the world of cell phones and smartphones there was no standard as I mention in my post linked below.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-from-the-iphone.1960491/page-8#post-22680269

 

[bransoj]

The poll is meaningless and doesn't represent real world statistics. All this shows is that Apple enthusiasts still plan to buy iPhones if the headphone jack is removed.

Go jump on public transport and you'll see about 95% of iPhones users have headphones plugged in.

Now go to to any corporate office and see what percentage of iPhones users who are listening to music through headphones also have their chargers plugged in.

Out in the real world, an iPhone without a headphone port is going to be a large inconvenience to a lot of people.

And what % of this 95% are just using the standard out of the iPhone box headphones and as and when they upgrade will just continue to do so using whatever Apple ship with the next phone so it wont really affect them?

 

[lagwagon]

The poll is meaningless and doesn't represent real world statistics. All this shows is that Apple enthusiasts still plan to buy iPhones if the headphone jack is removed.

Go jump on public transport and you'll see about 95% of iPhones users have headphones plugged in.

Now go to to any corporate office and see what percentage of iPhones users who are listening to music through headphones also have their chargers plugged in.

Out in the real world, an iPhone without a headphone port is going to be a large inconvenience to a lot of people.

I guess you haven't noticed the amount of Apple haters around these forums if you think the poll is meaningless.

The only thing meaningless here are your completely fabricated numbers.

 

[yep-sure]

I guess you haven't noticed the amount of Apple haters around these forums if you think the poll is meaningless.

The only thing meaningless here are your completely fabricated numbers.

Wow, I guess I struck a nerve.

Made up numbers? Not quite. Rough counting while out and about is all it takes.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I'm well aware Walkmans used 3.5mm. I was around back then.

Walkmans aren't phones. In the world of cell phones and smartphones there was no standard as I mention in my post linked below.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-from-the-iphone.1960491/page-8#post-22680269

Phones became personal music players though and the iPod effectively was replaced by the iPhone for many. The principle was the same and the standard for headphones was adopted by the phone industry. Sony Walkman phones bridged the gap initially.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Wow, I guess I struck a nerve.

Made up numbers? Not quite. Rough counting while out and about is all it takes.

I have to agree with you. Most headphones I see in public are wired ones. You can get a good sense of this simply by travelling the London Underground as it gives a good range of demographic.

 

[Ardmanz]

Sure 3.5mm was around, but it wasn't a standard size. It was pretty much Apple that made 3.5mm a standard everywhere. (In 2007 or 2008?)

Since as far back as I can remember 3.5mm has been the standard for portable devices - walkman, discman, mini disc etc (this is going back to 80's). Apple certainly did not make it the standard for portable devices.

There were also 3.5mm jacks built into pre iphone phones such as the sony ones (I had one).

 

[Blujelly]

I'll take this happily, change is going to happen when it comes to a 15+ year old headphone port. It was bound to happen might as well let Apple take the lead on it then everyone else to follow