OMG No headphone jack! iPhone 7

Line output is basically a headphone jack at a fixed volume level. No device I've ever used, in my entire life (which now covers an annoyingly long period of time), has cared in the least about mixing the two. At most, you might have to adjust your headphone volume slider or dial.

If the headphone jack is putting out crap, A) that's a bad maker, and B) excess volume/voltage, within reasonable limits, is not a hard problem to work around. This is extremely simple stuff, sixty-plus-year-old technology. It is extraordinarily well understood.

Cars are, above all other things, designed to be reliable, and the thought that somehow they're not going to be able to handle a headphone out in a car aux in ... that's just risible.

edit to add one other thought, from earlier in the thread:

DSGamer wrote:

The iPhone 7 headphone stuff is so minor in comparison.

The thing is, if a Samsung battery blows up, I can pretty sure that I'll get a new one that works properly, and that any damage will be taken care of, because it'll be so embarrassing for them.

I can't get a missing headphone jack fixed, not without spending extra money and carting around extra equipment I shouldn't need.

Tyops wrote:
Eleima wrote:
Antichulius wrote:

New AirPods seem cool, but I couldn't risk $150+ on something I could lose in a matter of months.

Months? Try days, or perhaps hours in my case. :D

Why would you lose them?... they'd be right next to your iphone all the time because they sure as heck dont work with anything else. ;)

I haven't seen it mentioned here yet, so I'll do it - AirPods work with any Bluetooth source, not just iPhones.

Hopefully, just like with not supporting Flash or removing Google Maps before, it will work out for the better. Historically, this kind of controversial Apple decisions worked out for the customer's benefit in the long run, I hope this will be the case here as well. Maybe it will be an incentive to develop new cheaper, better wireless audio devices.

Regardless of how we feel about it, old technology will always sooner or later be replaced by new.

Hedinn wrote:
Tyops wrote:
Eleima wrote:
Antichulius wrote:

New AirPods seem cool, but I couldn't risk $150+ on something I could lose in a matter of months.

Months? Try days, or perhaps hours in my case. :D

Why would you lose them?... they'd be right next to your iphone all the time because they sure as heck dont work with anything else. ;)

I haven't seen it mentioned here yet, so I'll do it - AirPods work with any Bluetooth source, not just iPhones.

Hopefully, just like with not supporting Flash or removing Google Maps before, it will work out for the better. Historically, this kind of controversial Apple decisions worked out for the customer's benefit in the long run, I hope this will be the case here as well. Maybe it will be an incentive to develop new cheaper, better wireless audio devices.

Regardless of how we feel about it, old technology will always sooner or later be replaced by new.

There are already plenty of cheap bluetooth headsets out there. I have qualms about the expensive ones due to battery limited lifespan. In addition to the environmental impact, the cost to purchase a premium set that will need to be replaced every 3 years doesn't sit well. Especially when I still have wired ones from 15 years ago that work as well as the day I bought them.

Do we also talk about iOS 10 here? Because I'd like to say that Maps is still a mess.

It shows me the right bus route and bay, but the wrong bus number. I can set stations and lines as favourites, but I can't search for my favourites. Transit lines show up in my search history, but I can't search for them. I type in "work" for my destination and that works, but I type in "home" and it gives me locations for HomeSense and Home Depot—even though Home (where I live) is also in my search history. The Maps Transit widget seems to work (I'll verify that next time there's a Skytrain disruption), but I'll continue with Google Maps for everything else.

Edit: Meanwhile the Maps Destinations widget shows me the right time and route home, while the Google Maps Travel Times widget shows the right time to home, but when I tap it Google Maps automatically looks for a route to Home Depot. Nutty widgets.

I put iOS 10 on my iPhone 5S last night (#courage!) but haven't had a chance to play around with it at all yet, other than to verify that it did not brick my phone!

I started a thread here for all things Apple os's: https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/...

Apple really doesn't like their customers.

Apple may kill the headphone jack on the MacBook Pro

Time to buy a new MacBook "classic", I suppose.

Apple tried to nix mouse buttons. They're still here. If anything, the newer game mice have more buttons!

I think there will definitely be a shift to wireless. It's just more convenient for many applications, and lossy tech doesn't seem to be a problem. The issue is the trade off.

With CDs vs vinyl records, your gain is a massive gain in portability and cost. That's worth losses in audio detail.

A phone with a jack is in every conceivable way, exactly the same as one without - only it can do both wireless and wired.

There's no gain in development either. With Wii, Nintendo's standardization of motion for all games means that developers can depend on the motion sensing being present. That's something.

But wireless is already standard. Every music file and program works with it. That's why Bluetooth speakers are such a thing now.

So you don't have to get an iPhone to jog using a wireless. I can do that with my Samsung S5 now.

That's the problem with these moves. When Jobs was around, every "cut" of this nature was centered around a strong lifestyle vision. I didn't agree with his ideal phone size, but many people did, and it was at least a coherent vision. This jack removal doesn't have any strong vision associated with it. If you just wanted the looks, you can even just have a removable plug packaged with the iPhone. And you'd still have a jack.

DSGamer wrote:

Apple really doesn't like their customers.

Apple may kill the headphone jack on the MacBook Pro

Time to buy a new MacBook "classic", I suppose.

The one 3.5mm-removal argument for which I have sympathy is that removing the jack reclaims a bit of the very limited space within the iPhone 7 chassis, which can then be put towards additional functionality or battery.

That argument pretty much falls flat on a laptop form factor.

WolverineJon wrote:
DSGamer wrote:

Apple really doesn't like their customers.

Apple may kill the headphone jack on the MacBook Pro

Time to buy a new MacBook "classic", I suppose.

The one 3.5mm-removal argument for which I have sympathy is that removing the jack reclaims a bit of the very limited space within the iPhone 7 chassis, which can then be put towards additional functionality or battery.

That argument pretty much falls flat on a laptop form factor.

Unless they build a lightning connector for wired headphones into their MacBooks I don't see that happening. Either that, or the iPhone 8 will change the lightning connector to usb-c and they can piss off ALL of their customers next year.

WolverineJon wrote:
DSGamer wrote:

Apple really doesn't like their customers.

Apple may kill the headphone jack on the MacBook Pro

Time to buy a new MacBook "classic", I suppose.

The one 3.5mm-removal argument for which I have sympathy is that removing the jack reclaims a bit of the very limited space within the iPhone 7 chassis, which can then be put towards additional functionality or battery.

That argument pretty much falls flat on a laptop form factor.

It also falls flat if they aren't actually intending to use that extra space in the phone either. From what I've read, there isn't any added benefit (either in terms of functionality or battery) from the jack removal.

Nevin73 wrote:
WolverineJon wrote:
DSGamer wrote:

Apple really doesn't like their customers.

Apple may kill the headphone jack on the MacBook Pro

Time to buy a new MacBook "classic", I suppose.

The one 3.5mm-removal argument for which I have sympathy is that removing the jack reclaims a bit of the very limited space within the iPhone 7 chassis, which can then be put towards additional functionality or battery.

That argument pretty much falls flat on a laptop form factor.

It also falls flat if they aren't actually intending to use that extra space in the phone either. From what I've read, there isn't any added benefit (either in terms of functionality or battery) from the jack removal.

It was (supposedly) for water-proofing, the new taptic engine, and whatever this little piece of plastic is meant for...

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/16/12...

Just found these potential bluetooth ear buds that aren't in-ear. Haven't ordered or tried them yet, but they're basically what I was hoping to find.

Pfft they have a cord! :p

LarryC wrote:

With CDs vs vinyl records, your gain is a massive gain in portability and cost. That's worth losses in audio detail.

If you're saying that CDs are worse than vinyl, this is mostly incorrect. Being fully digital, the mix on a CD can be abused in ways that vinyl never can, but a proper CD mix, on reasonably competent equipment, will always do a better job with reproduction than vinyl.

That said, *getting* that proper CD mix isn't always easy.

The 3.5mm jack is remarkably convenient, and I would never buy a computer that didn't have one (or multichannel outs.) It's probably the closest thing to universal tech that exists, and will be distinctly superior to most wireless replacements, in three areas at once: quality, convenience, and cost.

Although Apple made the decision not to release initial sales figures, from what I've been able to discern, sales volume of the iPhone 7 seems to be right up there with initial sales of previous new iPhone models.

I'm admittedly disappointed by this; I was (selfishly) hoping that all of the noise around the removal of the headphone jack would have a non-trivial negative impact on sales, and thereby force Apple to reconsider that design decision in future models.

WolverineJon wrote:

Although Apple made the decision not to release initial sales figures, from what I've been able to discern, sales volume of the iPhone 7 seems to be right up there with initial sales of previous new iPhone models.

I'm admittedly disappointed by this; I was (selfishly) hoping that all of the noise around the removal of the headphone jack would have a non-trivial negative impact on sales, and thereby force Apple to reconsider that design decision in future models.

Initial sales might look good, but the glitches with the lightning headphones, ongoing problems with the camera, along with the scratchiness of the Jet Black are going to cause problems. When the really only solidly good statements I've seen from the press are "The Screen is amazing!" and "At least it doesn't explode" that's really not a good day for Apple.

The Jet Black people should know what they are getting into, Apple has been upfront about it being more likely to show scratches.

LeapingGnome wrote:

The Jet Black people should know what they are getting into, Apple has been upfront about it being more likely to show scratches.

Look at the YouTube vids showing how scratched they can get, and the comments below. People pay no attention to what Apple is saying.

athros wrote:

Initial sales might look good, but the glitches with the lightning headphones, ongoing problems with the camera, along with the scratchiness of the Jet Black are going to cause problems. When the really only solidly good statements I've seen from the press are "The Screen is amazing!" and "At least it doesn't explode" that's really not a good day for Apple.

The only info I've seen on sales is some reports that they've sold out some places or that stocks are low. Combine that with the lack of actual numbers reporting this might just be artificial scarcity.

Well, someone pointed out in another article somewhere that Nintendo released a portable system without a headphone jack, to loud complaints. (one of the Nintendo DS models.)

It didn't really hurt the sales of that device, but Nintendo has never again released one without it.

Malor wrote:

Well, someone pointed out in another article somewhere that Nintendo released a portable system without a headphone jack, to loud complaints. (one of the Nintendo DS models.)

It didn't really hurt the sales of that device, but Nintendo has never again released one without it.

Remember that time Nintendo got rid of the headphone jack?

I had a GBA SP and never remember missing the headphone jack—but as Ars points out, I never made calls or listened to music with it.

I remember being really annoyed with this aspect of the SP. I had a case with a dongle inside of it at all times. It was so silly. But yeah, because it wasn't my phone, podcast player, MP3 player and movie player I let it slide.

I had a Gameboy Advance SP and played it heavily, with headphones -- and I did really dislike having to keep track of a dongle.

farley3k wrote:

Apple unveils iPhones with no headphone jacks

Apple’s iPhone 7 Is Officially Ditching The Headphone Jack

Seems like the biggest news is about the jack.

I am sure some people will be upset but all I can say is "about time." It is a relic considering how good bluetooth is now.

A) BT isn't that great when you're on a train with 100 other people in a train cab and they're all using it - plus it's compressed
B) Those of us with professional in ear monitors would like to keep using them. Plus you don't have to charge your headphones. And you can plug in your phone and listen at the same time, at work.

Plus, there's also the security thing.... if you want to shut down Bluetooth to avoid the (many) attacks against it, you can't do that and still have headphones.

Presumably, this also means that you can't have headphones in airplane mode, either.

Malor wrote:

Plus, there's also the security thing.... if you want to shut down Bluetooth to avoid the (many) attacks against it, you can't do that and still have headphones.

Presumably, this also means that you can't have headphones in airplane mode, either.

Most airplane modes allow you to toggle Bluetooth and/or wifi separate from the cellular radio

TheGameguru wrote:
Malor wrote:

Plus, there's also the security thing.... if you want to shut down Bluetooth to avoid the (many) attacks against it, you can't do that and still have headphones.

Presumably, this also means that you can't have headphones in airplane mode, either.

Most airplane modes allow you to toggle Bluetooth and/or wifi separate from the cellular radio

Isn't bluetooth banned on flights? Or did that go away with in-flight wifi? I remember "wireless" mice being forbidden, way back when I travelled with a laptop.

This is too perfect. Leave it to 3rd parties to keep adding back functionality that should just be in the phone.