[Jon L]

There's no reason to get rid of the jack, and if you've ever tried to use bluetooth, it's flaky.  Sometimes it works perfectly, sometimes it doesn't. 

Even if bluetooth wasn't flaky, it uses compression to transmit audio, which is extra compression of audio in addition to already-compressed MP3/AAC audio files most people use. 

Apple does not even use aptX, the "better" bluetooth compression used by many other companies and still relies on the garden-variety "SBC" compression.   

To remain innovative and to justify getting rid of the headphone jack, Apple SHOULD have pioneered compression-less wireless/bluetooth audio and given the world an actual improvement, not a step back. 

I think Apple is really losing it and that it may be time to start selling off my Apple stocks... 

[ctviggen]

Instead of getting rid of the jack, Apple should've added wireless charging*.  Once you have wireless charging, you can't go back.

* Oh, I forgot. This is Apple.  The iPhone 8 will have wireless charging...but no plug in port whatsoever.  Because Apple is "courageous".  It takes courage to do idiotic things, apparently.

[dB Cooper]

The good news for Apple is they own the licensing for these, so they'll get money for them. Also, they own Beats, so they'll get even more money.  You have to pay to be able to charge and use wired headphones at the same time:

It's pure insanity, with no real benefit other than to pad Apple's pocket.

Well, there is one benefit to the end user: No headphone jack makes water resistance much easier to do.

As far as charging while listening goes, I don't do that all that often.

Let's keep a level head here. You can still use your wired headphones. Just leave the adapter on them. The only problem I see there is if you use different pairs of headphones, or use those same headphones with different devices, in which case there will inevitably be an occasion when you and your headphones are in one place and your adapter is in another.  Of course you can always buy the new AirPods, which (apart from the wireless parts) appear to be essentially identical to the EarPods, which have two problems: 1) They fall out of peoples' ears, and 2) They sound like crap. I expect non-crappy sound for $159.

The uproar over the phone is reminiscent of when they dropped the floppy disc. But it's a free market, and everyone is free to choose what floats their boat, so nobody is obliged to pay for apple's 'hubris'. One can always choose one of the new exploding Samsung Note 7's.

[Bemopti123]

The uproar over the phone is reminiscent of when they dropped the floppy disc. But it's a free market, and everyone is free to choose what floats their boat, so nobody is obliged to pay for apple's 'hubris'. One can always choose one of the new exploding Samsung Note 7's.

As a confessed Apple user since 1990 and with a sporadic switch to PC between 97-2004, I am always amused at the amount of vitril that comes from people who use something else.  Apple does make questionable hardware decisions in terms of connectivity that does not make sense at all, especially when they do not keep up the feature for more than a couple of generations BUT, if they were expected not to make forward technological choices, they would also be bombarded with complains. 

Someone needs to make a jump.  This is the reason why there are so many advances in the devices we use today.  As for me, more than Samsung devices, I cannot stand Android as an operating system, but Samsung and their manufacturing defects, even of older smartphones simply turned several of my family members off from any Samsung phones.  Exploding or burning batteries are nothing new but the scale of this one recall is quite major.  Another day a 6 year old kid in Brooklyn got body burns when a Note 7 exploded on his hand.  That is terrible for Samsung. 

[Ponkbutler]

I'm pleased with the change. Should also free up space for more worthwhile jacks on the MacBooks.

[kingdeezie]

As a confessed Apple user since 1990 and with a sporadic switch to PC between 97-2004, I am always amused at the amount of vitril that comes from people who use something else.  Apple does make questionable hardware decisions in terms of connectivity that does not make sense at all, especially when they do not keep up the feature for more than a couple of generations BUT, if they were expected not to make forward technological choices, they would also be bombarded with complains. 

Someone needs to make a jump.  This is the reason why there are so many advances in the devices we use today.  As for me, more than Samsung devices, I cannot stand Android as an operating system, but Samsung and their manufacturing defects, even of older smartphones simply turned several of my family members off from any Samsung phones.  Exploding or burning batteries are nothing new but the scale of this one recall is quite major.  Another day a 6 year old kid in Brooklyn got body burns when a Note 7 exploded on his hand.  That is terrible for Samsung.

I really think that part of the reason why people hate Apple so much, has a lot to do with ideas mirrored in your post. There is this idea that Apple is ahead of the curve, that they produce cutting edge technology, when in reality the only thing they do best is marketing.

Apple doesn't innovate anymore, period. Taking away the headphone jack is not progress, and it wasn't done for progress. It was a business decision, to get the consumer to spend more money on accessories, and new wireless headphones that Apple will happily sell you.

Everyone claiming its for some ridiculous "digital" revolution has been sold more Apple spin. You've been able to pull digital audio from Android's USB for years; same as a lightning port (without the Apple mark up).

Everyone hates on Samsung and the myriad of Android manufacturers, and this newest Samsung disaster is really tragic, but they have truly been the companies driving innovation in the last few years.

The phablet market, OLED screens, 2K resolution, wireless charging, fast charging, true dual screen multitasking, iris scanner, stylus evolution in phablets, etc, etc.

Apple will tell you all of these features are "worthless" or "inferior," that is until they implement them themselves, and claim a revolution. I love how they trashed "OLED" screens, and the rumors for the iphone 8 are heavily claiming OLED use. I'm sure they'll pretend they have a special OLED screen available, when in reality, it will be a Samsung panel left over from the Note 3.

Enjoy your Apple product for the look, for the IOS, for whatever reason, but claiming its leading the technological pack in any way is ridiculous; they are behind the times.

[Bemopti123]

Someone can mean anyone, not only Apple.  Anyway, let people make their technological stands with what manufacturer pushes their boat.  As for me, new technologies for the sake of implementing them in order to take the mantle of innovative in comparison to the field, might be admirable for some but in the end, it is the consumers that will make the decisions of what they use everyday rather than companies and their marketing. 

BTW, companies are in the business to make profit, this does not separate Apple from others in terms of monetizing their technology the contrary of this notion is that companies will just make technological innovations that are costly for the sake of pushing them out.  I do not like the idea that lighting port to be the only port for everything, as I do not like the idea of USB C to be the connector for it all.  No, no.

Nevertheless, it seems to me that wireless, with all its defects, is the way things are heading in terms of audio and data, as well as charging.  There is no fighting what it seems to me inevitable.   

[kingdeezie]

Someone can mean anyone, not only Apple.  Anyway, let people make their technological stands with what manufacturer pushes their boat.  As for me, new technologies for the sake of implementing them in order to take the mantle of innovative in comparison to the field, might be admirable for some but in the end, it is the consumers that will make the decisions of what they use everyday rather than companies and their marketing. 

BTW, companies are in the business to make profit, this does not separate Apple from others in terms of monetizing their technology the contrary of this notion is that companies will just make technological innovations that are costly for the sake of pushing them out.  I do not like the idea that lighting port to be the only port for everything, as I do not like the idea of USB C to be the connector for it all.  No, no.

Nevertheless, it seems to me that wireless, with all its defects, is the way things are heading in terms of audio and data, as well as charging.  There is no fighting what it seems to me inevitable.   

If companies don't advance technology by putting them into their products for widespread use, how does anything progress?

I hear this argument all the time from Apple apologists. People tear into Samsung for the "edge" products, but bendable and curved screens are the future. You have to crawl before you can walk, and widespread production of complex bendable screens starts with learning to implement curves and bends in simple form. When Apple comes out with the "iphone bend," five-ten years from now, it will be on the backs of successes and failures of other companies; not because they drive innovation.

They'll cherry pick, and market themselves as "courageous."

I had an airport express from a few years back. I was using it with an airport extreme to extend my wireless network. One day after the airport utility software upgraded, my airport express was gone.

Apparently, Apple decided that my airport express was too old, and REMOVED it from the software. They bricked it, intentionally. The only solution was to roll back to an old version of airport utility, effectively hampering my new Airport extreme in order to be able to use my purchased airport express. I threw the express out, and sold the extreme after that.

And that is the crux of the issue here as well. Apple makes the decision for you, because they think they can. A Samsung, HTC, Google, etc phone can do everything wireless as well, but still provide you with the option to use the jack if you are so inclined.

Its a dirt cheap part, that costs next to nothing, but provides versatility.

Apple's reasons are all baloney.

Other manufacturers have smaller form factors, with bigger screens, larger batteries, stylus, and better water proofing, while still maintaining the headphone jack.

The removal was to gouge the customer, plain and simple.

[Bemopti123]

I still believe that wireless is the way things are headed, be it that Apple made that move with removing the headphone port or some other company. 

Lighting and also USB C as the only physical input choice, I do not like one bit.

You also mention the need for companies to put innovative technological features that in the long run will be implemented in mass scale, if they become worthy of being implemented.  Once again, I do not believe that flawless wireless is here and yet, it seems as if everything is moving in that direction. 

I can related to your story about Apple bricking an Airport Express after an update.

I also got an older 2006 MacMini Core solo that came with I do not know what OSX release, which I brought from my mom's place as a backup device for her.  It had a failing HDD which I swapped to SSD but the only OSX that could be put in it was Tiger?  That OSX is stuck in 2009  and there is no updates that can be had for Flash or other browsers.

While it works fine, it is a machine that is bordering almost 10 years and I will tell my mom not to do anything secure or sensitive in it. 

There are many things that can are old, but it seems to many people that they should not be forced to upgrade or dump something that is working.  I agree with that, but there cannot be expectation from the part of customers, that there will be updates to OS that are almost a decade old.  Machines that can run them are dwindling in numbers everyday and should companies write new code for them?  It seems as if Google and Firefox, as well as Adobe stop investing engineers to those ventures a long time ago.  I am mostly referring to entire PCs.  Peripherals, that is a different field I guess. 

Whatever it is, it seems that Apple will sell boatloads of headphone jackless Iphones.  As many other companies will sell boatloads of Android smartphones.  Samsung and those batteries, is a bad debacle. 
 

 

[Jumpin]

What deeply troubles me about Apple is their apparent disregard for the environment in pursuit of innovation, marketing buzz, profits.  Every time they change form factor on the phone, millions upon millions of plastic phone cases & covers become obsolete.  And of course, they end up in the trash.  Now, millions and millions of cheap headphones & ear buds are on their way to landfills near you.   

[Doublej]

Apple is not the first company to remove the headphone jack from their smartphone. How's that for courage!

http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/10/11900992/moto-z-specs-no-headphone-jack

[Bemopti123]

I think the marketing hyperbole that Apple spokespeople used in their Iphone 7 presentation was that, hyperbole.  While it might not be the first manufacturer touting or pushing wireless audio, it is one of the largest ones especially in comparison with all the smaller smartphone manufacturers such as Lenovo and that other outfit mentioned in the article. 

One thing that the article elucidates is the inevitability of wireless in general. 

I would rather be wired for sake of all the equipment I have but if I had to choose between crappy BT connectivity that Apple pushes and connection via lightning, I would go for lightning. 

Now the what I wonder is the robustness of using that connect for everything between power, audio and video.  The amount of plug in and out cycles on the said phones will increase exponentially.  For Iphone users, lightning better be very robust.