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Steve Wozniak Says Apple Must Fix iPhone 7 Bluetooth Or Revive Its Headphone Jack (afr.com)

We've talked extensively about the missing headphone jack on the upcoming iPhone. While some say that the move will ruin user experience -- something that has already started to seem that way in the real world -- a few argue that someone needs to push the needle to move the technology forward. Now Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has something to say about the missing legacy audio jack as well. He is asking Apple to fix the Bluetooth first if the company intends to give users to move to wireless headphones. From a Financial Review report: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has warned Apple is going to frustrate a lot of customers if it removes the headphone jack from the upcoming iPhone 7. [...] Customers wanting to use their existing, wired earbuds and headphones might have to buy an adaptor that attaches to the iPhone's Lightning port, or to whatever port does remain on the phone. "If it's missing the 3.5mm earphone jack, that's going to tick off a lot of people," Mr Wozniak told The Australian Financial Review. "I would not use Bluetooth ... I don't like wireless. I have cars where you can plug in the music, or go through Bluetooth, and Bluetooth just sounds so flat for the same music." Mr Wozniak said he would probably use the adaptor to connect his existing earphones to his next iPhone, and said that, like many other users he is attached to the accessories that he uses alongside the phone. "Mine have custom ear implants, they fit in so comfortably, I can sleep on them and everything. And they only come out with one kind of jack, so ''ll have to go through the adaptor," he said. "If there's a Bluetooth 2 that has higher bandwidth and better quality, that sounds like real music, I would use it. But we'll see. Apple is good at moving towards the future, and I like to follow that."

47 of 385 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This is the same guy by fluffernutter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Doesn't mean he isn't right.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  2. Re:This is the same guy by Stormwatch · · Score: 4, Interesting

    He also founded CL 9, maker of the first programmable universal remote control.

  3. Here's the problem with stereo Bluetooth: by kheldan · · Score: 4, Informative

    Bluetooth has it's own compression it uses. Very often it clashes with the compression that many audio files use. I found this out the hard way by buying a Bluetooth to stereo device to plug into my home theatre receiver, to play music from my phone over house speakers. If the file was even high-rate MP3, I could hear artifacts of the two compression algorithms fighting with each other; it actually set my teeth on edge. Using AAC instead of MP3 helped, but I'm sure the guys with really sensitive ears will still hear some artifacts to set their teeth on edge, even with something 'lossless' like FLAC or Apple's lossless compression, or maybe even with an uncompressed audio file.

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    1. Re:Here's the problem with stereo Bluetooth: by sexconker · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's means "it is".

      It's been nice proving you wrong.

    2. Re:Here's the problem with stereo Bluetooth: by Lord+Apathy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Sounds to me like you where using a crappy adaptor. I've been using several midrange audio head phones, and some high end head phones for several years over blue tooth 2.1+ and I've never seen any kind of issues like that. I've used everything from low end mp3 to high end aac, even flac and they all sound fine based on the hiead phone I'm using.

      I image you have a cheap adaptor or your mp3 encoding sucks.

      --

      Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification

    3. Re:Here's the problem with stereo Bluetooth: by AncalagonTotof · · Score: 5, Informative

      To add details to your answer : first point, look at your source : is it FLAC or MP3 (or any equivalent). If the source is bad, it cannot be better at the other end.

      AFAIK, Bluetooth uses an A2DP pipe and this pipe allows the transmission of data using 4 codecs :
      - SBC : the first historically, the worst in quality
      - AAC
      - MP3
      - aptX

      SBC, AAC and MP3 are lossy codecs. I never saw a product that accept AAC or MP3. There must be a license to pay to use MP3; may be also for AAC.
      aptX is both lossy and lossless. And most source devices (smartphones, computers ...) are aptX ready.

      So, the technology already here to allow a much better quality than what we know (as long as one can force the use of the lossless variant of aptX, which is ... well, you know ... Obfuscated to say the least).

      Then what ?
      Then CSR : the dominating Bluetooth chips manufacturer. More than 70% of the chips last time I heard.
      CSR has patents on aptX.
      And patents are meant to make money (yes; were you told otherwise ?).

      So, the sink devices (BT speakers, car audio systems, ...) are aptX ready only if the manufacturer paid CSR. I'm not sure, may be $1 per product. That's a lot compared to the rest of the BOM. A BT speaker you pay $150 cost less than half when leaving the Chinese factory.

      And guess what : manufacturers like profit, so they don't pay CSR for aptX and stick to SBC.
      The hardware is always ready, the firmware may contain the aptX codec, but if the license key, linked to the BT MAC address of the chip, is not present in the firmware, aptX won't be negotiated as an available codec with the source device. Only SBC will be used, even if your source device can do aptX.

      By the way, if you like your music, listen to it on real speakers in your living room !

      --
      Totof
    4. Re:Here's the problem with stereo Bluetooth: by macs4all · · Score: 2

      Aptx? Oh, you mean that CODEC that was developed in the 1980s, and is currently a Proprietary CODEC owned and commercialized by CSR, Inc. (now owned by Qualcomm)?

      Yeah, that's REALLY "moving toward the future".

  4. Woz knows best by krel · · Score: 5, Funny

    "If there's a Bluetooth 2 that has higher bandwidth and better quality..."
    - Steve Wozniak, Bluetooth expert

    --
    karma: ouch!
    1. Re:Woz knows best by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      He was misquoted. He was saying they needed a "Bluetooth II" which is all different because of the Roman numerals.

      Oh, such a young one. The proper why to write that is "Bluetooth ][".

    2. Re:Woz knows best by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Bluetooth ][gs would offer the best graphics and sound experience.

    3. Re:Woz knows best by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      The iPhone 5 was the very first Bluetooth 4/BLE phone on the market...

    4. Re: Woz knows best by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 2

      Nope. Doesn't support AptX either.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  5. Thin end of the wedge by AndrewLee6362 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think Bluetooth audio sounds very poor, but I also feel there could be something else as the endgame here. Step one - wireless headphones are cool, get everyone using them and don't worry about audio quality, just overcook the bass. Step two - eliminate the headphone jack so no one can connect analogue headphones anymore. Step three - introduce DRM on the phone and ensure that only DRM protected audio can be played across the connection. Result - the RIAA and their associates are super happy. Maybe I'm paranoid, but it's what HDCP purports to do for HDMI.

    1. Re:Thin end of the wedge by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      Step three - introduce DRM on the phone and ensure that only DRM protected audio can be played across the connection

      Step 3 fails on a logical and physical basis.

      Logical: This step would be brought to you by the company that removed DRM from their store, and the company who have repeatedly given the middle finger to the RIAA.

      Physical: HDCP relied on one very important feature, the inability to capture the analogue stream. The final stream displayed to the eyes is a tad over 2.07 million individual analogue reproductions which we are unable to capture accurately all at the same time. For audio the final stream is made up of 2 individual analogue reproductions. 2. Not 2 million, just 2. Incidentally that very same signal that pushes an electro magnet attached to a small cone back and forth to actually produce audible sounds happens to be the very same signal you can feed into a very high quality recording device.

      Give me your perfect DRM headphones and a set of pliers and I'll have for you a DRM free recording audibly indistinguishable from the original in about 10 minutes + recording runtime.

  6. Fix it? lol by slashmydots · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Oh, they're going to "fix" it? What do users love more than 1 battery to worry about and having it run dry at just the right time? TWO BATTERIES! Yay, wireless headphones! Good luck "fixing" that, lol.

    1. Re:Fix it? lol by edtice1559 · · Score: 2

      Both USB-C and lightning connectors can deliver bi-directional power. I would sure hope that a pair of lightning-connector headphones wouldn't need a separate battery!

  7. Re:This is the same guy by Osgeld · · Score: 2

    also represents the most successful period of apple's short history

  8. Please, Please, Don't Buy It by BrendaEM · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Come on people, you don't have to validate the RIAA's meddling in our phones.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
  9. i'd like a water proof phone by rogoshen1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I for one would like an iPhone that's totally wa ter proof
    headphone jack: bluetooth
    lightning port : inductive charging

    would be completely water proof with no external buttons -- how is that a bad thing exactly?

    1. Re: i'd like a water proof phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Sony has made numerous waterproof phones with exposed headphone Jacks. Removing it is not a requirement.

    2. Re:i'd like a water proof phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Samsung S7: IP68 with metal construction, no port covers and includes a headphone jack. It's not that hard, Apple just doesn't care to make one.

    3. Re:i'd like a water proof phone by crunchygranola · · Score: 2

      I for one would like an iPhone that's totally wa ter proof headphone jack: bluetooth lightning port : inductive charging

      would be completely water proof with no external buttons -- how is that a bad thing exactly?

      Because a lot of people dont want to keep getting adapters to make things work. Personally I prefer having the option to use BT or wired headphones. Yes, keeping it waterproof would be nice. But I would prefer to have the 3.5 headphone jack.

      Quite so. I have yet to drop any cell phone in the water, or to want to make a phone call while swimming. But I use the 3.5 mm constantly, every day.

      Nobody is demanding Apple drop the headphone jack, and almost nobody is demanding a thinner phone (look at the cases people use that make it fatter).

      I predict that with iPhone sales down, this will NOT goose a new surge in buying, and that the jack will back e'er long.

      --
      Second class citizen of the New Gilded Age
  10. Re:Jobs is dead by Stormwatch · · Score: 2

    Windows 10 is a mess, you should consider moving to Linux instead.

  11. Re:This is the same guy by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 3

    /sarcasm, Riiight, because teaching kids "doesn't count."

    WTF have _you_ done?

  12. I'm out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've given many thousands of dollars to Apple over the years. If they get rid of the headphone jack then I am out of the Apple Camp for good. This is the first real evidence I have seen that Apple is really not the same without Jobs. Removing the headphone jack is so god damn stupid I can't believe they will actually do it. There isn't a reality distortion field to save this one.

  13. Re:This is the same guy by David_Hart · · Score: 5, Informative

    Doesn't mean he isn't right.

    Maybe, but he should do some research on Bluetooth before making recommendations. It appears that Bluetooth 5.0 may provide support for higher quality audio.

    From Wiki: Bluetooth 5 was announced in June 2016. It will quadruple the range, double the speed, and an eight-fold increase in data broadcasting capacity of low energy Bluetooth connections, in addition to adding functionality for connection-less services like location-relevant information and navigation

  14. There is no "removing" of anything... by Black.Shuck · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...they're just rumoured to be shipping the phone without one.

    That's not removing. Nobody is having their existing phone amputated. The SE and 6S series will still ship after the release of the new phone, and they have headphone jacks. The existing, shipped devices have their headphone jacks.

    If the new phone doesn't have a headphone jack, it'll be all over the Internet. There will be almost no way to avoid knowing that the iPhone 7 doesn't have a headphone jack.

    Any "frustration" felt by users who then go and bye one, *knowing* that it doesn't have a headphone jack, *seeing* in the store that it doesn't have a headphone jack, having an Apple employing trying to up-sell them Bluetooth headphones after *telling* them it doesn't have a headphone jack... well, I have a suggestion for where they can plug their existing headphones.

    1. Re:There is no "removing" of anything... by Pfhorrest · · Score: 2

      You are forgetting Joe Average User whose phone carrier tells them they're eligible for an upgrade to the latest new shiny, who eagerly accepts the latest new shiny without asking questions and then finds that the latest new shiny is missing an essential feature that the old shiny had always had and that Mr. Average User here would never have conceived their new improved shiny might possibly lack.

      --
      -Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
      "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
    2. Re:There is no "removing" of anything... by dgatwood · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If the new phone doesn't have a headphone jack, it'll be all over the Internet. There will be almost no way to avoid knowing that the iPhone 7 doesn't have a headphone jack.

      That's not where the user impact comes in. Most people don't use headphones constantly. They use them occasionally. And they will think to themselves, "That's not a big deal." Then, at some point in the distant future:

      • They're at a friend's house and want to play some song. Their friend has an Android phone, and a stereo with only an 1/8" plug.
      • They're out somewhere and think, "I'd like to listen to some music while I walk from A to B" and then realize that their Bluetooth earbuds aren't charged.
      • The stewardess tells them that they can't use wireless headsets (that's a per-airline policy decision) and offers to sell them a headset for $3, but oops, no adapter.

      And so on. And suddenly, what seemed like it didn't matter suddenly matters, and you have a pissed off customer.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  15. Re:This is the same guy by NotAPK · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "It appears that Bluetooth 5.0 may provide support for higher quality audio"

    So the sane decision is to wait until BT5.0 is out, widely adopted, and stable, before cutting the cord, yes?

  16. Bluetooth no thanks. by JustNiz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Noticeably crappier sound quality, plus yet another device that needs charging and can fail before my phone battery does, and is more expensinve, for what benefit? The lack of a cable that never bothered me anyway? I just dont get it.

  17. why by desdinova+216 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    why does Apple have this obsession with making their devices thinner. Most of the people I've talked to wouldn't mind a thicker device if it meant longer battery life.

  18. An alternative.... by mark-t · · Score: 2

    .. if Apple is so dead-set determined to say that their way is better, would be for the iphone to have *2* lightning ports instead of just one... You'd still need an adapter for 3.5 mm phones, but even if you had lightning headphones, you could at least charge your phone while you listen without requiring a lightning hub, (or even plug in other lightning devices that the phone supports)

    1. Re:An alternative.... by dgatwood · · Score: 2

      Plus, when your headphone cord breaks off in the Lightning port, you'll still be able to charge the phone... until you break a second headphone cord, anyway.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  19. Let me show you to your prison cell.... by BlytheBowman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    a few argue that someone needs to push the needle to move the technology forward.#### What the hell for? Why fix something if it isn't broken? The only forward I see is where everything is encrypted, locked down, welded shut, and sealed in exposy so you can't do anything without your new masters' blessing This future - DO. NOT. WANT.

    1. Re:Let me show you to your prison cell.... by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      We could even argue about what forward means in the first place. Removing something that has worked fine for decades and is still in use today doesn't seem like progress to me.

  20. Re:This is the same guy by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Did you know that MP3 is nearly 25 years old?

    And Apple never sold MP3 music files. They started with 128kbps AAC and they've upgraded to 256kbps AAC a few years ago.

    iTunes also allows you to rip your own CDs in even higher bitrates and in Apple Lossless (Apple's equivalent of FLAC).

    So no, bitching about the quality of Bluetooth audio is not pointless.

  21. There is a better Bluetooth audio option now: AptX by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 3, Informative

    And it's supported by all the high end phones. Except Apple - they want their own standard (interestingly, just the iOS devices; the Macbooks have AptX compatibility). It consistently rates higher than any other Bluetooth audio experience, and it's low-latency variant is very nice too. And yes, I develop Bluetooth headphones for a living.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  22. Re:Fix Apple by Yvan256 · · Score: 2

    It did happen with the iPod shuffle. The 3rd generation model was a failure, that's why the 4th generation looks like the 2nd one.

  23. Re: Jobs is dead by cyberchondriac · · Score: 5, Funny

    This fall, my next laptop might very well be Windows

    Windows 10 is a mess, you should consider moving to Linux instead.

    Linux (aka systemd) is a mess; you should consider moving to FreeBSD instead.

    FreeBSD is a giant hunk of shit that takes as much nerd-cred to install as Linux did in 1995. Good luck slicing your partitions.

    Sold!

    Best mini-thread I've read in a while.

    --

    Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
  24. Jobs was the face of Apple, not the heart of Apple by perpenso · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Steve Jobs that made Apple what it was

    According to Wall Street but engineers tend to feel very differently. The simple truth is that it was a partnership. Without the revolutionary hardware design of Woz, Jobs wouldn't have had such a low cost and capable machine to sell. There are engineers as talented as Woz, and pitchmen as talented as Jobs, that have not had "great" success because they never met their peer from the other side.

    Similarly Jobs' success with the Mac and iPhone also relied on extremely talented engineers, required them.

    Jobs was the face of Apple, not the heart of Apple. That heart lies in the engineering talent.

  25. Re: This is the same guy by topologist · · Score: 3, Informative

    Apple hasn't even released a mac book with a skylake processor yet

    Review of 12-inch Skylake macbook from April

    Why bother posting easily falsifiable lies?

  26. Re:This is the same guy by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually it is. It is short hand for:

    * What have you done that is even 1/10 as meaningful as what Woz has accomplished?
    * Where are your devices that helped change the world?
    * Where is your computer langue?
    * Where were you when they were _creating_ the personal computer movement?
    * After starting a fortune 50 company why _isn't_ Woz allowed to "retire"?
    * Why are you so insecure that you must put down others?
    * Why do you criticize others when you're too afraid to even use a real name?

    Only a troll criticizes a visionary and great engineer due to their own insecurity.

  27. Re:This is the same guy by VAXcat · · Score: 3, Informative

    You're right, except you got it backwards. Without Wozniak, Jobs would have wound up selling insurance, or used cars, or some self aggrandizing personal improvement scam.

    --
    There is no God, and Dirac is his prophet.
  28. Isn't the aux already analog? Also, levels vs DAC by raymorris · · Score: 4, Informative

    > The internal DAC on the prius seems like it works well for CDs and BT, but not on it's auxillary inputs. Thoughts?

      The AUX as in the 3.5mm jack that connects to your (analog) headphone jack? THIS headphone jack?:

    > It doesn't seem to have that great of a headphone DAC as it sounds mediocre on everything I plug it into.

    If you're plugging from a regular headphone jack, the DAC in the car shouldn't be involved - it is already analog.

    As for the "bad DAC", trying turning the volume down considerably on the source and compensating by turning it up on the amp. Any modern DAC should have distortion below the threshold humans can detect in music. HOWEVER, the tiny amp for the headphones or the input it is plugged into could very well be overdriven. Turning down the volume on the source may very well fix your problem.

    Here's what happens, when things are right and when they're wrong. When levels are right:
    DAC sends 0.14 volts to headphone amp.
    Volume is set at 5, so:
    Headphone amp multiplies by 5 and sends 0.7V to car input.
    (Car input sees near maximum loudness, line-level car input maxes out at 0.77 volts).
    Car amp multiplies by 20 and sends 14 volts to speakers.

    How things go wrong:

    DAC sends 0.14 volts to headphone amp.
    Volume is set at 10, so:
    Headphone amp multiplies by 10 and tries to send 1.4 to car input.
    Headphone amp can only manage 1volt, so the tops of the waves get cut off.
    Car input gets 1V, but sinces it maxes out at 0.77V, it chops even more off the top of the wave.
    Car amp multiplies by 20 and sends 15 volts to speakers, but not as a smooth wave, the tops are chopped of square.
    Speakers try to move in smooth motion, not chopped, distorting the sound even more.

    Having the level TOO low on the source creates a different problem.
    Suppose there is 0.05V of noise in the source and the wire.
    Source outputs 0.2V of music.
    Car set to amplify by 40 (to compensate for low source level) also amplifies the noise by 40X.
    2V of noise goes to speakers, along with 8V of music.

  29. Re:This is the same guy by perpenso · · Score: 4, Informative

    Other than being a first class engineer and proven visionary?

    You are a massive retard if you think he has any vision. Jobs had the vision.

    Vision exists in design, in the user experience, AND in the design and implementation of hardware and software. Woz's vision is in the later areas, Jobs' in the former.

    This moron was still pushing the Apple II well after it was obsolete.

    The Mac under Jobs was not successful, its eventual success only came under the stewardship of others. At the time of Jobs' ouster from Apple in 1985 the Apple // was generating over 80% of Apple's income. The Apple // generated most of Apple revenue for many years after Jobs' departure. It wasn't until the early 1990s that Mac became the primary source of revenue.

    And in the early 1980s it was Jobs that prematurely downplayed the Apple II in order to focus in the Apple III, which was a major failure and helped create an opening for IBM. So Woz and the Apple // saved Jobs with the Apple III and save Jobs again with the early Mac.

    Every venture this guy has been in after he left Apple has been a massive failure.

    Jobs had many failures with the Apple III, the Apple Lisa, the Apple Macintosh under his original tenure (others turned it around after his ouster), the NeXT computer, etc. The eventual partial success of NeXTSTEP as Mac OS X was a fluke of history, of Apple's two internal classic Mac OS replacement projects failing. When NeXTSTEP was standing on its own two feet it was never very popular outside of computer science labs. It was Apple's adoption, something independent of Jobs' vision, and the grafting of a Mac OS user interfaces for NeXTSTEP that made it partially successful (its core, not its original UI). Jobs' vision also failed with respect to larger screen iPhones. His vision failed with the 6th generation iPod Nano that was developed under his tenure.

    Plus Jobs v2.0, the person who revitalized the Mac and pivoted from computers to phones, was a very very different person than the Jobs v1.0 that founded Apple and developed the original Mac. He spent many years learning from old and new mistakes to get from v1.0 to v2.0. Woz in contrast took off a lot of time to teach, literally, in public schools. Its silly to compare Woz and Jobs, in v1.0 days they were trying similar things, but in v2.0 days they were not and hence the comparison fails. The fact remains that in those v1.0 days is was Woz and the Apple // saving Jobs over and over as Job's post Apple // vision failed repeatedly.

  30. Re:This is the same guy by macs4all · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Other than being a first class engineer and proven visionary?

    You are a massive retard if you think he has any vision. Jobs had the vision. This moron was still pushing the Apple II well after it was obsolete. Every venture this guy has been in after he left Apple has been a massive failure.

    Why don't you Log In and Repeat that Post, COWARD?