New iPhone 7 Case Brings Back the Headphone Jack (thenextweb.com)

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New iPhone 7 Case Brings Back the Headphone Jack (thenextweb.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Friday September 30, 2016 @01:00AM from the revolutionary-design dept.

Apple removed the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, forcing users to use either Bluetooth, the Lightning port or included Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adaptor in order to listen to music through headphones. However, one company took it upon themselves to create an iPhone 7 case with a built-in 3.5mm headphone jack. The company is called Fuze and they recently launched an Indiegogo campaign that promises to bring the audio port back to the iPhone 7. The Next Web reports: To achieve this, the company is taking Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm adapter and building it straight into a case, where you can plug your headphones with "no dongles, no adapters, no problems." In addition to the audio port, the Fuze Case will also serve as a battery pack as it adds 2,400mAh of extra battery life to the iPhone 7 and 3,600mAh to the 7 Plus. It will be available in five different colors including white, black, gold, rose gold and blue. The case is currently available for $49 to "super early bird" backers, but will increase to $59 once more people have chipped in and will eventually sell for $69 in retail. The company expects to start shipping the accessory in December later this year.

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Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:03 · Score: 5, Insightful

Apple customers can never pay enough ... milk them as much as you can, if they're that stupid.
1. Re:Makes perfect sense by MitchDev · 2016-09-30 01:33 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Apple can fly the banner "Mission Accomplished". Pay more to get basic functionality that the phone used to have...
2. Re:Makes perfect sense by Austerity+Empowers · 2016-09-30 01:35 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Pretty sure Apple has absolutely no financial interest in this product succeeding, possibly would prefer it failed.
3. Re:Makes perfect sense by Big+Hairy+Ian · 2016-09-30 01:36 · Score: 1
  
  At this rate why not just make a case that makes phone calls plays music and all the other things an Iphone does without actually pissing all over the end user
  
  --
  Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.
4. Re:Makes perfect sense by The-Ixian · 2016-09-30 02:02 · Score: 3
  
  Yeah, because that is Apple's MO, right? Build something that nobody other than Apple can use?
  If the product says "Apple" or "iPhone" anywhere on the marketing material, packaging or product... they are getting license fees....
  
  --
  My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
5. Re:Makes perfect sense by MachineShedFred · 2016-09-30 02:31 · Score: 1
  
  Why are people so pissed off that a third party has completely resolved the biggest issue with the iPhone 7 in less than 3 weeks?
  GOD DAMN IT I HATE IT WHEN PROBLEMS GET SOLVED EASILY. HOW DARE A COMPANY FILL AN EXISTING NEED!
  It's just ridiculous. Don't like the iPhone? Don't buy one. Like the iPhone 7 except for not having a phono jack? This solves your single issue with the product.
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
6. Re:Makes perfect sense by __aaclcg7560 · 2016-09-30 02:35 · Score: 1
  
  They will get no satisfaction from me. I'm keeping my iPhone 6s for another few years.
7. Re:Makes perfect sense by DrXym · 2016-09-30 02:37 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  That's a great idea for a kickstarter - an iPhone case with a built-in Galaxy S7 to do all the things the iPhone stops you doing.
8. Re:Makes perfect sense by Tukz · 2016-09-30 02:46 · Score: 1
  
  Doesn't Apple get license fee for this adapter?
  
  --
  - Don't do what I do, it's probably not healthy nor safe. -
9. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 02:48 · Score: 2
  
  Yeah, because that is Apple's MO, right? Build something that nobody other than Apple can use?
  If the product says "Apple" or "iPhone" anywhere on the marketing material, packaging or product... they are getting license fees....
  Assuming they are doing the Adapter the "legit" way, Apple is getting an MFi license fee for the adapter built into the case.
10. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 02:49 · Score: 1
  
  Doesn't Apple get license fee for this adapter?
  Yes.
11. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:57 · Score: 0
  
  Wireless headphones drain my battery at least 10 times faster than wired. And when I'm finished, I don't have to charge my wired headphones. It hasn't solved that, and it never will.
12. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:59 · Score: 2
  
  Because it does everything the iPhone does and a lot more. No one cares that it loads a webpage in 18 nanoseconds instead of 17.
13. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:04 · Score: 1
  
  Apple customers can never pay enough ... milk them as much as you can, if they're that stupid.
  Whoo hoo, more shit to buy! Thanks, Apple!
  I always wanted to spend more money and have to carry a fatter, heavier phone just to restore the functionality that you assholes removed, and now my dream has come true!
  My only problem is that it's priced too low. Hopefully it'll be fragile and/or poorly made so I have to keep buying one every couple of months.
14. Re:Makes perfect sense by Austerity+Empowers · 2016-09-30 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  That doesn't mean they necessarily want it to succeed, just that they will not block it (which may cause anti-trust issues should they try).
15. Re:Makes perfect sense by MitchDev · 2016-09-30 03:07 · Score: 1
  
  Ding ding ding.
  That's the real reason they use "Lightning" connectors instead of industry standard mini or micro USB....
16. Re:Makes perfect sense by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2016-09-30 03:07 · Score: 1
  
  I may be wrong, but I think if it connects to an iPhone there'll be a licensing fee involved, especially if it's marketed as an "Apple-compatible" product. I'm pretty sure that's the case with chargers and cables. So in the end, I think Apple will make money from this one way or another. It wouldn't surprise me if Apple themselves came out with something like this eventually.
  
  --
  Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
17. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:16 · Score: 0
  
  Yo dawg.
18. Re:Makes perfect sense by MachineShedFred · 2016-09-30 03:20 · Score: 1
  
  Except for allowing you to use wired headphones at the same time as charging your phone, which is what everyone's bitch is.
  Did you even look at the summary?
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
19. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:27 · Score: 0
  
  Well I think it's cool the problem is solved. I'm still mad at Apple for removing the port. I was playing with some Samsung Android, and I'd call it different, decided I don't really want to go through the learning curve and will stick with Apple. Funny enough I'm having a bit of an issue with my iPhone 6 headphone jack and I'm interested in a new phone. I also don't want to deal with a dongle so I'm looking at the iPhone SE, solves the problem, lose a little screen real estate... then I don't need to xfer and convert any data/contacts/learn a new system. It sounds like iPhone 7 is a big success so I doubt they'll get a message about the headphone jack but I can at least put off a platform switch for a couple more years if I go SE and by then there's likely to be more options to solve the problem (or everyone else removes the jack too LOL)...
20. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:34 · Score: 0
  
  And you're pretty wrong. The Apple tax is applied to any accessories that use the propitiatory lighting port.
21. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:40 · Score: 0
  
  You actually can't make a lightning connector accessory without Apple's blessing. So they at least have a licensing interest.
22. Re:Makes perfect sense by fred6666 · 2016-09-30 03:50 · Score: 1
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
23. Re:Makes perfect sense by BarbaraHudson · 2016-09-30 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  You actually can't make a lightning connector accessory without Apple's blessing. So they at least have a licensing interest.
  Or maybe they overlooked that detail ...
  
  --
  "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
24. Re:Makes perfect sense by jellomizer · 2016-09-30 03:52 · Score: 2
  
  This is tiresome.
  I get this nonsense whenever a major brand decides to ditch a technology.
  Normally Apple has been the first, however other follow suite after people realize it isn't that big of a deal.
  1. Apple is giving with their phone a converter.
  2. Most of the time when people get a second hand device they will get wireless.
  I am not trying to sound like an apple apologist but really is the headphone jack that big of a deal?
  Or are you angry that the iPhone doesn't have a 25 pin Parallel port so you can connect your old Dot Matrix Printer?
  
  --
  If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
25. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:54 · Score: 0
  
  Your phone doesn't even have an SD slot. Talk about inferior!
26. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:01 · Score: 0
  
  I use a wallet case on my phone, and have for years now. My choices are 1) Give up the headphone functionality, 2) Start carrying a wallet (and pay money to get this case), or 3) give up my library of apps & music bought through iTunes.
  Now, if you want to say this is what I get for having Apple products to begin with, that's a fair point. But if you can't understand how this would nevertheless be frustrating, you're being a willfully obtuse shitmonkey.
27. Re:Makes perfect sense by UnknownSoldier · 2016-09-30 04:04 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  > I am not trying to sound like an apple apologist but really is the headphone jack that big of a deal?
  Yes.
  Having to cart around yet-another-stupid-dongle, faster battery drain, and the inability to charge while listening to music all add up to inconveniencing the customer when the prior model didn't have those drawbacks.
28. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:05 · Score: 0
  
  I am angry that my Mac Pro doesn't have a SCSI connector and a socket on the motherboard for my Altivec unit.
  Actually, not, though. If people want over marketed feature-poor computers and gadgets, it's their perogative to pay more for it.
29. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 04:09 · Score: 0
  
  Exactly, but it's really not much of a problem, because there's such a simple solution: Don't buy an iPhone 7!
  Get some other (better) phone, and you'll have a headphone jack, longer-lasting battery, probably a better screen too, and you won't be restricted to Apple's walled garden and be forced to use the abomination that is iTunes.
30. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 04:12 · Score: 1
  
  or 3) give up my library of apps & music bought through iTunes
  That's what you get for being stupid enough to buy into the Apple ecosystem and buy stuff that only works on Apple devices. Enjoy your lock-in.
31. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 04:15 · Score: 1
  
  iPhones are objectively inferior. They use IPA LCD screens, whereas Samsungs use AMOLED screens that are brighter and have more vivid colors.
  It probably helps a lot that Samsung is a screen manufacturer and is at the cutting edge of these technologies, whereas Apple doesn't manufacture anything at all and has to outsource everything, and has to buy their screens from someone else (like Samsung).
  Samsung's cameras are better too. And here again, Samsung makes their own cameras.
32. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:19 · Score: 0
  
  Of coarse you'll have to rout the charger trough the iPhone to prevent it from exploding.
33. Re:Makes perfect sense by MitchDev · 2016-09-30 04:24 · Score: 1
  
  You are an apologist, even an Apple fanboi (used that spelling on purpose).
  They keep removing simple features and not really adding to the battery life or durability while adding cost factors.
34. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:25 · Score: 0
  
  what a troll.
35. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:26 · Score: 0
  
  iPhones are objectively inferior.
  Fortunately, the metrics that matter the most to users are the subjective ones.
  The iPhone feels faster, and the UI gets things done more quickly, the screen looks good enough, and the device has decent battery life for a smartphone despite far lower specifications.
  Seriously though, comparing Apple to the rest of the industry is nonsense. They don't make computers the way everyone else does with an engineers mind. They approach with a user and designers mind, and engineers are perpetually doomed to never see the value of this, just as Apple is perpetually doomed because they make design decisions and not engineering ones.
  Apples order of precedence is: Apple > Users > Designers > Engineers
  Everyone else is Company > Engineers > Users > Don't worry about design, just copy Apple
36. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:28 · Score: 0
  
  because some expected it on launch day?
37. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:30 · Score: 1
  
  Seriously? You can't be that young or stupid right? Of COURSE they want this to succeed. They get more money AND they get to run around claiming that 'see we made the right choice as this gives you freedom of choice to do with you're phone as you see fit'.
  Of course consumers who buy an iPhone 7 are the arbiters of this decision process. I don't buy Apple shit because of their choices that would cost me more than comparable products that are just as good if not better. But hey, if there are people with more money than brains who am I to stop them from spending it.
38. Re:Makes perfect sense by Alioth · 2016-09-30 04:31 · Score: 1
  
  It's horses for courses.
  AMOLED screens tend to suffer from burn-in. A load of Ingress players with AMOLED phones have the image of the Ingress user interface permanently faintly visible on their screen where it's become burned in.
  
  --
  Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
39. Re:Makes perfect sense by MitchDev · 2016-09-30 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  ..and proving his point that you are nothing more than a willfully obtuse shitmonkey...
40. Re:Makes perfect sense by zerocommazero · 2016-09-30 04:39 · Score: 2
  
  Yes, it's stupid to replace the 3.5 jack with something more cumbersome to use. I use mine everyday at work to listen and charge at the same time and to also listen to music in my car as the bluetooth is bad for music. I also use both jacks to listen to music in bed at night and charge. So for me and my life examples, yes. I'd be less hostile if the replacement used common standards or didn't involve dongles, etc.
41. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  That's only a problem at the extremes. In my household we have 3 Galaxy S4/S5 devices, all now 2-3 years old or so. No signs of burn-in. However we also aren't heavy users of a particular game. AMOLEDs work great as long as you have typical usage patterns for a phone (i.e., don't look at the same thing for hours straight). It's not much different than the old CRT monitors: people talked about burn-in there too, but the only time people really had a problem with it was when they did something extreme, such as using the CRT on an industrial or business computer that had the exact same image on the screen all day long, never turning it off or varying it much. This generally isn't a problem with phones. Plus, not many people tend to keep phones more than, say, 5 years anyway, since they're handheld mobile devices and tend to get beat up from handling.
42. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:44 · Score: 0
  
  Untrue. Apple puts their own designers ahead of users.
  Just look at the poor decisions, like how the power button on an iPhone was moved from the top of the phone, where you could easily press it or the volume controls with one hand, to the side directly across from volume-up, which means that one almost always inadvertently presses the wrong button. I have lost so many photo opportunities because trying to press volume-up as a shutter button, my other fingers on the other side of the phone to try to hold it, and accidentally touched the power button.
  Or the fact that Photos now goes through hoops to use machine learning to try to categorize your photos, but you still, years after the new photo ecosystem rollout, cannot edit title, caption, or keywords on iOS.
43. Re:Makes perfect sense by npslider · 2016-09-30 04:44 · Score: 2
  
  iPhone users do have the option to ignore Apple Music and use other streaming music services such as Spotify, but I do recognize they can't put their own music files on the phone like Android allows.
  As an iPhone 6 user turned to Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, I'm not looking back. But Apple users do have *some choices.
44. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:46 · Score: 0
  
  I don't think you get it at all. Hey us 'shit monkeys' as you refer to us can see how this might be frustrating for you but we'll still "laugh in you're general direction". In other words we hold NO sympathy for you. 0. You're complaints fall on entirely deaf ears. If you don't see how that is a valid response than you're being a willfully obtuse selfish little pissant.
  You made a choice when all the evidence that has ever existed about Apple indicated they'd make decisions about their products that aren't about YOU or you're convenience or what you want or don't want. This has been Apple's modus operandi since practically day 1 of their existence. That does NOT mean I think they haven't made some good products, they have, but the cost to the consumer of buying in to their products is greater than not. Everything that Apple has done ever has been done before or better afterwards without their lock-in.
  So, quit bitching & moaning, fork over your $49, $59 or $69 (depending on when you buy in) for this product...or invent your own 'wallet case' & sell that & make money from other schmucks like yourself or do without. WE DON'T CARE.
45. Re:Makes perfect sense by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 04:49 · Score: 1
  
  I listen to audio books when I fall asleep with earbuds and just let them go. So the Apple solution will not allow me to charge my phone at night any longer, which is when I usually charge my phone. I also use my phone to wake up in the morning, so I would be risking not waking up due to a dead battery. Even if the battery isn't dead I wouldn't get to wake up to a charged phone any longer and would have to find time somehow to charge it during the day. So yes it is a big deal to me.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
46. Re:Makes perfect sense by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 04:54 · Score: 1
  
  When I had my Galaxy S3 I would have agreed with you, but that hasn't been the case for a long time. I would say my Note 5 is easily as smooth as an iPhone.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
47. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 05:04 · Score: 0
  
  I have my Galaxy S4 setup to not turn off the screen while charging. Instead I manually turn off the screen at night when I'm finished using it. Every single night around midnight, I get a notification that my battery is at 100%. This turns on the screen, which doesn't automatically turn off. It stays on until around 6am when I wake up. It's done this nearly every night for the last 3.5 years.
  I have absolutely no burn in. If it wasn't for Slashdotters telling me how the world should have ended by now, I wouldn't even know that burn in was an issue.
48. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 05:12 · Score: 0
  
  I don't buy Apple shit because of their choices that would cost me more than comparable products that are just as good if not better.
  
  Oh, you mean like that SLOW-ASS Galaxy Note 7 "Fireball Edition" (which feature they have apparently kept on the "non-fireball" version), that > costs as much or more as an equivalent-storage Unlocked iPhone 7?
  
  Yeah, good choice!
49. Re:Makes perfect sense by sittingnut · 2016-09-30 05:15 · Score: 1
  
  Why are people so pissed off that a third party has completely resolved the biggest issue with the iPhone 7 in less than 3 weeks?
  It's just ridiculous. Don't like the iPhone? Don't buy one. Like the iPhone 7 except for not having a phono jack? This solves your single issue with the product.
  having to pay extra to get basic functionality is not "resolving" the "biggest issue" of deprivation of that functionality.
  but i agree herd animals who are fooled in to buying overpriced apple products (=all) through hype deserve no sympathy.
50. Re:Makes perfect sense by nwaack · 2016-09-30 05:16 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  I wish I could mod this "-1 Wrong." What you're talking about is innovation. Innovation to replace a technology with a better technology is great. But this isn't innovation, this is forcing your users into using a proprietary technology that is cumbersome and worse than the technology it replaces, and then calling it innovation.
51. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 05:19 · Score: 1
  
  It probably helps a lot that Samsung is a screen manufacturer and is at the cutting edge of these technologies, whereas Apple doesn't manufacture anything at all and has to outsource everything, and has to buy their screens from someone else (like Samsung).
  There are only 4 manufacuters (if that) of AMOLED "glass" on the Planet. Samsung is far-and-away the leader in that technology, and has the Patent Portfolio to prove it. So, they have had a merry old time, DENYING Apple their AMOLED parts (or pricing them so they are deliberately out-of-the-question).
  
  That's not Apple's "fault". It is Capitalism.
  
  Apple doesn't manufacture anything at all and has to outsource everything
  Not true. I am pretty sure that Apple is manufacturing its own case hardware, the Lightning connector (at least) and has plenty of custom-designed Silicon in their products.
  
  And as I said above, almost everyone has to buy their displays from a very small number of manufacturers. So, meh.
52. Re: Makes perfect sense by ArmoredDragon · 2016-09-30 05:20 · Score: 1
  
  The industry hasn't used miniusb in a long time.
53. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 05:23 · Score: 1
  
  what a troll.
  Do you want me to show you the GN7 v. iPhone 7 speed test?
54. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 05:39 · Score: 0
  
  No one cares that it loads a webpage in 18 nanoseconds instead of 17.
  At least, nobody cares when Android is the slower one.
  If Android were the faster one, you cunts wouldn't be able to shut up about it, crowing about how Android is the one true operating system.
  Christ you lot make me sick.
55. Re: Makes perfect sense by MitchDev · 2016-09-30 05:45 · Score: 1
  
  True, almost everything has moved to industry-wide standard micro USB, but the point still remains
56. Re:Makes perfect sense by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 05:49 · Score: 1
  
  Why would I want to pay more for headphones when I could buy better sounding ones with a wire for less? I don't want to buy more stuff. You suggest that like it's buying a can of soda. These accessories are expensive and I prefer to spend my money on other things. You can't just suggest people buy more stuff and pretend that is an adequate solution. These buds only have a 12 hour battery life brand new. I would use them for 8 hours at night and then what? I have to somehow charge them during the day instead of taking them with me to work? What a pain in the ass, considering the adequate solution has been in place for 50 years now. As they get older the battery will start to fail as all batteries do, and then what? I have too many things to charge already, I don't need something else to worry about.
  
  Samsung brought back SD card slots because people wanted them, I can't imagine the uproar if they tried to remove the headphone jack. Especially considering bluetooth doesn't yet match the sound quality of wired and no bluetooth headphone is a reasonable replacement yet.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
57. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 05:53 · Score: 0
  
  Color me surprised an Apple critic cares more about this than an actual Apple supporter.
  Stupid is as stupid does...
58. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:01 · Score: 0
  
  Exactly, but it's really not much of a problem, because there's such a simple solution: Don't buy an iPhone 7!
  Get some other (better) phone, and you'll have a headphone jack, longer-lasting battery, probably a better screen too, and you won't be restricted to Apple's walled garden and be forced to use the abomination that is iTunes.
  I've tried Android. I don't like it. I don't love Apple, but I find it better suits me.
  I buy very few apps don't and I don't use iTunes ever. I don't need a bigger or better screen. Battery life is not a concern.
  I haven't had issues with Apple hardware quality and iOS is good enough.
  The primary motivator for me is relatively seamless integration with my employer supplied MBP. That includes using the same earbuds.
  I would seriously consider a "better" phone, but IMO the Android ecosystem is far worse than any "walled garden", especially when you include manufacturer and carrier shenanigans.
59. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:13 · Score: 0
  
  That's a great idea for a kickstarter - an iPhone case with a built-in Galaxy S7 to do all the things the iPhone stops you doing.
  Why would you want an inferior, slower phone for your phone?
  Yeah, I don't see the point of strapping an iPhone to my phone.
60. Re:Makes perfect sense by torkus · 2016-09-30 06:14 · Score: 1
  
  Apple: we courageously removed the headphones jack to make the already thin phone [drumroll] .001 inches thinner and have 5% more battery life [taDAA] ... [crickets]
  3rd party vendor: we've put back the headphone jack and made the phone .2 inches thicker and added 60% more battery life ... [crowds scrambe to throw money at them]
  While the phones look sleep and cool, who really DOESN'T put their phone in a case these days? the .001 inch different in thickness is as pointless as the 5 gram weight reduction. I don't want to carry a brick around, but some basic shock protection and/or decent battery life (and a headphones jack) don't seem all that big of a deal.
  
  --
  You can get rich if you own a politician, but you have to be rich to buy one in the first place.
61. Re:Makes perfect sense by torkus · 2016-09-30 06:16 · Score: 1
  
  ...buy...music...iTunes...
  bwahahahahahahahahahaha
  I've bought $0.00 in music and movies from iTunes since the times when people were telling ME to get off THEIR lawn. I refuse to give lock-in services any money for the inconvenience of using them.
  
  --
  You can get rich if you own a politician, but you have to be rich to buy one in the first place.
62. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:20 · Score: 0
  
  You do realize that your speed test showed the only app that the note lagged on was subway surfer. which I hate to break it to you is not on my phone so I dont care how fast it opens.
  Also considering that they are still shipping out replacement phones, the fafct that an unlocked one on one webpage that no one has ever heard of is an outrageous price isnt really a valid data point. I certainly cant see it costing twice what an unlocked s7 costs
  https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-S7-Edge-Unlocked/dp/B01CJU9MJI/
  You are a raving fanboi who gets his panties in a twist whenever anyone says anything that tarnishes your impression of apple devices.
  Grow up.
63. Re:Makes perfect sense by Lord+Apathy · 2016-09-30 06:21 · Score: 1
  
  I am not trying to sound like an apple apologist but really is the headphone jack that big of a deal?
  Yes, it is. I listen to smooth jazz and blues in my 2012 Lamborghini.... okay, its a 2012 Honda Civic. Do you know how many station are on the radio that plays Jazz and Blues? Not many.
  To hear music in my car I have to use a patch cable that goes from my phone to my car. Now I could have gotten a car with blue tooth or I could get a Bluetooth adapter,
  So yes. If I couldn't drive to work listening to Jazz on spotify then my coworkers would really hate me.
  
  --
  Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification
64. Re:Makes perfect sense by neoritter · 2016-09-30 06:26 · Score: 1
  
  Have you tried a Windows Phone?
65. Re: Makes perfect sense by dgatwood · 2016-09-30 06:42 · Score: 1
  Yes. This. A thousand times this. And when you try to turn it off, half the time, you accidentally press both the power and volume buttons, and the phone ignores it. Apple doesn't design for end users. They actually design for their own designers and engineers.
  The last phone that was actually designed for end users was the 3GS. Since then:
  
  4 Series was covered with unnecessary glass whose only purpose was to look pretty and then break.
  
  5 Series moved the headphone jack to the wrong end of the phone, making it essentially impossible to build a holster that allows access to both the headphone jack and the power cord, to save space inside the device.
  
  6 Series had that design flaw *plus* putting the power button in a defective position, presumably for some engineering-centric reason.
  
  7 Series has that design flaw plus the headphone jack nightmare.
  
  What's next? Buttons so perfectly smooth that you can't find them by feel?
  --
  Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
66. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 06:49 · Score: 1
  
  That's a great idea for a kickstarter - an iPhone case with a built-in Galaxy S7 to do all the things the iPhone stops you doing.
  Why would you want an inferior, slower phone for your phone?
  Yeah, I don't see the point of strapping an iPhone to my phone.
  Perhaps so you'll have something to use when your GN7 goes up in flames?
67. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:52 · Score: 0
  
  I haven't seriously tried Windows anything in nearly 10 years. That said, if it did a good job of providing basic communication, music playback and web browsing, I wouldn't be opposed.
  I do have reservations about the viability of the platform.
68. Re:Makes perfect sense by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 06:58 · Score: 1
  
  That was very well said.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
69. Re:Makes perfect sense by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 06:59 · Score: 2
  
  I'm sure there are more than a few Apple fans reading this and wondering why you don't just buy a newer car.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
70. Re:Makes perfect sense by UnknownSoldier · 2016-09-30 07:00 · Score: 1
  
  That sums up 95% of my experience too.
  I don't love Apple either; I find Android to be far worse as well.
  I used to use iTunes on my work MBP -- I now use it on my personal MBP. Cost of switching is more then just a new phone. iOS is "good enough."
  Aside from Apple's retarded anti-skeuomorphism design I find Android is even more "clunky".
  If Apple would ever pull their head out of their ass and allow jailbreaking and an USB port I wouldn't have any issues.
71. Re:Makes perfect sense by I4ko · 2016-09-30 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  What do you mean iPhone users can't put there own music on the device? Are you a retard? That has been possible since the days of the first iPhone. Music was uploaded through iTunes or later on with iTunes Match apple will upload all your music collection (I have tons of songs they don't recognize) to their servers and stream it for you. Now I'm also on T-Mobile so the streaming is free for me (doesn't use my data plan), so I stopped storing music locally, but it is a choice, not like this is impossible.
  
  On the other hand, I paid quite a bit of money for custom fitted in-ear monitors that come with a cable. The jack is a must, backed by a good DAC, which the 5S has.
72. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 07:30 · Score: 0
  
  maybe some people just dont want to support such a terrible company as apple
73. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 07:32 · Score: 0, Insightful
  
  Why would I want to pay more for headphones when I could buy better sounding ones with a wire for less?
  If you're buying headphones for the sound, then you're spending hundreds of dollars, regardless of whether they're wired or wireless. If you're not spending hundreds of dollars on your headphones, then you - simply put - don't give a shit about the sound quality, because you are objectively NOT buying high quality headphones which will produce a good sound. Yes, it's that simple. If you want to argue audio quality, then you're already spending hundreds of dollars on that single accessory, so pretending that a $30 dongle that allows you to charge & listen at the same time is pocket change.
  
  I don't want to buy more stuff
  Then don't buy an iPhone. Buy an android, until they start removing headphone jacks, too. Or get used to the fact that technology moves on, and move on with it.
  
  You suggest that like it's buying a can of soda. These accessories are expensive and I prefer to spend my money on other things.
  You just suggested you're buying headphones for high quality sound. If that's the case, the cost of your headphones (wired or wireless) are way more than any sort of connector.
  
  You can't just suggest people buy more stuff and pretend that is an adequate solution.
  Yes, I can, because it *is* an adequate solution. You know how you could save even more money? Don't buy a fucking expensive smart phone. Don't buy high quality headphones (wired, or wireless). If you're going to say you "need" the phone and the expensive headphones, don't pretend that $40 is a significant expense.
  
  These buds only have a 12 hour battery life brand new. I would use them for 8 hours at night and then what?
  Then you charge them? Or you stop wasting power by running them for hours when you're not actually listening to them. Or you spend $40 on the accessory that lets you listen to your wired headphones and charge your phone at the same time. There are plenty of options, it's clear you're just looking for a reason to gripe.
  
  I have to somehow charge them during the day instead of taking them with me to work?
  They charge over usb... they weigh like 2 ounces. You can't carry them plus a usb cable to work, and charge them at your desk?
  
  What a pain in the ass, considering the adequate solution has been in place for 50 years now. As they get older the battery will start to fail as all batteries do, and then what? I have too many things to charge already, I don't need something else to worry about.
  It sounds like you have a very limited mental capacity, and are desperately averse to change. Perhaps you should consider moving to Amish country, and eschewing all technology, since it's always changing and clearly the cognitive load of keeping up is too difficult for you.
74. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 07:38 · Score: 0
  
  and what with that proof, one metric that backs up your ridiculously subjective statement while ignoring all other factors
  grow up there little slugger..your embarrassing yourself
75. Re:Makes perfect sense by npslider · 2016-09-30 08:01 · Score: 1
  
  I was referring to a method that does not utilize iTunes as Grishnakh had said in the post above "...and you won't be restricted to Apple's walled garden and be forced to use the abomination that is iTunes."
  On an Android device you can copy any file type supported by the phone directly to a folder of your choice on the device.
  Using a USB cable to mount the android file system like a flash drive and manage your media files as one would on a traditional PC.
  Apple blocks access to the phones file system. That is what I was comparing.
76. Re:Makes perfect sense by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 08:12 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  When change makes things easier on me, I like it. You cannot deny that wireless headphones are more hassle than wired. In the gym, I can understand because the cord does get in the way. But if you're just sitting.. the cord is not a concern.
  
  Again, your solution is to buy more stuff, which I have already rejected as a stupid alternative. Ok I'll say it, it is completely asinine to pay more for something that doesn't work as well for reasons I have explained. Less sound quality for the dollar, and on top of that wireless headphones are a consumable device because the battery will only last for a few years. Like the fact that you don't understand this very basic concept totally blows my mind. This is why America is so far in debt.
  
  Yes, for your information I buy expensive headphones for listening to music. But the fact of the matter is, $300 is going to go further on wired headphones. This is another thing that you cannot argue. In every brand I check, the wireless version of similar audio quality (if indeed the bluetooth signal is not more compressed from the start) is more expensive than comparable wired headphones. Furthermore, I know wired headphones will work with everything from my kids cheap mp3 player to my van to my stereo to my phone. If I buy wireless I am relegated to only devices with bluetooth. Don't even get me started on interference issues.
  
  I just don't have the time to make sure all the proper dongles are with me at the right time, and I don't need the burden of remembering to charge all the time. Plugging in every day just to charge gets too monotonous for me, especially having to do it more than once a day. It is my choice if I want to buy an expensive smartphone or not. My money goes to devices that solve more problems for me, not less. Anyone who buys something that doesn't have return for the value *for them* in convenience and usefulness is an idiot, which is exactly what you are suggesting I do.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
77. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 08:14 · Score: 1
  
  Exactly. On Android, there's no shortage of ways for me to do what I want to do. I can pop out the SDcard and put it in my PC and write to it directly. Or I can use a USB cable and connect that to my PC, and use the "adb" utility to "adb push" files directly into the filesystem. Or I can use the SDcard as I said above, but use rsync to synchronize the files on my phone with those on my PC. Or I can use various GUI file management software. I'm not required to use any particular software at all, especially not bloated crapware from the phone maker.
78. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 08:17 · Score: 1
  
  I buy very few apps don't and I don't use iTunes ever. I don't need a bigger or better screen. Battery life is not a concern.
  So you don't use any of the fancy features on an iPhone, yet you're willing to pay a gigantic premium to have an iPhone?
  You're like all those old people who buy an extremely powerful $100k luxury car and then drive it 20mph under the speed limit a few times a month.
  I agree with the other poster: you'd be better off with a Windows phone. They're dirt cheap, they allegedly work quite well for the limited things they do, but they have no apps, but you don't care about that anyway. And they have headphone jacks too.
79. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 08:21 · Score: 1
  
  I don't love Apple either; I find Android to be far worse as well.
  I used to use iTunes on my work MBP -- I now use it on my personal MBP. Cost of switching is more then just a new phone. iOS is "good enough."
  If Apple would ever pull their head out of their ass and allow jailbreaking and an USB port I wouldn't have any issues.
  Why should they "pull their head out of their ass"? Suckers like you are happy to throw piles of cash at them for their overpriced, handcuffed items (iPhone and two MBPs in your case, plus an assertion that iOS is "good enough" and the cost of switching is too high). If Apple has zero risk of losing you as a customer by not allowing jailbreaking, not having a USB port, not having a headphone jack, or any other design decision they may make, why should they bother listening to your concerns?
80. Re: Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 08:28 · Score: 1
  
  They actually design for their own designers and engineers.
  Designers, not engineers. Engineers are generally practical and only care about something being well-designed (from an engineering standpoint: robust, reliable, etc.), easy to manufacture, etc. It's the "designers" who come up with things like where buttons should be, and tell the engineers to make it work. The designers only relent if the engineers can't physically make it work.
  Now you might have a point with your bit about the 5 Series saving space inside the device with a questionable design decision, but here again, it's the designers who are to blame, because they're the ones who demanded the thing be so small/thin/whatever in the first place. If only engineers were driving the design, the device would probably be significantly larger, have an easily-removed back panel, have a giant battery, and all the parts inside would be easily replaced for easy serviceability.
  Basically, if you want to see what devices would look like if true engineers made all the design decisions, go look at military hardware.
81. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 08:30 · Score: 1
  
  Samsung is far-and-away the leader in that technology, and has the Patent Portfolio to prove it. So, they have had a merry old time, DENYING Apple their AMOLED parts (or pricing them so they are deliberately out-of-the-question).
  How do you expect a supplier to act when you sue them for something as stupid as rounded corners? They brought that on themselves.
82. Re:Makes perfect sense by Megol · 2016-09-30 08:31 · Score: 1
  
  It is a big deal...
  We at one end have a pair of analog transducers optimized to play audio. On the other end we have a computer generating a digital stream representing an analog audio stream (as humans have analog hearing devices).
  In between those endpoints we need a DAC (digital to analog converter) and an amplifier capable of driving the transducers over the headphone cable. Those two devices may be combined into one chip or even into one circuit (not common).
  Now we introduce a dongle. It could be passive (we still have a DAC and amplifier in the phone and just route it through the dongle to the headphones), semi-passive (we have an active device that communicates with the phone for e.g. licencing purposes but doesn't touch the audio itself) or active (the dongle contains the DAC and amplifier). The passive and semi-passive only saves the 3.5mm connector itself as the phone still need to contain audio components, the active will consume power from the phone to power the audio circuitry and potential overheads.
  Now realize that DAC/amplifiers can be combined so that they can drive the internal earphone and speaker transducers optionally routing the signal to headphones. It may not be the best solution but we still have those transducers with the associated drive circuitry onboard the phone, sure they can produce a worse signal quality than sensitive headphones require. However co-locating a hi-fi DAC (normally powered down) and one or two lower quality DACs for the internal transducers on one chip is not only possible - it is already done.
  Power saving can only come from more efficient audio circuitry. I think it is more likely that Apple can co-operate with an audio chip manufacturer to device a low power high quality solution than it is for a headphone/headset manufacturer to do it.
  TL;DR best case saving is the space of a 3.5mm jack inside the phone. Power usage can only improve if an external DAC/amplifier are more efficient, something that often means producing worse output quality.
83. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 08:50 · Score: 0
  
  yawn. We know; its never apples fault.
84. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 08:54 · Score: 0
  
  So your argument is this: Since the features Apple took away bother you, but another Apple device plus more stuff.
  Yeah, that's brilliant. I've been teasing my wife and her son about their Apple loyalties for years, but the headphone jack drove 2 VERY loyal customers away. Her son got burned by the latest iOS update, too. Had to get my help restoring from a backup, cursing the entire time. I didn't say word. Didn't have to.
85. Re: Makes perfect sense by fferreres · 2016-09-30 08:55 · Score: 1
  
  +1 No benefit to me and a mich worse product. I do charge and listen to music ALL the time and in the car, and my benefit here is carring another dongle that ads $50 and no vakue whatsoever.
  
  --
  unfinished: (adj.)
86. Re: Makes perfect sense by fferreres · 2016-09-30 09:02 · Score: 1
  
  Wireless is not the way because I do 't eanto charge anything else. It's so annoying to run out battery. I have e hiw battery left fe hasn't improved and that Apple doesn't care.
  I can immediately notice bluetooth audio quality, instantly, and also battery drains much faster which is a big issue. I is also another moving part that can make security worse.
  
  --
  unfinished: (adj.)
87. Re: Makes perfect sense by fferreres · 2016-09-30 09:05 · Score: 1
  
  Lol. Best funny post of the day!
  I think the slashdot team didn't know to evolve Meta Moderation and they are killing slashdot due to this lack of vision.
  
  --
  unfinished: (adj.)
88. Re:Makes perfect sense by Austerity+Empowers · 2016-09-30 09:05 · Score: 1
  
  I think they'd rather you buy AirPods or wireless beats headphones, they make all the profit there. If you won't do wireless, they would rather you buy their headphones and their adapter (which they give you with purchase), they can also claim all profits on those things. They would merely get a piece of this, I don't see the interest being that high: if it was they'd do it themselves not wait for a 3rd party to crowd-fund an ugly hack.
89. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 09:22 · Score: 1
  
  Samsung is far-and-away the leader in that technology, and has the Patent Portfolio to prove it. So, they have had a merry old time, DENYING Apple their AMOLED parts (or pricing them so they are deliberately out-of-the-question).
  How do you expect a supplier to act when you sue them for something as stupid as rounded corners? They brought that on themselves.
  Let's dispel (once again!) that meme.
  
  It was OBVIOUSLY a lot more than just "Rounded Corners".
  
  So, kindly take your meme and STFU.
90. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 09:26 · Score: 0
  
  maybe some people just dont want to support such a terrible company as apple
  The fucking AC set up the "conditions" by saying that his reasons were the following:
  
  "I don't buy Apple shit because of their choices that would cost me more than comparable products that are just as good if not better."
  
  I will concede that "as good if not better" is somewhat subjective (although that speed test is pretty damning for the GN7); but "cost me more"? Sorry, no. And I provided the link to prove it.
91. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 09:29 · Score: 0
  
  thats right there were lots of other crap patents that apple tried to use but over time they where disallowed
92. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 10:21 · Score: 0
  
  GG(G?)P here. I didn't pay for my MBP, and didn't pay (extra) for my iPhone either (carrier provided). I use Apple for free (as in beer). Am I also a sucker?
  I doubt it will be long before decent quality Android phones also ditch their headphone jack. And that would just add to the pile of reasons that I find Android to be an inferior experience.
  Of course, not only are the Android "they" pretty good at ignoring customer's concerns, you'd be lucky to find a specific "they" to address at all.
93. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 10:48 · Score: 0
  
  Guy was simply making a point..
94. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 10:59 · Score: 0
  
  You are moron like most iPhone fanboys.
  Slow-ass note 7?
  You people don't like comparing things with actual facts.
  iPhone 7 Plus screen resolution 1080x1920
  Note7 seven screen resolution 1440x2560
  Simpler logic means note7 seven has to work harder to fill this screen resolution so loading game textures etc. WOULD take longer
  Also what does your perception of the note7 have to do with iphone 7 headphone issue?
95. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 11:22 · Score: 1
  
  I didn't pay for my MBP, and didn't pay (extra) for my iPhone either (carrier provided). I use Apple for free (as in beer). Am I also a sucker?
  Quite possibly. Your employer is (I'm assuming that's who bought your 2 MBPs. But if you're paying your own phone bills (you're a little vague here), and you think your iPhone is "free", then yes, you're definitely a sucker. I'm a little shocked anyone on Slashdot would not understand, by now, how phone subsidization plans work. You're paying extra every month (or are locked into a higher-priced plan so you don't see the extra charge) which pays for the phone during the contract period. Smart people don't buy subsidized phones these days, they buy a phone outright and get a less-expensive service with no contract, usually through a reseller.
96. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 11:28 · Score: 1
  
  I doubt it will be long before decent quality Android phones also ditch their headphone jack. And that would just add to the pile of reasons that I find Android to be an inferior experience.
  Wow, that's some seriously deluded and kool-aid-drinking thinking there: "Androids are inferior because they'll eliminate headphone jacks, even though they haven't yet." They haven't done it yet, so what makes you think they're all going to do it? There's a ridiculous variety of Android phones out there. Where are the Apple phones with two SIM slots? There aren't any. Lots of people in Asia have Android phones with dual SIMs; it's a common feature there. Where's the Apple phone with an SDcard slot? They don't have any. But there's tons of Android phones with them, including the new Galaxy S7, and many other lesser-known ones. The nice thing about Android is there's lots of vendors (Samsung, HTC, Huawei, LG, Sony, etc.) so someone is bound to have a model with the features you want.
97. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 11:41 · Score: 1
  
  Uh oh, I pissed off the Apple shill!!!
  Go back to your Steve Jobs shrine. What a loser you are.
98. Re:Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 12:00 · Score: 1
  
  Good luck getting any music onto your iDevice without using iTunes. It's not just about money, it's about being locked into to one piece of horrible software, which only works on certain OSes.
99. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 12:08 · Score: 0
  
  While I currently use an android phone, I was thinking of switching back to an iphone, even though email is the main thing I do. Why? It is more secure.
100. Re: Makes perfect sense by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 12:25 · Score: 1
  
  Don't install a bunch of questionable apps on your Android phone and you should be fine. The problem with Android is the apps are not really curated and it's more of a free-for-all; this is both good and bad. Bad because it's less safe, good because it's more free and you're not limited to what Apple deigns to allow you to have. Freedom isn't free. Honestly, I can't say I've ever seen or heard of real cases of people getting their Android phones infected with anything. The biggest danger seems to be the crap-brand ultra-cheap throwaway models (usually sold for prepaid services) that have a truly ancient version of the OS that the mfgr refuses to update, which has known vulnerabilities. On my Galaxy S5, I'm still getting regular OS updates.
101. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 13:26 · Score: 1
  
  thats right there were lots of other crap patents that apple tried to use but over time they where disallowed
  You can really sit there and look at those to oh ones and say with a straight face that Apple was overly litigious in suing Samsung for what amounted to a nearly pixel perfect cooy of the original iPhone?!?
102. Re: Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 13:33 · Score: 0
  
  loading game textures etc. WOULD take longer
  Four times as many cores; and if Samsung can't fill those extra pixels in a timely manner, then WTF good are they to the user?
  
  Oh, and a number of the tests that the iPhone REALLY whipped on the Slamdung on were things that were NOT especially display-bound.
103. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-09-30 13:38 · Score: 1
  
  Uh oh, I pissed off the Apple shill!!!
  Go back to your Steve Jobs shrine. What a loser you are.
  Really? Slamdung cold-copies the original iPhone down to the very last detail, and the person who points out some AC's assertion that Apple's ire was NOT raised by "rounded corners" is a SHILL?!?
  
  You do realize that "shill" is not a synonym for "one who has a different opinion than me", right?
104. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 14:02 · Score: 0
  
  "Slamdung"? It's okay to have a favorite thing without shitting all over everything else. You really seem like a spoiled child.
105. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 14:18 · Score: 0
  
  The only thing on fire around here is your asshole. You've got a massive case of the red ass. You need someone to call you a whaaambulance? Ya need a buuurn unit?
106. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 14:20 · Score: 0
  
  And YOUR lot.. don't even get me started. If the iPhone came in blue then you'd be crowing all about how iPhone offers SO much more choice. You'd never shut up about it. I wouldn't even be able to go out without hearing some fanboy talk about how superior his phone is. Yeah, it makes me sick when people make up an argument and then hate it too.
107. Re:Makes perfect sense by Tourney3p0 · 2016-09-30 14:23 · Score: 1
  
  No, someone named Macs4all who sucks Apple's dick in every single Apple post and says childish stuff like "Slamdung" is almost definitely a "shill".
108. Re:Makes perfect sense by Tourney3p0 · 2016-09-30 14:25 · Score: 1
  
  He posted the "speed test" elsewhere in the thread. It was a video of some guy playing Subway Surfer or some crap like that. I felt bad for him.
109. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 16:07 · Score: 0
  
  I don't put my phone in a case. I understand the shock protection and all, but the case is bulky. I like to keep my phone in my pocket, and it fits better without a case. Luckily I have an older iPhone so it still has a headphone jack. Thinking about it, I'm fine with the fact that my dad bought me an iPhone because Apple is much better when it comes to security updates.
110. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 17:41 · Score: 0
  
  Noooo apple has never been overly litigious. Thats why apple and frivolous lawsuits have become synonyms.
111. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-01 03:21 · Score: 0
  
  Ding ding ding.
  That's the real reason they use "Lightning" connectors instead of industry standard mini or micro USB....
  Neither can be used for audio, you dipshit.
112. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-01 04:28 · Score: 0
  
  Really? https://www.amazon.com/Headset-Stereo-EHS49UD0MEBSTD-Samsung-Flight/dp/B00383M0UE
113. Re:Makes perfect sense by vandamme · 2016-10-01 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  If I didn't have a headphone attached, I wouldn't be able to listen to FM radio on my $70 Blu, because you need a fairly large antenna for good reception. How does the radio on the Apple 7 do it?
114. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-01 04:43 · Score: 0
  
  Headphone jack is a big deal for folks who must use it for secure hands free calling. My employer forbids the use of Bluetooth.
115. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-01 04:55 · Score: 0
  
  Suckers?
  Yes, the entire market base is comprised of suckers. Fools I tell you! Brainwashed! Idiots, the whole lot of them. Why, they should be forced to go to your school of enlightened thought and whipped into submissive passing intellectual scores!
  Or...
  Perhaps the Apple product satisfies them more than the alternatives and the, oh what is it now, decade of market leading sales still has not been enough for competitors to figure out a more attractive alternative and thereby claim the market.
  Someone once told me that copying is a form of flattery.
116. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-01 05:29 · Score: 0
  
  Samdung or Slamdung are perfect descriptions of the exploding pos phone. Let's see how the whole fiasco plays out in civi court...
117. Re: Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-01 05:32 · Score: 0
  
  Boo hooo... have a cup of STFU why don't you! Such a whinny bitch...
118. Re:Makes perfect sense by cthulhu11 · 2016-10-01 05:50 · Score: 1
  
  Totally. Mine prevents me from spending hours trying to get malware onto my phone or fighting with broken syncing and integration. And the way that it fails to splinter when looked at harshly is just criminal, and it sucks really really hard to have apps available.
119. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-10-01 06:38 · Score: 1
  
  No, someone named Macs4all who sucks Apple's dick in every single Apple post and says childish stuff like "Slamdung" is almost definitely a "shill".
  When I get to "enjoy" ad hominem attacks like the one below on a daily basis by those who are immune to Karmic discipline by "virtue"of their AC status, I do believe I have earned the "right" to hurl a little "dung" at a faceless corporation now and again.
  
  And now, for a sample of a typical daily AC attack against me, taken from today's fare:
  
  "The only thing on fire around here is your asshole. You've got a massive case of the red ass. You need someone to call you a whaaambulance? Ya need a buuurn unit?"
  
  And that's a fairly mild example...
  
  And, besides, your comment is not only ad hominem personally against me, but it is also non-responsive to the comment it purports to be responding-to.
120. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-10-01 06:43 · Score: 1
  
  Noooo apple has never been overly litigious. Thats why apple and frivolous lawsuits have become synonyms.
  If you can look at the photo of the original iPhone and the Samsung nearly identical phone side-by-side and call their lawsuit against Samsung "frivolous", then it is not I who is willfully blind, here.
121. Re: Makes perfect sense by psycheitout · 2016-10-01 08:48 · Score: 1
  
  'There's a sucker born every minute' I believe the phrase always was. Tired of the phone you paid a ridiculous amount of money not having the basic on board functionality you want in a phone. Don't shop for better options. Turn to crowd sourcing, a notoriously fool proof option. It must be nice to be able to be so irresponsible with your money.
122. Re:Makes perfect sense by radarskiy · 2016-10-01 12:07 · Score: 1
  
  Why are the Android phones that already eliminated the headphone jack acceptable but the iPhones that now eliminate the headphone jack not acceptable?
123. Re:Makes perfect sense by Uberbah · 2016-10-01 13:15 · Score: 1
  
  I wish I could mod this "-1 Wrong." What you're talking about is innovation. Innovation to replace a technology with a better technology is great.
  
  -1 Hatorade
  Just because it's not innovation you like doesn't mean that it's not innovation. Same for the first iMac and USB - Apple didn't invent the connector, but ditching legacy connections to lower cost and slim the design was innovative.
  
  But this isn't innovation, this is forcing your users into using a proprietary technology that is cumbersome and worse than the technology it replaces, and blah blah blah
  Look. If you need a phone with a headphone jack....fucking buy a phone with a headphone jack. Same as buying a phone that has a fucking swappable battery, or a fucking SD card slot.
  Just buy the phone you want that does what you want and stop being a crybaby about it.
124. Re:Makes perfect sense by Uberbah · 2016-10-01 13:48 · Score: 1
  
  Translation: you're going to stick to your hateboi storyline, even if it's false. In that case, why don't you throw out the canard about Foxconn employees making iPod's committing suicide, even though the plant in question was producing Xbox's?
125. Re:Makes perfect sense by Uberbah · 2016-10-01 13:52 · Score: 1
  
  Noooo apple has never been overly litigious.
  
  No. They haven't. Apple could have gone full on patent troll in the mid 90's, when their stock was trading for three bucks a share. Their patent library, though not on the scale of IBM's, was still huge. You hatebois also ignore the fact that Samsung sued Apple at the same time, and also got the South Korean government to ban the iPhone for the first two years of its existence.
  But, hatebois gotta hate.
126. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-02 09:33 · Score: 0
  
  Considering Apple blatantly stole the iPhone design from LG, yes it was frivolous.
127. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-10-02 12:10 · Score: 1
  
  Considering Apple blatantly stole the iPhone design from LG, yes it was frivolous.
  Really? If you're talking about the LG Prada, Ars Technica sure doesn't think so.
  
  And again, it takes a severe case of Willful Blindness to NOT come to the conclusion that Samsung's product was far and away into the territory of "causing consumer confusion" between the two products; considering that, from 10 feet away, they are pretty much indistinguishable.
  
  Face it: Apple was completely in the right to sue the pants off of Samsung for their nearly perfect copy of the iPhone (until you picked up the Samsung and compared its performance (or indeed, ANY Android phone's) with that of the iPhone, that is), and Samsung would have (and did) do the same to Apple.
128. Re:Makes perfect sense by Lord+Apathy · 2016-10-03 04:46 · Score: 1
  
  Being able to dump music files on to your phone is one of the best features android has that is often over looked. I buy lots of jazz cd's from cdbaby and the listening loft, just to name two. I can get them flac or high quality mp3s.
  I just download them to my phone, using my phone, drop them on my SD card and off I go. Android plays flac so I'm good.
  I don't have to go through any computer or apples walled garden. Iphone users keep saying their phones are best for music when clearly they aren't.
  
  --
  Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification
129. Re:Makes perfect sense by nwaack · 2016-10-05 06:19 · Score: 1
  
  You curse a lot and you're ignorant. So your answer to Apple completely screwing its customers is "buy another phone"? That'll be a lot easier said than done in a couple years when every other phone maker is forced to ditch the headphone jack and invent their own headphone jack-alternative technology so that Apple can't corner the market with their proprietary technology (which is what this is really about if you haven't figured that out yet). If you want to bend over and spread 'em every time a big corporation tells you to, feel free. The rest of us aren't lubed up so easily.
130. Re:Makes perfect sense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-05 20:17 · Score: 0
  
  This is tiresome.
  I get this nonsense whenever a major brand decides to ditch a technology.
  Normally Apple has been the first, however other follow suite after people realize it isn't that big of a deal.
  1. Apple is giving with their phone a converter.
  2. Most of the time when people get a second hand device they will get wireless.
  I am not trying to sound like an apple apologist but really is the headphone jack that big of a deal?
  Or are you angry that the iPhone doesn't have a 25 pin Parallel port so you can connect your old Dot Matrix Printer?
  YES I NEED THAT PORT!!!! You insensitive clod!
131. Re:Makes perfect sense by Coren22 · 2016-10-12 02:42 · Score: 1
  
  Because clearly, Apple would never have issues with defective batteries?
  http://www.digitaltrends.com/m...
  Also, since the Samsung Note 7 is the only model of Android on the market, clearly it is the only thing that can be compared to the fashion accessory iPhone.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
132. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-10-12 04:20 · Score: 1
  
  Because clearly, Apple would never have issues with defective batteries?
  http://www.digitaltrends.com/m...
  Also, since the Samsung Note 7 is the only model of Android on the market, clearly it is the only thing that can be compared to the fashion accessory iPhone.
  Sounds like somebody's pretty Butthurt! Did you get BURNED with your GN7 purchase?
  
  Burned. Ha ha, hehe! Sometimes I just kill me!
133. Re:Makes perfect sense by Coren22 · 2016-10-12 07:59 · Score: 1
  
  No, since I buy cheaper phones that work perfectly well.
  Are you going to try and claim now that somehow Apple is exempt from battery issues and never has bad batteries?
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
134. Re:Makes perfect sense by macs4all · 2016-10-12 08:20 · Score: 1
  
  No, since I buy cheaper phones that work perfectly well.
  Are you going to try and claim now that somehow Apple is exempt from battery issues and never has bad batteries?
  EVERY OEM has the occasional Li-ion battery runaway. iPhones are no exception.
  
  The difference here is the "clustering" of MANY runaway events, ALL involving the same make/model, and which PERSISTED even AFTER said OEM said they "fixed" the problem with "exchanged" units.
  
  Those are undeniably BIG differences.
135. Re:Makes perfect sense by Coren22 · 2016-10-12 09:18 · Score: 1
  
  So far there is no evidence that the fixed phones have any issue. There was a story about one phone in China that wasn't in the problem group, but as no one was able to investigate, there is no indication of if it was user error, or what.
  Frankly, the way Samsung has been handling the situation makes Apple look horrible. How many times have they denied issues? You're holding it wrong after all, it isn't that the antenna shouldn't be exposed, it is all user error.
  You act like Samsung is so horrible compared to Apple, when frankly, Apple is the horrible one. They are so brave getting rid of a used connector. They still deny the lack of strength in the iPhone 6 phones which is leading to touch disease, and led to bent phones when they came out. Apple is far worse than Samsung, who recalled a phone before any government asked them to.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by drinkypoo · 2016-09-30 01:04 · Score: 5, Insightful

Subject says it all. They keep making phones slimmer so they can brag but we know beyond any shadow of a doubt that many people will pay for more battery life.

--
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
1. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by ausekilis · 2016-09-30 01:15 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  This is one of my pet peeves with phones and one of the deciding factors about which one I go with. I'd gladly pay the same price or slightly more for a slightly thicker/tougher, longer lasting phone. None of this "bendgate" B.S., none of this race to paper-thin. If it fits in my pocket, can stand a couple drops from 3-4 feet and will put up with the occasional abuse from a kid, that's perfectly fine by me. As it is now, I have to get Otter cases for my phones for fear of them snapping or shattering.
  
  The old nokia-style dumb bricks lasted forever. Sure, I couldn't browse the web but at the time I didn't care to. The early smart phones (android 1-2) were getting there, I had one that would last 3-4 days between charges. Then I had a Galaxy S3 (if I remember right) that barely lasted a day on a single charge. Now with the iPhone 6, I'm able to go a couple days between charges... Less if I'm looking at the thing a lot or streaming music. It's not great, but its acceptable.
2. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:36 · Score: 1
  
  Playing devil's advocate here; people who want thin phones can decline to use the case, people who want bigger phones can opt for it. But if the phone was fatter out-of-the-box, then the people who prefer thin phones are boned.
3. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by bobbied · 2016-09-30 01:38 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Which is why I have an Android based Note 4.... It's not that the battery last a long time, being old it doesn't usually make 10 hours actually, but I can carry a spare charged battery which I can insert ANYTIME I choose and presto, I get another 10 hours. My "battery life" is governed by how many batteries I can carry (which is one spare that fits in my wallet case), not how much capacity is built into the phone.
  It's not that I'm opposed to the Apple stuff.... But I like the endless capacity I get by having spare batteries that I can switch out on the go, so I never have to worry about not having any power when I'm out and about.
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
4. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:41 · Score: 1
  
  agreed. Through all the dozens of phones ive ever had, i dont think ive ever looked at one & said "you know what this phone needs? to be thinner"
  More rugged yes, better battery life HELL YES.. but thinner? its never even entered into my mind that i want a thinner phone.
  And yet its all any of the phone manufacturers are ever concerned about, its the only thing they change from model to model, its gotta be thinner! thinner! THINNER!
  Where the hell are they doing their market research??
5. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by tripleevenfall · 2016-09-30 01:54 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  To me the thickness of the phone is a "who cares?" factor. The length and width determine what sort of pocket I can fit the phone in.
6. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Opportunist · 2016-09-30 01:56 · Score: 1
  
  There are fortunately still companies that make phones with decent battery times. Yes, that means my phone is not ultra thin and I also have to pay less for it, but it runs for a week on a single charge.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
7. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Opportunist · 2016-09-30 01:58 · Score: 1
  
  But whether I like it thin or whether I don't care, I can't get more battery time out of the iPhone. Which WOULD, on the other hand, be something I care about.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
8. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by tehcyder · 2016-09-30 02:22 · Score: 2
  
  agreed. Through all the dozens of phones ive ever had, i dont think ive ever looked at one & said "you know what this phone needs? to be thinner"
  More rugged yes, better battery life HELL YES.. but thinner? its never even entered into my mind that i want a thinner phone.
  And yet its all any of the phone manufacturers are ever concerned about, its the only thing they change from model to model, its gotta be thinner! thinner! THINNER!
  Where the hell are they doing their market research??
  Do you think it is just barely conceivable that you are in a minority and that one of the world's richest companies may, indeed, spend quite a lot of money on market research?
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
9. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by berj · 2016-09-30 02:27 · Score: 1
  
  The idea of opening your phone to the elements just to get more battery power seems insane to me.
  I work on messy, dusty, wet, and generally gross film sets. I watched a guy try to open his phone and replace his battery in the middle of december in well below freezing temperatures on a hectic set. He dropped the battery cover in the slush at his feet and generally made a hash of it.
  But even if he hadn't been an infomercial-level klutz.. it would be crazy to me to need to turn off and open my phone in order to get more juice.
  Me? I just plugged in my external battery pack (which at the time could charge my phone 4 times from empty) and popped my phone back in my pocket.
  There are definitely far more elegant solutions out there than replaceable batteries.
10. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by AmiMoJo · 2016-09-30 02:29 · Score: 1
  
  There are quite a few well made, high spec Chinese phones that have big batteries. They also have user friendly features like a headphone socket, dual SIM sockets, SD card, and a protective skin case in the box. The cost about 1/3 a much as an iPhone, or less.
  OnePlus do good software and updates too.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
11. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by cdrudge · 2016-09-30 02:31 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  But who wants a rigid, flat board to sit on. With thinner phones, they bend to your butt's contours so much more easily. And it also increases phone manufacturers and repair shop revenues nicely.
12. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by MachineShedFred · 2016-09-30 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  You missed the point of the post you replied to. That's all and well for you that you don't care about thinness - make your phone thicker with a battery case then. Phone manufacturers are designing their products for more than just you.
  However, someone that *does* care about a thin phone cannot make the device thinner. And unless you're constantly wearing baggy pants or cargo shorts, the Z-axis also matters for what pocket you can fit a phone into.
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
13. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:37 · Score: 0
  
  Data and critical thinking don't matter when irrational hatred is the concern of the day. See: climate change, nuclear power, GMO food.
14. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:38 · Score: 1
  
  "Do you think it is just barely conceivable that you are in a minority and that one of the world's richest companies may, indeed, spend quite a lot of money on market research?"
  I think its more likely that the manufacturers are dictating to the masses what they want them to want.
  And the phone manufacturers want us to want expensive flimsy crap that breaks the first time you drop it.
15. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 02:40 · Score: 1
  
  A) A person that replaces their battery without finding a clean dry place to do it is just stupid,
  B) How is having a battery pack dangling from your phone by a cord in any way more elegant? You have made a portable device non-portable, or at least very awkward.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
16. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by phayes · 2016-09-30 02:41 · Score: 1
  
  Then buy a battery case. If more people did so, Apple & Samsung & ... would have a better case for building thicker phones. Because so few do, the business case for making them is clearly "at a loss".
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
17. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by macs4all · 2016-09-30 02:52 · Score: 1
  
  Subject says it all. They keep making phones slimmer so they can brag but we know beyond any shadow of a doubt that many people will pay for more battery life.
  The iPhone 7 is the same dimensions as the iPhone 6s, and yet it gets around 2 hours more battery life.
18. Re: Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:58 · Score: 1
  
  Why would you put your phone in your back pocket to begin with? Front pocket solves all sorts of problems.
19. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2016-09-30 03:13 · Score: 2
  
  To me the thickness of the phone is a "who cares?" factor. The length and width determine what sort of pocket I can fit the phone in.
  Bingo.
  This whole "but it's thinner" concept seems ridiculous. It's like these people are terrorized by a slightly thicker phone. Thinner usually equates to "bendable" and fragility. Just give me a decent, solidly-built phone and I won't care if it's 2mm thick or 3mm thick or OMG 3.5mm thick.
  
  --
  Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
20. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by berj · 2016-09-30 03:21 · Score: 1
  
  A) come to a film set some time.. you don't have many options and can't just walk away whenever you feel like it. I've been standing out in the desert for 4 or 5 hours at a time and then it starts raining and "clean and dry" is a leaking popup tent. Even the porta potty is a 10 minute ride away.
  B) nothing's dangling from anywhere. It's just sitting in my pocket charging. Since it's not major surgery to charge up my phone I don't let it get so low that I can't unplug it when I need to use it for a few minutes.
21. Re: Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by MachineShedFred · 2016-09-30 03:22 · Score: 1
  
  Unless we're talking about women's fashion, in which the front pockets may as well not exist.
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
22. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:24 · Score: 0
  
  Been under a rock, have you? External power packs are ubiquitous, cheap, and store FAR more than a replacement battery. Oh, and they are universally compatible with everything.
23. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by phayes · 2016-09-30 03:43 · Score: 1
  
  Heh, OnePlus takes 6 months to a year to deploy upgrades
  
  it can take a long time between the moment a new Android release is introduced and it being rolled out via software updates.
  Take the OnePlus 2 for example. It launched a year ago with Android 5.0 Lollipop, just before Google released Android 6.0, but it wasn't until early June that it received a software update to Marshmallow. OnePlus X, which launched shortly after the OnePlus 2, only gets its Marshmallow treatment today.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
24. Re: Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Diss+Champ · 2016-09-30 03:53 · Score: 1
  
  But if we're talking fashion, then arguing utility is silly.
25. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:57 · Score: 0
  
  What percentage of the market has this problem? Batteries fail over time and new batteries are always improving. Allowing users to swap batteries is an excellent feature. If you need a waterproof phone then get one, but that isn't the need of most people. If you are on a set and your phone dies and you can't change it due to the elements, fine. But at least with a replaceable battery you have the option to slink off to shelter to replace it.
26. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 04:07 · Score: 1
  
  A) You don't have a vehicle? Heck, if you can't change a battery in a leaking popup tent without wrecking your phone then I guess you do need a sealed battery, but this only applies to a small percentage of the most inept people.
  B) So you have to take the phone from your pocket, unplug it, put the battery pack back in your pocket, use the phone, take battery pack from pocket, plug in phone, and then walk around with a phone and battery pack in your pocket. Yeah, elegant.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
27. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:10 · Score: 0
  
  Cases are virtually essential anyway, so if they're so desperate to make slim phones that they have to make such compromises as reduced battery life, non-removable batteries, missing headphone/other sockets, etc. then they might as well just remove the battery entirely and have nothing but a single docking port, and expect an external case like this one to house all swappable components like batteries and SIM cards and add whatever ports and sockets they feel like.
28. Re: Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:10 · Score: 0
  
  If you want to trade your Applephone in each year for the new model you will always keep it in an expensive case so it has the max tradein value.
  Soon there will need to be separate jumbo landfills just fot the used Applephone cases.
29. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by AmiMoJo · 2016-09-30 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, OnePlus deploy security and bug fixes fairly quickly, within a week or two of discovery. Upgrades to the next OS version take longer, but at least you are protected.
  And for the money, you really can't complain.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
30. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by berj · 2016-09-30 04:15 · Score: 1
  
  A) personal vehicles are generally very far away from where you're working. And crew transport vehicles drop you off and leave you there. They're not always close by either.
  B) I don't have to do anything of the sort. I reach into my pocket... pull out the plug and take out my phone. Then when I'm done I put the phone back in my pocket, grab the plug and plug it in -- an advantage of the lightning plug in my phone.. I don't have to look at it to figure out how to plug it in.
  It's far more elegant and useful to have an external battery pack to keep your phone battery topped up than it is to wait for your battery to drain completely, turn it off, open it up and swap batteries
  An internal battery is only good for one charge before it needs to be recharged. My battery pack can charge my phone (and/or others' phones) multiple times before I need to charge it.
  And every time you get a different phone you need to buy extra batteries.. I've had the same external charger for 5 years. You also need to have a charging base to charge both your phone and the external battery at the same time. I just need another cable.
  There's nothing elegant or better about swapping a battery just to get more battery life.
31. Re: Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 04:19 · Score: 1
  
  Women keep their phones in their purses. That's why women actually want bigger phones than men, on average, because men care about them fitting into their pockets, whereas women have plenty of room for a phone/phablet in their purses.
32. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by arth1 · 2016-09-30 04:20 · Score: 1
  
  Then buy a battery case. If more people did so, Apple & Samsung & ... would have a better case for building thicker phones.
  Surely, if everyone bought cases, there would be no incentive for the manufacturers to building thicker and sturdier phones.
33. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 04:23 · Score: 1
  
  Same here; I have a Galaxy S5. I can buy spare OEM batteries on Ebay for less than $10, and swap it out in a minute (most of the time for swapping is getting my Otterbox case off the phone; the back of the S5 comes off in a few seconds).
  Even better, it's waterproof, even with the removable back.
  On top of that, there's an SDcard slot. I can put a 128GB card in there if I want.
34. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by bobbied · 2016-09-30 04:31 · Score: 1
  
  The idea of opening your phone to the elements just to get more battery power seems insane to me.
  I work on messy, dusty, wet, and generally gross film sets.
  There are definitely far more elegant solutions out there than replaceable batteries.
  I have the same option available to me should I choose. In fact I have a portable power pack too that I carry around sometimes for my iPhone burdened friends, or for the times when I don't wish to open the phone to the elements, like on a camping trip. So I have the best of both worlds. Plus, I *could* get extra capacity in a case/cover for it, Not to mention that Samsung has an "IQ" "charging pad" option for my phone that snaps in behind the battery cover. I don't have it, but it's available. It's NOT available for that iPhone, at least not in a way that mounts internally.
  And that's really my point. My Note 4 gives me more options than your iPhone....PLUS, changing my battery requires ZERO in the way of tools. I've changed iPhone batteries in the 5 and 6 series and it's not nearly as easy. Maybe it's the engineer in me, but I like having the flexibility of multiple options...
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
35. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Alioth · 2016-09-30 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  It doesn't make it awkward at all. The external batteries are easily pocketable, and a short bit of cable isn't a problem. I have a MiFi with a battery you can swap, but I've never swapped the battery - it's easier and simpler just to plug it into an external battery when the charge gets low.
  
  --
  Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
36. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by bobbied · 2016-09-30 04:39 · Score: 1
  
  There's nothing elegant or better about swapping a battery just to get more battery life.
  I think we have hit the main issue.. You are looking for elegant in a cell phone where most of us really just want utility and a bit of cool. You want it to look good, we want it to work. I'm betting you replace your phone often too, where my Note 4 is about 3 years old and it replaced a 4 year old phone....
  So I think we know why you picked that iDevice over the other options out there.. When it comes to elegance, Apple is the choice, just not so much for utility or value...So if elegant what you are willing to spend your $$ on, have at it.
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
37. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:39 · Score: 0
  
  now thats just a lie
  https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/23/iphone-7-review-poor-battery-life
  http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/iphone-7-plus-goes-head-to-head-with-6s-plus-and-6-plus-in-battery-test-1329649#article-comments
38. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by MitchDev · 2016-09-30 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  Easier to get people to buy new ones more frequently when they make the phones cheap and easy to break...
39. Re: Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Khyber · 2016-09-30 05:05 · Score: 1
  
  Have you never seen a Utilikilt?
  
  --
  Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
40. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 05:08 · Score: 0
  
  But you don't want people to spot your phone lines. Consider the iPhone the G-string of smartphones.
  On second thought, bleach your mind.
41. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by phayes · 2016-09-30 05:14 · Score: 1
  
  Apple/Samsung/... do market studies. The market studies show that very few people buy these phones that you need to put in a holster like we did 20 years ago.
  If cases were more than a negligible market you'd think that Apple or Samsung would cut the market off with thicker phones. They haven't.
  With all the claimants that Apple bought Beats & eliminated the Jack in some dark conspiracy to gyp buyers out of more money, you'd think that EVIL APPLE would also be doing the same thing to this (as you pretend) flourishing market for cases with Jacks. They haven't.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
42. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by phayes · 2016-09-30 05:19 · Score: 1
  
  I've got a Work Android phone so my Android is free.
  Using Android for work is the reason my personal phone is an iPhone - so that I can use it and not have to screw around with it.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
43. Re: Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by lister+king+of+smeg · 2016-09-30 05:21 · Score: 1
  
  Women keep their phones in their purses. That's why women actually want bigger phones than men, on average, because men care about them fitting into their pockets, whereas women have plenty of room for a phone/phablet in their purses.
  I don't know about that I carry a 7" tablet with me almost everywhere. I put it in my jacket pocket if I am not wearing one I just carry it in my hand no biggy. I also have a dumb-phone to make calls with. Of course I am not your "average joe sixpack" and wish my tablet was debian rather than android my experience may not be standard.
  
  --
  ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
44. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by berj · 2016-09-30 05:22 · Score: 1
  
  In what universe is looking good and working mutually exclusive? What's more.. elegant in this case isn't about how it looks.. it's about having the simplest solution that is, in fact, better than the options. You do know that there are multiple definitions of elegant.. right?
  I replace my phones probably every 2 to 2.5 years. Usually I'm not ready to give up my phone but I have a relative who has a very old phone that needs something better than what they've got.
  Every phone I've replaced in the last 8 years I would have kept for another couple years but has gone to someone else who just wanted something a bit better.
  As for utility.. I use my phone every day for work. I get a huge amount of utility out of it. Very weird for you to assume I don't.
45. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by berj · 2016-09-30 05:24 · Score: 1
  
  So with all of the options (external charger, battery case) that are *far* superior to replacing the battery.. what's the point of having the replaceable battery? It's just extra complication for no purpose.
  A wind up crank on the side of the phone isn't much worse a solution that opening it up and swapping batteries.
  As for dead batteries.. in 20 years of owning a variety of cellphones (from old chocolate bar style, to flip phones to sliders, to blackberries to iPhones) I have never once needed to replace a battery that was no longer carrying a charge. Sure it happens.. But I'd rather have something that's better for every day use than planning for the once in a blue moon case of my battery going flat.
46. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by macs4all · 2016-09-30 05:25 · Score: 1
  
  now thats just a lie
  https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/23/iphone-7-review-poor-battery-life http://www.techradar.com/news/...
  Ha! AC Can't even post a link correctly...
47. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by macs4all · 2016-09-30 05:36 · Score: 1
  
  now thats just a lie
  https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/23/iphone-7-review-poor-battery-life http://www.techradar.com/news/...
  By the way, did you even watch that battery test?
  
  The 7 plus easily beat both the 6 plus (which I have, and which gets me about 4 DAYS of average use) and the 6s plus. No, it wasn't by 2 hours; but real-world battery tests are not scientific. The point is, the 7 plus DID have significantly better battery life than the two previous models, and that is going to stay true no matter the application.
  
  And if you are doing something like listening to streaming music, where the iPhone 7 can take advantage of the A10's two "low-power" cores, the difference probably will meet (or even exceed) that 2 hour difference claim.
48. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by bobbied · 2016-09-30 05:50 · Score: 1
  
  You can't be serious.... Having a heavy battery pack dangling from your phone while it charges for an hour or two is "far superior" to swapping out the battery in 60 seconds? It's not like this is rocket science...
  To each their own....
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
49. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:05 · Score: 0
  
  real world test are not scientific but apple claims of 2 hours are the truth.
  what kind of world do you live in?
50. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:10 · Score: 0
  
  There is a need for a fatter phone.
51. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by berj · 2016-09-30 06:32 · Score: 1
  
  As I said to someone earlier.. there's nothing dangling from anywhere. It's just sitting in my pocket charging until I need it. And since I don't have to wait for the battery to run flat in order to charge it (like you do with swapping batteries) I can just unplug the charger if I need to use it and then plug it back in when it goes back in my pocket.
  Why in god's name would an engineer think that the best way to use an external battery pack is to have it dangling off the end of the cable like a plumb bob?
  As I said before.. there is absolutely nothing better about opening up your phone in order to get more juice. Everything about a spare, external battery pack is just plain old superior.
52. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by macs4all · 2016-09-30 06:47 · Score: 1
  
  real world test are not scientific but apple claims of 2 hours are the truth.
  what kind of world do you live in?
  Nice selective editing, fucktard.
  
  We're done now.
53. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 07:05 · Score: 1
  
  You realize your relatives could buy older phones on eBay right? Sounds to me like you just look for an excuse to get the new shiny shiny.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
54. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 07:06 · Score: 1
  
  Personally, I don't like to have more in my pockets that I need to have, but you might have more room in your pants than me.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
55. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by thegarbz · 2016-09-30 07:14 · Score: 1
  
  The early smart phones (android 1-2) were getting there, I had one that would last 3-4 days between charges.
  The current generation of smartphones will happily last a week or even long in low power mode. You can't have everything all at once but the option is there for you.
  The option wasn't there for Nokia. They couldn't browse the web. And if they could they would have been flat within a couple of hours, not one day.
56. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by berj · 2016-09-30 07:23 · Score: 1
  
  Why would I want my relatives to have to spend money when I can gift them something at no cost to them?
  Why would I want them to have something used about which they know nothing in terms of its quality when I can give them something used that I know has been taken care of?
57. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 08:08 · Score: 0
  
  There are fortunately still companies that make phones with decent battery times. Yes, that means my phone is not ultra thin and I also have to pay less for it
  Dealbreaker. Pennypinching is something only the uncool kids do.
58. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 08:18 · Score: 1
  
  If your relatives are in a position where they are just doing pay as you go and they can't afford a plan then it makes sense. Otherwise, phones come free with most celphone plans, even some pretty good smartphones, so I'm not quite sure why they would want a two year old used phone as opposed to getting a new phone for free. That's just what I don't understand.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
59. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 08:37 · Score: 0
  
  lol anger management dude , it just works
60. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by lgw · 2016-09-30 09:13 · Score: 1
  
  Fashion companies don't make things that are useful or good. They make arbitrary shit, then make it popular, and people rush to buy the inferior, but fashionable, product, and pay a lot more for the privilege.
  It's not like you can even blame Apple for taking advantage of this, really. But it's not about "market research", it's about "setting the trend". Telling, not asking, people what they want.
  
  --
  Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
61. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Opportunist · 2016-09-30 09:23 · Score: 1
  
  Obviously their market study didn't lead them to the conclusion that people would like to buy phones that come with a protective cover. It seems there can't be a market for that.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
62. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by berj · 2016-09-30 10:21 · Score: 1
  
  They don't particularly care for the latest thing. They've got, say a 4 or 5 year old phone and just want a newer phone without having to deal with updating their plan. When you buy on a new contract you have to deal with whatever they have on offer as opposed to the plan they've already got.
  It's just simpler. Also I have family in both the states and canada so I buy phones unlocked directly from Apple and things can be passed around across borders easily (the person I gave a phone to will in turn give their phone to someone who needs one).
63. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by phayes · 2016-09-30 21:16 · Score: 1
  
  Given that Apple sells protective covers, you have a weird idea of what "obvious" means. Apparently reading or using the word Apple in any sentence inverts the meaning for you for some bizarre reason.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
64. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by bobbied · 2016-10-03 03:43 · Score: 1
  
  And like I said.... To each their own..
  Personally, as an engineer I like having options... I my case, I have more options than you, so on those grounds I content my position is better. I can charge from an external battery pack just like you do, PLUS, I have the option of swapping out my battery and not needing to endure having my phone plugged in with some kind of charger dangling from it.
  You like your way? So be it... Just remember, I can do that too (and at times have done exactly what you describe), but I've found the battery swapping to be more convenient for me. Where I have three batteries in rotation, one on a portable charger (in my car or back at the hotel room) one in the wallet case, and one in the phone. I get 20 hours of run time in my pocket, with a hot spare for 10 more hours waiting once I get back to my hotel room (or personal vehicle). The trick is to get all the batteries recharged over night, but that's actually easy... The deadest battery goes on the charger and the next lowest goes in the phone over night. When I wake up, my phone is fully charged as is the one in the external charger. I swap the spare with the one in the external charger and I have 20 hours in my pocket with one partially charged on the charger for when I get home. Assuming I have a place to charge the spares, I never run dry and NEVER have to plug in my phone, except when I'm sleeping anyway....
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
65. Re:Battery cases prove market for fatter phone by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-05 20:37 · Score: 0
  
  The idea of opening your phone to the elements just to get more battery power seems insane to me.
  I work on messy, dusty, wet, and generally gross film sets. I watched a guy try to open his phone and replace his battery in the middle of december in well below freezing temperatures on a hectic set. He dropped the battery cover in the slush at his feet and generally made a hash of it.
  But even if he hadn't been an infomercial-level klutz.. it would be crazy to me to need to turn off and open my phone in order to get more juice.
  Me? I just plugged in my external battery pack (which at the time could charge my phone 4 times from empty) and popped my phone back in my pocket.
  There are definitely far more elegant solutions out there than replaceable batteries.
  You are a fuckin idiot. ALL fuckin phones should require removable batteries for CONSUMERS to actually own the phone and not "lease" the fuckin thing. It's not a fuckin loaf of bread that goes moldy. A phone should be able to be easily accessible to Battery Sim card SD card AND have HDMI out as well as HEADPHONE JACK and USB for data and charging. Go look at a Blackberry Q10 which also has a real keyboard and runs Android with some tinkering. YES you can actually modify software on the phone. Anything less is total garbage and the phone owns you. Battery covers are access freedom and real ownership.
Now there is a company with courage by burtosis · 2016-09-30 01:06 · Score: 5, Funny

Next step is to include a free wire so you don't lose those wireless earbuds.
1. Re:Now there is a company with courage by plover · 2016-09-30 01:09 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Next step is to include a free wire so you don't lose those wireless earbuds.
  This is Apple we're talking about. "Free"? Expect to pay $39.99 for a iWire, and have to put up with standing in line waiting for a Genius install it for you.
  
  --
  John
2. Re:Now there is a company with courage by burtosis · 2016-09-30 02:01 · Score: 1
  
  Next step is to include a free wire so you don't lose those wireless earbuds.
  This is Apple we're talking about. "Free"? Expect to pay $39.99 for a iWire, and have to put up with standing in line waiting for a Genius install it for you.
  Of course, but that's for the Apple iwire. Though these third party wires don't provide nearly the same sound quality or social status, they are cheap.
3. Re:Now there is a company with courage by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2016-09-30 03:16 · Score: 1
  
  Next step is to include a free wire so you don't lose those wireless earbuds.
  It'll be called the iWire or iTether and it'll be $39.95 for the white version, $49.95 for the black. It'll also be super-thin so it breaks every couple of months.
  
  --
  Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
4. Re:Now there is a company with courage by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 05:31 · Score: 0
  
  Next step is to include a free wire so you don't lose those wireless earbuds.
  Someone has already made that, and it's only $10. The AirPods Strap by Spigen. You can get it on amazon but it's currently out of stock, which is ironic.
5. Re:Now there is a company with courage by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:13 · Score: 0
  
  This is Apple we're talking about. "Free"? Expect to pay $39.99 for a iWire, and have to put up with standing in line waiting for a Genius install it for you.
  Which Apple are you talking about? Ignoring for a moment that "losing earbuds" is not an actual problem, the last time a "workaround" was needed, Apple gave _free_ cases to owners who suffered from antenna problems. Also, Apple has $9, $19 and $29 price points that are more likely for such a simple device. If the iWire were to cost almost forty bucks, the price would likely be $39, not $39.99 -- Apple doesn't do the pennies thing in their pricing. There is never a need for a Genius to install stuff Apple sold you separately. And if there were, you can make an appointment specifically to avoid having to wait.
  You _may_ have a valid point in there somewhere, but it gets lost when you drown it in baseless exaggeration.
Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:14 · Score: 1

I would much rather pay for this case that allows you to use your own headphones, AND give extra battery life, than be ripped off by Apple forcing you to buy their extra probably highly inflated in price box of trick. Dropping the headphone jack is just a cynical marketing strategy to make people give even more money to Apple.
1. Re:Great Idea. by hyperar · 2016-09-30 01:52 · Score: 1
  
  I would much rather pay for this case that allows you to use your own headphones, AND give extra battery life, than be ripped off by Apple forcing you to buy their extra probably highly inflated in price box of trick. Dropping the headphone jack is just a cynical marketing strategy to make people give even more money to Apple.
  Doesn't the built in adapter allow you to use 3.5mm headphones?, We all know that Apple dropped the 3.5mm jack to make money out of third party accessories manufacturers, yet they provide you with a solution out of the box. Not defending Apple, i have a 6s Plus, think is a great device, yet a don't really like Apple.
2. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:18 · Score: 0
  
  Not a solution. Before, I could listen to music at my desk all day long as long as I kept my phone charging. I can only do that now if I go pay up for some wireless headphones.
3. Re:Great Idea. by davros74 · 2016-09-30 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  The problem with an external adapter, and with lightning connector headphones, is that the DAC has now been moved from inside the phone to the external dongle or headphone.
  For audiophiles, this was standard practice (to use an external DAC) even with the 3.5mm jack, because the iPhone's internal DAC was limited to 24-bit/48kHz. But now with cheap dongles and cheap headphones, the built-in DACs could be quite inferior for audio quality, or if decent, raise the cost (rather than one decent DAC in the phone, now every connected headphone/dongle has to provide it's own DAC and draw power from the phone).
  I don't like Apple removing the 3.5mm jack, but now that I use Sennheiser's as my primary headphones at work, I no longer use the 3.5mm audio jack and use an external dock to charge my phone and drive my headphones (still have to turn the volume to near max to drive them). I think the market for external DACs with added bonus of phone battery charging capability will be on the rise (see Oppo HA-2 and the like). Incorporating such features into a phone case even better.
4. Re:Great Idea. by MachineShedFred · 2016-09-30 02:39 · Score: 1
  
  Or buy a $30 widget that allows charging and phono output at the same time. Yes, you're having to buy an extra thing, which is lame. Yes, this is an arbitrarily manufactured issue. No, this isn't an insurmountable issue.
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
5. Re:Great Idea. by davros74 · 2016-09-30 02:41 · Score: 1
  
  I should refine my last statement that I do not use the 3.5mm jack during the day while I am at work. However, I DO use the 3.5mm jack quite extensively when I am mowing the grass, going for a walk, or listening to music when falling asleep (and leaving my lightning port connected to a charger overnight). I would like a slightly thicker phone if more battery life could be had - as it is now I can only get by always charging my phone overnight, AND by topping it off while I am at work by leaving it connected to a dock, AND I always have it plugged into my car stereo via USB. Even with all that, sometimes late in the evening I will dip below 20% battery.
6. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:02 · Score: 0
  
  Just what I'm looking for when I'm dropping hundreds of dollars on a new phone. Another thing to carry around and probably lose, more money to spend, and much higher battery drain. All for an experience that can at best be described as "not insurmountable". Apple does it again! Thanks for helping me see the light, apologists!
7. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:09 · Score: 0
  
  "Doesn't the built in (I think you were looking for "sold with") adapter"
  That's a short term effort to ease their customers into their new market strategy. When you're cooking frogs you don't toss them into boiling water, you put them in cold water and up the temperature slowly (or at least that's the saying). Later in this phones production run/in the next model they'll almost certainly do away with or at least require consumers purchase the adapter. Depending on how things go they may even make some "upgrades" that break the adapter all together.
8. Re:Great Idea. by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2016-09-30 03:20 · Score: 1
  
  You know what's great about wired headphones and earbuds? They don't go dead if you leave them sitting in a drawer for a week. Or a year.
  That's why wireless earbuds are a ridiculously impractical invention, and I would go so far as to call them "consumer hostile". Two more batteries to drain, wear out, and be disposed of. Lovely.
  
  --
  Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
9. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:26 · Score: 0
  
  What about that post sounded like an apology to you? Was it the part where it was said that it was lame you had to buy an extra thing, or when it was said this is an arbitrarily manufactured issue?
  Pull your head out of your ass.
10. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:51 · Score: 0
  
  Willing to spend a few hundred $$$ for an phone but refuses to spend $30 for a cable and couldn't care less that his old android OS is a security nightmare. Who cares if your phone is rooted eh? At least you didn't have to pay $30 for a cable.
11. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:53 · Score: 0
  
  So don't buy them?
  I don't understand this compulsion people have to rage on the Internet about products that they have no intention to buy. Just don't buy it. It's existence is no threat to you, or your particular needs for a product. Maybe someone else likes them, and it's perfectly fine for them to.
  Why is that bad?
12. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:54 · Score: 0
  
  If it's that important to you then buy the case with the jack and stop whining.
13. Re:Great Idea. by hyperar · 2016-09-30 04:23 · Score: 1
  
  Not a solution. Before, I could listen to music at my desk all day long as long as I kept my phone charging. I can only do that now if I go pay up for some wireless headphones.
  Then i'm afraid that you shouldn't have bought the phone, you knew what you were buying don't you?, again, not defending Apple, we all know they did this to making money out of 3rd party accessories manufacturers, but if you want to use the device in a way that you know is not meant to, then why did you bought it?.
14. Re:Great Idea. by Tough+Love · 2016-09-30 04:38 · Score: 1
  
  Dropping the headphone jack is just a cynical marketing strategy to make people give even more money to Apple.
  Dropping Apple is the natural response.
  
  --
  When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
15. Re:Great Idea. by MitchDev · 2016-09-30 04:45 · Score: 1
  
  And the 6 allowed you to do both without buying a widget.
  Congrats on being willfully dense though....
16. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 05:10 · Score: 0
  
  That's a completely different argument. You said some garbage about how a solution was provided out of the box. A reasonable counterexample was provided showing that your example was stupid.
  Sure "don't buy crappy phone" is also a solution. But what's the point of even bringing that up? It's not like you can get a different model of iPhone that contains the jack. The only "solution" at this point is to completely abandon all your Apple purchases and move over to Android, or to deal with an "out of the box solution" that is not a solution to many people.
17. Re:Great Idea. by macs4all · 2016-09-30 05:56 · Score: 1
  
  the iPhone's internal DAC was limited to 24-bit/48kHz.
  Which, when listening to 16 bit, 44.1 Kbps encoded AAC is more than sufficient.
  
  But one thing you aren't factoring in when discussing the "merits" of an internal DAC, is that the electrical ENVIRONMENT that the DAC has to live in inside the phone is FAR AND AWAY noisier than what would typically be true with an external DAC, even one that is powered by the phone's power supply.
  
  There is absolutely no advantage in having a 24-bit DAC, when the bottom 4 bits are nothing but random noise from the power supply and RF intrusion from the rest of the circuitry.
  
  Why do you think that people actually PUT DACs/ADCs and power supplies OUTSIDE of the device?
18. Re:Great Idea. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 14:32 · Score: 0
  
  It looks like it was the part where you dismissed it as a minor issue. Grow a pair and stop going AC after being called on your stupid claims.
That video... by ZorinLynx · 2016-09-30 01:16 · Score: 3, Informative

That video is so absolutely horrible, it actually wraps around and becomes good.
What were they thinking?
pricey by ole_timer · 2016-09-30 01:17 · Score: 1

only $89....

--
nothing to see here - move along
Exactly as predicted by sjbe · 2016-09-30 01:19 · Score: 2

Apple removed the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, forcing users to use either Bluetooth, the Lightning port or included Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adaptor in order to listen to music through headphones. However, one company took it upon themselves to create an iPhone 7 case with a built-in 3.5mm headphone jack.
This is exactly what I predicted would happen prior to the iPhone's release. Those who want a headphone jack will get a case with a headphone jack built in. Those of us who don't really need one (myself included) won't be burdened by having a port they don't use though admittedly most of us (myself included) didn't mind it being there. Given that most people put their phones in a case anyway it is to some degree a win all around albeit an imperfect one.
Now if someone would just make a decent waterproof battery case that doesn't use micro-usb (either lighting or USB-C would be fine) I would be a happy guy. None of the current options are very good. If the battery case had a headphone jack built in, so much the better.
1. Re:Exactly as predicted by sTERNKERN · 2016-09-30 01:31 · Score: 1
  
  You do realize if you have a port you do not use it is not a problem, but if you want one you have to _buy_ a case for sweet money and it also makes the phone bulkier.
2. Re:Exactly as predicted by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:35 · Score: 0
  
  Those of us who don't really need one (myself included) won't be burdened by having a port they don't use
  You must have a pretty easy life if you consider having an extra port on your phone a burden.
3. Re:Exactly as predicted by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:39 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  "Burdened". "Burdened by a headphone jack".
  Let that sink in. There are people out there burdened by a headphone jack. Luckily we have a company courageous enough to save these poor souls.
4. Re:Exactly as predicted by caseih · 2016-09-30 01:51 · Score: 2
  
  Almost everyone I've ever seen has a case on their iPhone which makes it bulkier so I don't think the bulkiness argument holds any water. Apparently many users must actually want the phone to be bulkier. It's easier to hold securely, makes it possible to hold it against your shoulder (almost anyway). This race to the bottom as far as thinness goes is such a strange fad. My phone is about 1cm thick and that's as thin as I want it to be. Sure super thin looks sleek but that's as far as it goes.
  This new case design looks really sweet I think. Makes the phone look just about right. Maybe they should offer a version without the headphone adapter for those that don't care about that and just want extra battery life and a little thickness.
5. Re:Exactly as predicted by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:26 · Score: 1
  
  What until the Iphone 8, it won't have a lighting connector either, wireless charging and Bluetooth only, but you can buy a Bluetooth to lighting adapter.
6. Re:Exactly as predicted by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 02:44 · Score: 1
  
  Apple customers were burdened by having more than one button, so it surprises you they find a headphone jack a burden?
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
7. Re:Exactly as predicted by MachineShedFred · 2016-09-30 02:47 · Score: 1
  
  Consider the following though: by making the phone thinner, you can get a case that while making the phone bulkier, is still a manageable size to hold in a pocket.
  Remember when everyone was walking around with the phone holster on their belt? You don't suppose that might have had something to do with the thickness of the phone, do you?
  Personally, I'm glad that Apple didn't try to make the 7 any thinner than the 6. It's already a bit ridiculous, but going thinner would be insane.
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
8. Re:Exactly as predicted by phayes · 2016-09-30 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  I remember people saying the exact same thing when Apple removed Floppys, serial ports & optical drives: "How could anyone be burdened with it, it's sooo small and light and I need them soooo muuucch!!!".
  This tempest in a teacup will soon blow over as well.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
9. Re:Exactly as predicted by cellocgw · 2016-09-30 03:46 · Score: 1
  
  I remember people saying the exact same thing when Apple removed Floppys, serial ports & optical drives
  False equivalency. All the items you listed were blatantly obsolete when Apple removed them. Us old folks remember Microsoft shipping a box with 60 or 70 floppies to install Office from. Serial ports suck and aren't extendable. And so on.
  There's no "replacement" for analog audio going into your ears. As this thread should make it abundantly clear, an external converter of some sort is absolutely required when there's no analog output from the iPhone.
  
  --
  https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
10. Re:Exactly as predicted by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:13 · Score: 0
  
  Exactly. The headphone jack isn't obsolete. It isn't on the road to obsolescence. It won't be obsolete in fifty years. It does exactly what it needs to do, it does it as well as could possibly be needed, and is nigh universal.
11. Re:Exactly as predicted by Tough+Love · 2016-09-30 04:42 · Score: 1
  
  Almost everyone I've ever seen has a case on their iPhone which makes it bulkier...
  Funny, you must see entirely different people than I do. Who is it exactly that spends a large amount of money to get a thin, light device, then wants to make it fat and heavy again? Maybe somebody who spent more than they can afford?
  
  --
  When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
12. Re:Exactly as predicted by NickofTime · 2016-09-30 04:43 · Score: 1
  
  I still use a phone holster, It's still much easier to access the phone and keep it safe, No Case needed unless you drop your phone a lot...
13. Re:Exactly as predicted by phayes · 2016-09-30 04:58 · Score: 1
  
  Ahh, isn't 20-10 hindsight wonderful? Too bad your memory is going.
  Ever used a teletype there junior? My first computer was a PDP-11 where you had to enter the boot code digitally with a front panel numeric keypad, My first connection to to the Arpanet was using a Multics account & I still have the special punch I used to use to turn single sided 8" & 5"1/4 floppies into double sided ones. "Us old folks..." Humbug!
  Each of the migrations I mentioned was whined about exactly as being losing something irreplaceable:
  Floppies: Zip drives are fragile and USB keys are too expensive! Whine, whine, whine...
  Serial ports: But I don't WANT to have to carry around a usb-to-serial dongle! They get LOST and it's just NOT PRACTICAL! Whine, whine, whine...
  Optical Drives: I deliver projects to my clients by writing them to a CD, install software using DVDs and watch Movies using the SuperDrive. NOTHING EXISTS that can do all of that for me today!!! Whine, whine, whine...
  Oh, but: "WHAT! I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO PLUG IN THE FREE ADAPTER OR USE AN EXTERNAL USB DAC!!! I WANT THINGS TO STAY JUST THE SAME!!!" That's somehow completely different.
  People that really care about the sound quality (like my professional musician friend) are already using external DACs. There are a range of prices available.
  People who don't care will just plug the adapter into their existing earphones. Some will try Bluetooth and discover that it's good enough. Some will find Bluetooth too laggy or find the sound quality deplorable (& hopefully start pushing for better Bluetooth).
  Some will buy cases with Jacks in them.
  Whiners will pretend that their whining is proof of more than that their whining is self-reinforcing.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
14. Re:Exactly as predicted by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 05:02 · Score: 1
  
  Those who want a headphone jack.... screw you, apple wanted to save $1 per phone so you get to pay $79 for an extra accessory you never wanted.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
15. Re:Exactly as predicted by phayes · 2016-09-30 05:02 · Score: 1
  
  Serial ports and Floppies and Optical drives were all present in my PCs for years and years and years. Now they aren't anymore.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
16. Re:Exactly as predicted by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:10 · Score: 0
  
  Water damage is a burden
17. Re:Exactly as predicted by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 10:23 · Score: 1
  
  Those didn't go out until there were direct replacements. There were USB ports in PCs before serial ports went out, and *gasp* USB actually had more practical purpose than serial. Bluetooth headphones are wireless, but they don't match in sound quality, have to be charged, have batteries that can fail, and are susceptible to interference. So they're not a replacement for wired headphones at all, just a wireless alternative with faults.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
18. Re:Exactly as predicted by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 14:41 · Score: 0
  
  Maybe Apple should hire some Samsung or Sony engineers. They seemed to figure that out no problem. Hell, the headphone jack was probably made by Samsung anyway. Just swap it out for the waterproof one.
19. Re:Exactly as predicted by phayes · 2016-09-30 21:29 · Score: 1
  
  There was no direct replacement for delivering read-only media to clients when the Superdrive was dropped yet we muddle through.
  The Lightning port adapter is a direct replacement for the Jack.
  Need to charge at the same time? Use a dongle or a base.
  Need higher quality than the iPhone DAC delivers? Use an external DAC.
  Whining "BUT I DON'T WANNA" and pretending that THIS migration is somehow special is for fools.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
20. Re:Exactly as predicted by fluffernutter · 2016-10-01 02:44 · Score: 1
  
  I know it's hard for Apple fans to understand about not buying more stuff to solve problems that their favorite company created, so i won't even try to explain it to you.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
21. Re:Exactly as predicted by phayes · 2016-10-01 03:28 · Score: 1
  
  I know it's impossible for an apple hater to engage his brain when whining that swiss knife style thick phones are the only true way of making phones so I won't even try asking you.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
22. Re: Exactly as predicted by fluffernutter · 2016-10-01 03:42 · Score: 1
  
  Fine then we have consensus. You don't mind a company creating a situation to extract you from your money and I do. I don't care about Apple, but I care about my wallet. Keep bending over.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
23. Re: Exactly as predicted by phayes · 2016-10-01 04:50 · Score: 1
  
  Because whoever sold you whatever you use isn't in it for the money... Rational thought is clearly beyond your merger means.
  I care more that I am able to buy an easy to use, secure product I want at the price I want and long term support than about useless trivialisations by a jerk with an irrational hate-on.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
24. Re: Exactly as predicted by fluffernutter · 2016-10-01 05:51 · Score: 1
  
  Insults and more money than brains. Clearly even tempered rational thought isn't your forte. I guess you haven't matured yet. I'm not going down this rabbit hole.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
25. Re: Exactly as predicted by phayes · 2016-10-01 12:24 · Score: 1
  
  So for you it's your inability to earn enough to buy an iPhone that motivates your hate. Poor poor you, so envious of what you cannot have. For normal people desire motivates them to work harder so that they can obtain what they desire. Pathetic haters like you turn inward and lose their grip on reality because everything gets filtered by their petty little hate. You cannot go down the rabbit hole because you already live there.
  No android phone is as well developed and easy to use as an iPhone. It does what I need securely and elegantly.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
Battery upgrade by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:21 · Score: 0

Wireless: Convenient, high battery drain, substantially more expensive
Wired: Less convenient, negligible battery drain, cheap
Apple: Less convenient or more expensive, high battery drain
Sounds good. Take my money, Apple.
1. Re:Battery upgrade by Opportunist · 2016-09-30 01:50 · Score: 1
  
  This is Apple you're dealing with. Apple does not make compromises. It's less convenient AND more expensive. Not or. We know what our customers can expect from us!
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
What size drill bit? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:27 · Score: 2, Funny

And I can just add one myself.
1. Re:What size drill bit? by bobbied · 2016-09-30 01:43 · Score: 1
  
  And I can just add one myself.
  And sue the people who told you where to drill when the phone get's broken too...
  Am I the only one who saw the news stories where the idiots who actually did this where trying to sue the producer of the videos claiming you could do this? I was laughing pretty hard until I realized they where actually SERIOUS....
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
2. Re:What size drill bit? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:43 · Score: 0
  
  Good question. I don't think anyone knows what size drill bit would be required to add a 3.5 mm jack.
3. Re:What size drill bit? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:48 · Score: 1
  
  You saw the stories of people claiming they drilled the hole, yeah. This is called trolls trolling trolls. None of it actually happened.
4. Re:What size drill bit? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:32 · Score: 0
  
  1/8th inch. 3.5mm is not correct. This is American product.
5. Re:What size drill bit? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:36 · Score: 0
  
  You've never met Apple users, have you? It absolutely did happen. If you're dumb enough to buy a phone without a headphone jack, you're dumb enough to try and drill a hole in your phone to add it back when you realize that, just like everyone else, you really did need it.
6. Re:What size drill bit? by suutar · 2016-09-30 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  Sure they're serious. They might win. Stupider suits have succeeded.
7. Re:What size drill bit? by macs4all · 2016-09-30 06:53 · Score: 1
  
  1/8th inch. 3.5mm is not correct. This is American product.
  1/8 inch equals 3.175 mm. That means that you are quibbling over 13/40ths of an inch (.325 inch).
  
  That being said, I grew up with that being called an 1/8 inch jack, too...
  
  Now get off my lawn!
8. Re:What size drill bit? by macs4all · 2016-09-30 06:55 · Score: 1
  
  You've never met Apple users, have you? It absolutely did happen. If you're dumb enough to buy a phone without a headphone jack, you're dumb enough to try and drill a hole in your phone to add it back when you realize that, just like everyone else, you really did need it.
  If you think Apple has a stranglehold on stupid users, you've never met some of the typical Android users...
Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by sjbe · 2016-09-30 01:31 · Score: 3, Interesting

I'd gladly pay the same price or slightly more for a slightly thicker/tougher, longer lasting phone.
Agreed. I don't really see the downside to offering a "rugged" version with extra battery life. I would think corporations would buy them by the bushel. I would probably buy one too.

As it is now, I have to get Otter cases for my phones for fear of them snapping or shattering.

I've always thought that the Otter cases were overkill for anyone who isn't suffering from parkinson's or has a terminal case of clumsy. I use a very minimal case make by Spigen and it's managed to keep my phone intact despite an occasional drop for over a year. If you want to be able to dribble your phone like a basketball then by all means get an Otter case but I don't think they are necessary for most and are WAY too bulky to be practical for the bigger phones like the iPhone 7plus.

The old nokia-style dumb bricks lasted forever. Sure, I couldn't browse the web but at the time I didn't care to.

That's a rationalization if I've ever heard one. You "didn't care to" because it wasn't an option. Even the early "smartphones" like the offerings from Nokia were absolutely terrible at browsing. I know because I owned several of them. They sucked.

Now with the iPhone 6, I'm able to go a couple days between charges... Less if I'm looking at the thing a lot or streaming music. It's not great, but its acceptable.
That means you don't use your iPhone a lot. If you use it heavily it will last 1 day max. I routinely wind mine down to near empty because I'm using it constantly. It's a rare day I don't dip below 50% charge at some point and I typically get to 20-30% with at least one mid-day recharge. I actually keep a charge cable in my car while driving. And in case you were wondering my battery works fine - I just use the phone a LOT.
1. Re:Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:19 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I'd gladly pay the same price or slightly more for a slightly thicker/tougher, longer lasting phone.
  Agreed. I don't really see the downside to offering a "rugged" version with extra battery life. I would think corporations would buy them by the bushel. I would probably buy one too.
  The downside is that it would be durable, useful, and popular. The entire smartphone economy is based on the assumption that no one keeps a cell phone more than 2 years, and that it would be an improvement if everyone had to replace within 1 year.
  As speed becomes less of a difference between annual models, designers are looking to make device failure a bigger factor. However, that is a hard trade-off. The glass used on modern phones is harder and more impact resistant than any mass-produced transparent material that came before. The vast majority of electronics are either faulty within a month or last for decades. As a result, the best target for medium-term performance decay is the lithium ion battery. Lithium ion batteries have a fairly well documented decay rate based heavily on partial discharges from full capacity. Encourage habits that wear down the battery, make replacement impossible, and you get your purchase cycle (not that I avoid the battery damaging behavior, it's much more convenient than trying to work with the chemistry's strengths).
2. Re:Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by phayes · 2016-09-30 02:37 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Apple & Samsung & everyone else have performed market studies that show that other than a nostalgic vocal few, not enough people would actually buy thicker phones to justify their development. The proof of this is that If the market for thick phones was as underserved as you pretend, sales of thicker phones and these thick, reinforced battery pack cases for todays thinner phones would be a significant percentage of all smartphone buyers. This isn't the case and battery cases & external batteries exist for those who need them and suffice for almost everyone.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
3. Re:Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by ausekilis · 2016-09-30 02:49 · Score: 2
  
  Now with the iPhone 6, I'm able to go a couple days between charges... Less if I'm looking at the thing a lot or streaming music. It's not great, but its acceptable.
  That means you don't use your iPhone a lot. If you use it heavily it will last 1 day max. I routinely wind mine down to near empty because I'm using it constantly. It's a rare day I don't dip below 50% charge at some point and I typically get to 20-30% with at least one mid-day recharge. I actually keep a charge cable in my car while driving. And in case you were wondering my battery works fine - I just use the phone a LOT.
  You might think that, but I use my phone as an iPod most days. I've got it loaded up with assorted music and podcasts that I listen to throughout the 8-9 hour workday. If i'm not getting a lot of texts and don't bother with Waze, then I'll get by using only 15% of the battery over the day. Typically I'll be closer to 50% use during the day by browsing the web, checking email, answering texts... Even lower if I use Waze or Pandora.
4. Re: Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 04:47 · Score: 0
  
  Wired or wireless listening???
5. Re:Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by squiggleslash · 2016-09-30 05:06 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  With respect, I don't think any of that's true, but it's one of these great assertions of utter donkeyballs that, if thought about, actually leads to the truth.
  Wanting a more rugged phone with a decent battery life has nothing to do with "nostalgia", and battery life is actually one of the top complaints amongst smartphone users. So why doesn't the market support that?
  Well, because the market is not the same as "most smartphone buyers". Most smartphone buyers do not spend $600 on a f---ing smartphone. Most smartphone buyers spend under $200 on a device with the biggest screen they can find, and then $10 on a "case" that makes it three times as thick.
  Who doesn't do this? The people who pay $600 for a phone.
  What's so special about $600 phones? Is it the innards? (No) Is it the screen? Uhm.... kinda, but you're looking at a screen that probably cost Apple or Samsung a cool extra $20 to incorporate. Better camera? Ditto.
  No, what's special about a $600 phone, which cost maybe $50 more to build than the $60 BLU R1 HD in my pocket, is that has a very pleasing to the eye design.
  That is it. That's the difference between a very good $150 phone, and a top of the line Galaxy.
  This is why, more than likely, that under $200 phone will actually be more useful than the $600 iGalaxy. It may well have on bezel buttons, resulting in a less awkward UI. It may have a removable battery, or an SD card slot, or both. It may well have dual SIM support.
  It may even have a battery that lasts more than eight hours before spluttering out.
  The majority of smartphone users want better batteries, features, robustness, and we really don't care about how slim it is. But the majority of smartphone users are barely profitable, with tiny single digit percentage margins. So they literally don't care about us: they care about that minority that's willing to pay $600 for a phone with a build cost of well under $200.
  And that minority is the group that wants paper thin phones.
  
  --
  You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
6. Re:Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by phayes · 2016-09-30 05:38 · Score: 1
  
  I prefer to determine who's in the minority & who's not by taking a look at sales figures and looking at which companies survive year after year.
  We've seen a number of cycles where companies that come into the market, undercut the others prices & then fall victim to the next entrant. It's not sustainable and a few months/years later support tanks. If you want to continue relying on these least expensive manufacturers, be my guest. It's not for me.
  The ThickPhones and their accompanying belt holsters are no longer among us. Thin enough phones that you can put into a case if you desire or not if you don't & plug into an external battery when needed make up the vast majority of phones sold this decade.
  But you go ahead and and refer to the best selling phones as paper thin phones because of course it's your opinion that determines who's in the minority.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
7. Re:Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by Waccoon · 2016-09-30 17:01 · Score: 1
  
  As much as these things are engineered to perfection, I highly doubt making an alternate tray 1mm deeper to accommodate a thicker battery is an engineering impossibility. Some makers produce phones that have completely different dimensions and screen sizes but otherwise have the same "guts". It's not hard.
  These things sell in the millions. It's not a matter of "justifying development" or regularly retooling plastic injection molding and milling machines. The manufacturers have simply planned obsolescence and don't want the public to have certain features before the market is "ready."
8. Re:Offer a rugged version with bonus battery life by phayes · 2016-09-30 20:57 · Score: 1
  
  You highly doubt... but you have absolutely no idea of the costs/benefits. Again Apple/Samsung/... do have the knowledge and other than a few relatively poor selling models, nobody is making thick phones anymore. Apple in particular is well known for concentrating it's production only on models that sell well instead of trying to fill each and every niche.
  The aftermarket battery case market is there for the small percentage who want thickphones.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
What's the big deal? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:33 · Score: 0

I've had the same headphones with an adapter for nearly as long as I've been using a smart phone and I've never lost it or had to replace it. This really doesn't bother me. Besides, worthwhile headphones don't come with an 1/8 inch jack anyway.
1. Re:What's the big deal? by tsqr · 2016-09-30 01:57 · Score: 1, Redundant
  
  Besides, worthwhile headphones don't come with an 1/8 inch jack anyway.
  Correct. They come with a 1/8 inch plug.
2. Re:What's the big deal? by macs4all · 2016-09-30 06:56 · Score: 1
  
  Besides, worthwhile headphones don't come with an 1/8 inch jack anyway.
  Correct. They come with a 1/8 inch plug.
  Good one!
Unused ports are a wasteful problem by sjbe · 2016-09-30 01:36 · Score: 1

You do realize if you have a port you do not use it is not a problem, but if you want one you have to _buy_ a case for sweet money and it also makes the phone bulkier.
Disagree that it isn't a problem. On a mobile device that is space that could be put to a better purpose. For me I'd rather have the space devoted to extra battery because that is more useful to me. Your mileage may vary. If you prefer a built in headphone jack I won't call you crazy because it's genuinely useful to some. But there are a LOT of people who rarely use the headphone jack in their phone so it is logical to make it an option on a case instead of built in. Plus there are plenty of smartphones that have the headphone jack built in so unless you "have" to have an Apple product you won't suffer for options.
1. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:42 · Score: 1
  
  That sounds fantastic. Unfortunately it's bullshit.
  You now have a device with less functionality with no extra battery. It is definitely not more useful to you in any way. It is substantially less useful to many people. And this is just fine I guess.
2. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by sTERNKERN · 2016-09-30 01:54 · Score: 1
  
  You would not get 2 minutes of battery life if they used that little space for that purpose. Also there is no "option" not to have one. If they made two kinds of iPhone 7s, one with and one without headphone jack I would totally agree with you: If you do not need it, you buy one which does not have one.
3. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:55 · Score: 0
  
  Personally I'm still waiting for a model with a slider physical keyboard.
4. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by silas_moeckel · 2016-09-30 02:14 · Score: 1
  
  They make cases for that as well.
  
  --
  No sir I dont like it.
5. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:16 · Score: 0
  
  Slider physical keyboard adds a lot of bulk. It's a compromise that some would like and some wouldn't. Removing the headphone jack is at best no change and at worse detrimental.
6. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:16 · Score: 0
  
  Disagree that it isn't a problem. On a mobile device that is space that could be put to a better purpose. For me I'd rather have the space devoted to extra battery because that is more useful to me.
  LOL for two reasons:
  1. Back in the day, many phones had a 2.5 mm headphone jack ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... ) instead of the 3.5 mm. When the original iphone came out (with a 3.5 mm jack) you started to see many other phones switch from 2.5 to 3.5.
  You might say you're only saving 1 mm, but that is half the square area and much less in volume.
  2. Apple doesn't devote the space for extra battery life. From the beginning Apple phones have low battery life, and Apple makes it difficult to replace the battery, which means you'll be forced to buy a new phone once the battery decays (which all batteries do).
7. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:42 · Score: 1
  
  If a device has "less functionality" that you never used, does it even fucking matter?
  The guy you replied to said he never used the phono jack.
  Oh no, something that went unused no longer exists! Let's rage on the Internet about it!
8. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by __aaclcg7560 · 2016-09-30 02:53 · Score: 2
  
  From the beginning Apple phones have low battery life, and Apple makes it difficult to replace the battery, which means you'll be forced to buy a new phone once the battery decays (which all batteries do).
  The battery for my iPod Touch (1st gen) lasted eight years. It will be interesting to see how long the battery in my iPhone 6s will last.
9. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by phayes · 2016-09-30 03:00 · Score: 2
  
  The payoff for removing the jack isn't so much with this year's iPhone it's that it's preparing the way for next years design.
  This year's iPhone7 doesn't have a TouchID "Button" any more. Pressing TouchID gives feedback using the new haptic engine which needed the space freed by the removal of the Jack. Next year's iPhone will, from what I've read, remove the residual touchID zone (but not TouchID function) so that the whole front if the future iPhone will be used for the screen & haptic feedback will be even more necessary.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
10. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2016-09-30 03:24 · Score: 1
  
  For me I'd rather have the space devoted to extra battery because that is more useful to me. Your mileage may vary.
  Your mileage will certainly vary in the downwards direction if you actually use the bluetooth earbuds. A set of wired earbuds uses less power than a wireless pair. Your imagined gain in battery life only works if you never use earbuds or headphones, and even then I doubt you'd really gain anything. It doesn't look like they made the battery bigger since it's not filling the space that the headphone jack occupied.
  Face it, this was just a money grab.
  
  --
  Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
11. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by fred6666 · 2016-09-30 03:31 · Score: 1
  
  Disagree that it isn't a problem. On a mobile device that is space that could be put to a better purpose.
  Many Android phones are smaller than the iPhone 7 plus with a 3.5mm jack and a larger display.
12. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:45 · Score: 0
  
  YOn a mobile device that is space that could be put to a better purpose. For me I'd rather have the space devoted to extra battery because that is more useful to me.
  Evidently you missed this story.
13. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by macs4all · 2016-09-30 06:20 · Score: 2
  
  Apple makes it difficult to replace the battery, which means you'll be forced to buy a new phone once the battery decays (which all batteries do).
  You're nuts.
  
  Not only are there about a bazillion videos on the internet showing how to replace the built-in battery on your Apple (or Samsung, or...) smartphone; but in the case of Apple, they will also do it for you for a reasonable fee, or you can take it to the Googolplex of third-party repair shops that will also do it for you.
  
  Having said that, I have a pretty non-technical cow-orker (salesperson) who told me that he did exactly that himself to his iPhone, using one of the many online tutorials. Took him about 30 minutes, even though he'd never attempted anything like that before, and he didn't even have a heat-gun.
14. Re:Unused ports are a wasteful problem by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 07:13 · Score: 1
  
  It's either luck of the draw or bullshit.. I had an iPod 1st gen and five years down the line the battery was only lasting maybe 2 hours which basically made the device useless.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
SubjectsInCommentsAreStupidCauseTheSubjectIsTFA by lesincompetent · 2016-09-30 01:38 · Score: 0

Escuse me while i go start a crowdfunding campaign for my exclusive wireless never-lose-your-earbuds ligation device.
My target demographic is ripe.
Maybe this is a dumb question by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:42 · Score: 1

Maybe this is a dumb question, but why would I pay 50% more for an iPhone, only to have to buy this thing to get headphones and decent battery life, when I can just buy an android phone that already has both built in?
1. Re:Maybe this is a dumb question by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:32 · Score: 0
  
  Because, ugh, Android is totally for nerds and old people. It's so uncool that I can't even.
2. Re:Maybe this is a dumb question by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:36 · Score: 0
  
  50% more than what? You're aware that flagship phones of Android are either the same or more expensive, correct?
3. Re:Maybe this is a dumb question by Stormwatch · 2016-09-30 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  True, but there are also very good Android phones for half as much or less. In fact, there are many sub-$200 Androids that most people would find perfectly satisfactory. (Unless you want it for some specific task that requires a more high-end device - or just conspicuous consumption.)
  
  --
  Circumcision is child abuse.
4. Re:Maybe this is a dumb question by macs4all · 2016-09-30 07:00 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe this is a dumb question, but why would I pay 50% more for an iPhone, only to have to buy this thing to get headphones and decent battery life, when I can just buy an android phone that already has both built in?
  What 50% more? A GN7 is typically a couple of hundred MORE than an iPhone 7 (even the 7 plus!) for an equivalent amount of Flash storage.
  
  Anything less than a GN7 isn't even a fair comparison.
Woo hoo! by Oswald+McWeany · 2016-09-30 01:42 · Score: 0

Apple has now invented the headphone jack. What a revolutionary invention. Suck it Android!

--
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
1. Re:Woo hoo! by MachineShedFred · 2016-09-30 02:49 · Score: 1
  
  You realize this case is from a third party, right?
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
2. Re:Woo hoo! by Oswald+McWeany · 2016-09-30 03:51 · Score: 1
  
  Nonsense, Apple invented the headphones and the headphone jack. I refuse to believe anything else.
  
  --
  "That's the way to do it" - Punch
Smart-phones? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:43 · Score: 0

Dumb-users.
So ... lemme get this straight.... by Opportunist · 2016-09-30 01:48 · Score: 4, Insightful

You buy a superspecialawesome phone that is ultrasuper thin. Then you stick it into a phone case, returning it to the 3-4mm you had before.
So ... you have a phone with a crappy battery life because they can only include a paper thin battery pack, which has to be glued on and can't be exchanged "or it would get too thick", you accept that they take away your headphone jack for the sake of thinness, then you pay extra to put a case around it that returns it to brick size.
Let me spell that in a way that you people understand:
#idontgetit

--
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
1. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:55 · Score: 0
  
  The problem with that logic is that if a big battery was installed, it would still need a case. It would then turn the brick into a superbrick.
2. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 01:56 · Score: 0
  
  So ... you have a phone with a crappy battery life because they can only include a paper thin battery pack, which has to be glued on and can't be exchanged "or it would get too thick", you accept that they take away your headphone jack for the sake of thinness, then you pay extra to put a case around it that returns it to brick size.
  It will survive drops better because of the extra cushioning. This was built into pocket watches as "antichoc" in the first half of the 20th century so that the clockwork would have a better chance of survival. My hard disk in my Thinkpad T61 sits in a rubber lining for similar reasons.
  As long as smartphones are built with the "you would not want to drop it anyway" mentality, a separate external case makes separate sense.
3. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Gilgaron · 2016-09-30 01:58 · Score: 1
  
  The target demographic would be people who want iOS but don't agree with Apple's hardware design decisions.
4. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Opportunist · 2016-09-30 02:00 · Score: 1
  
  Why do contemporary cellphones need a case? Mine came with an outer shell that did a pretty good job at keeping the contents from falling out...
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
5. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Opportunist · 2016-09-30 02:02 · Score: 1
  
  So either I'm lucky or cheap Chinese knockoffs are better at surviving drops than ass expensive phones...
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
6. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  To protect it when it is dropped. I'm sure you have no problem not dropping your phone, but that doesn't apply to everyone.
7. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:09 · Score: 0
  
  Perhaps a bit of both. The plastic construction of your cheap Chinese knockoff probably does a better job at absorbing the impact of a drop the the "more premium" materials high-end phones tend to be made of. But they can still break, although I don't feel the need to use a case on cheap phones, I've still broken them, one cheap Chinese one, and a Moto E, if I had cases on them they probably wouldn't have broken.
8. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by phayes · 2016-09-30 03:10 · Score: 1
  
  Or you're a corner case too insignificant to matter for most phone makers.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
9. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:34 · Score: 0
  
  Because it still sucks when you drop it from 3-4 feet onto a hard surface, and a little extra protection doesn't stop the lovin'?
10. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Stormwatch · 2016-09-30 03:40 · Score: 1
  
  More phone makers should make super-resistant phones like the Moto X Force.
  
  --
  Circumcision is child abuse.
11. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 05:02 · Score: 0
  
  Protection from being dropped as others said, but also identification. Basically everyone carries an ~3x5 inch black rectangle around with them. They often get put down on tables. Having them in different color cases is a good way to easily distinguish them without needing to manufacture them in different colors.
12. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Opportunist · 2016-10-02 23:18 · Score: 1
  
  But ... but ... but it has to be a transparent case! How else would people know I have the latest penis extender?
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
13. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Toshito · 2016-10-04 08:13 · Score: 1
  
  The iPhone 7 is 7.1mm thick
  The LG G5 is 7.3mm thick (according to http://www.phonearena.com/). And it has a removeable battery.
  The G5 is only 0.2mm thicker than an iPhone 7, about the thickness of 2 pages of copier paper...
  So it's possible to make a phone with a removeable battery while keeping it thin.
  Apple doesn't want a user replaceable battery, because Profits!
  
  --
  Try it! Library of Babel
14. Re:So ... lemme get this straight.... by Opportunist · 2016-10-04 10:43 · Score: 1
  
  Hold it right there, the iPhone is more than 7mm thick? The ancient iPod I happen to have at home is thinner, and that DOES have a headphone jack.
  So much for the "we have to remove the headphone jack to make it slimmer" bullshit.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Why no card? by nospam007 · 2016-09-30 01:49 · Score: 1

How about one with an SD card? I'd buy that, it beats having to schlepp a WIFI harddisk in the pocket.
Won't fly by holophrastic · 2016-09-30 01:51 · Score: 1

Apple just hired another lawyer. I can't imagine this makes it out the door.
1. Re:Won't fly by The-Ixian · 2016-09-30 02:06 · Score: 1
  
  Especially if the case has rounded corners...
  
  --
  My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
Something's Fishy by lazarus · 2016-09-30 01:55 · Score: 1

This is how the Fuze case will look. Really? Where is the lightning port on the bottom of the iPhone in that picture? Did Apple relocate it to somewhere else on the phone, because it looks like you've glued a plastic mold to the back of an iPhone and photoshopped out the lightning port.
To make this work you've got to connect this "case" to the existing lightning port and that is on the bottom of the phone. Which means you're going to have to have this case wrap around the bottom of the phone. And how are you going to do that without blocking the speakers and/or making it ugly as sin?

--
I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
1. Re:Something's Fishy by lazarus · 2016-09-30 01:58 · Score: 2
  
  Replying to my own comment. From the actual indegogo site the case contains two parts, one of which is a complete wrap-around bumper that contains the lightning jack. Picture of how they've done this is here.
  
  --
  I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
2. Re:Something's Fishy by threephaseboy · 2016-09-30 02:22 · Score: 1
  
  The flat part where the lightning connector is probably has a thin connector like this that goes to the actual circuit inside the case
  
  --
  .
3. Re:Something's Fishy by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:12 · Score: 0
  
  You can actually tell it is a bumper around the phone from the first photo. Look carefully at the speaker grills, you'll see the cutouts around them.
Re:69 by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:32 · Score: 0

69 is not fucking, in case you had not noticed
Peak thinness? by sjbe · 2016-09-30 02:38 · Score: 1

This new case design looks really sweet I think. Makes the phone look just about right. Maybe they should offer a version without the headphone adapter for those that don't care about that and just want extra battery life and a little thickness.
My preference if Apple was going to offer more models would be for them to make a "rugged" version with a bigger battery. Something that basically can take being dropped and handle more abuse without the need for an add on case and has 2-3X the battery life. Obviously being bulkier doesn't bother a lot of folks since they put it in a case anyway and obviously battery life has been a recurring complaint. The market CLEARLY exists and I think Apple is leaving money on the table by ignoring it.
I would think corporations would buy tons of them and I think a lot of end consumers would too. From a manufacturing standpoint the only real difference would be the battery size and the backshell to the case. Everything else would be identical so the extra cost due to complexity to the supply chain would be comparatively modest even if Apple didn't have tons of margin to burn.

This race to the bottom as far as thinness goes is such a strange fad. My phone is about 1cm thick and that's as thin as I want it to be. Sure super thin looks sleek but that's as far as it goes.
I've been wondering when smartphones are going to reach "peak thinness". They can't keep making them thinner for much longer unless they find some way around the laws of physics.
1. Re:Peak thinness? by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 04:32 · Score: 1
  
  The market CLEARLY exists and I think Apple is leaving money on the table by ignoring it.
  BS.
  Anyone who wants these features is just going to buy some add-on accessories to give them these features. Either way, they're going to buy an iPhone, no matter how well or how poorly it satisfies their desire for these features.
  So how is Apple "leaving money on the table"?
  It's very unlikely Apple would make enough profit by having an additional phone model for these people to justify the expenses involved (engineering, inventory, etc.). It's costly for companies to have more versions of a product, so it's only worth it if it brings them more customers. This isn't going to bring them more customers; it'll just split their existing market, and it's unlikely they'd pay enough extra for the bulky model to make up for this, when they can buy 3rd-party stuff that adds these features for less.
2. Re:Peak thinness? by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 05:04 · Score: 1
  
  Why do people like you always think people don't mind buying more stuff?
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
3. Re:Peak thinness? by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 08:31 · Score: 1
  
  What are you talking about? It doesn't matter what people mind or don't mind, we're talking about Apple users here. They're going to buy an iPhone 7 no matter what, so why should Apple go to extra trouble to give them a model that they like better?
Question on the lightning port by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:39 · Score: 0

Is the lightning port one socket-one-device? Or can it be connected to a sort of hub for lightning devices? (I'm trying to figure out how one would use their case and still manage to charge the iPhone, without going to TFA, sorry!) If the iPhone is "hubbable" (ack!), then why doesn't some entrepreneur simply develop a dongle with both a headphone jack and female lighning port?
Still doesn't excuse the stupidity of Apple for not putting in a headphone jack - you'da thought they'd have learned from the compaints of 90s/2000s Motorola users, but oh well. Motorola fell and so will Apple in its time.
That took like 10 seconds... by aralin · 2016-09-30 02:42 · Score: 0

Much ado for nothing? Well.. here you got it ... Captain Jack is back!
I predict this company will have almost zero sales and will discontinue the product within a year or two for total lack of interest in headphone jack...

--
If programs would be read like poetry, most programmers would be Vogons.
1. Re:That took like 10 seconds... by suutar · 2016-09-30 03:07 · Score: 1
  
  not sure how long the indiegogo campaign has been up but they have 676 people interested and have raised 43.5k out of their 50k goal and they still have a month to get the rest. Heck, ignoring the jack it's a fairly nice looking addon battery pack. I think they'll do okay.
2. Re:That took like 10 seconds... by phayes · 2016-09-30 04:13 · Score: 1
  
  Wow, Hundreds of people do you say? That must be 0.0005% of iPhone 7 sales so far!
  It sure proves that Apple was wrong to remove the iPhone jack for over 30 million iPhone 7s sold so far that a few hundred people want to buy a case with a jack in it...
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
3. Re:That took like 10 seconds... by suutar · 2016-09-30 09:27 · Score: 1
  
  It sure proves that Apple was wrong to remove the iPhone jack for over 30 million iPhone 7s sold so far that a few hundred people want to buy a case with a jack in it...
  It really doesn't, but since I wasn't trying to, that's not relevant. I was just saying that I think the company is not going to have "almost zero sales".
I want a 1/4" plug by peter_hagemeyer · 2016-09-30 02:47 · Score: 1

forget the 3.5mm, I want a 1/4" jack to plug in my Sennheiser HD 800s
1. Re:I want a 1/4" plug by liquidsin · 2016-09-30 02:54 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe we can throw on a pair of balanced XLRs for my monitors, too...
  
  --
  do not read this line twice.
2. Re:I want a 1/4" plug by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:38 · Score: 0
  
  And a 500W amplifier for my unpowered speakers. Please include both Speakon and Banana Jacks.
3. Re: I want a 1/4" plug by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:44 · Score: 0
  
  What? No binding post terminals?
Vultures by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 02:52 · Score: 0

Profiting off the back of tragedy. Terrible shame that they would prey on vulnerable iPhone users in their darkest hours.
Re: 69 by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:19 · Score: 0

Depends on the meaning of is, iirc
The Fuze video is worth the price of admission! by I75BJC · 2016-09-30 03:22 · Score: 1

The Fuze video is outrageous, funny and Great! So many cultural and pop-cultural references that it delights and overwhelms my mind. Were I getting an iPhone 7*, I would sign up for one of these! Creativity should be rewarded and the video is quite creative. Kudos!
Better solution by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:27 · Score: 0

I have a better solution. Just get a phone that has the headphone jack on it. Or - better yet - if you already have a phone with a headphone jack on it, keep it. I know it sounds crazy but trust me, it'll save you a lot of money.
Other way around by SuperKendall · 2016-09-30 03:30 · Score: 1

Battery cases prove SOME people like fatter phones, but they are a minority. They don't sell hundreds of millions of battery cases.
The great thing about battery cases is that the people that don't mind a bulky phone have a solution, and the people who DON'T want bulk have a choice too. If phone makers make bulkier phones that's great for the people that want them, but you can't buy a case to make a phone thinner.

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
1. Re:Other way around by jez9999 · 2016-09-30 05:38 · Score: 1
  
  Battery cases prove SOME people like fatter phones, but they are a minority.
  The free market is supposed to cater for niches, too. What seems to have happened is we have a bunch of Android smartphone manufacturers competing to make their phones identical to the iPhone, and ignoring everyone else. This seems like a market failure.
  
  --
  == Jez ==
  Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
2. Re:Other way around by lgw · 2016-09-30 09:20 · Score: 1
  
  Battery cases are a bit niche, but external battery packs are ubiquitous, as are protective cases that make phones bulkier. I actually did buy a case to make my phone thinner - thinner than the phone with my previous case.
  
  --
  Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Thanks! by hcs_$reboot · 2016-09-30 03:36 · Score: 1

Maybe thanks to this case, we'll see the end of those Jack stories, at last!.

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Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
Thus site needs a new name! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 03:51 · Score: 0

How about iphone7jacknews.com?
Stupid phone by whitelabrat · 2016-09-30 03:51 · Score: 1

I really like iOS, but the iphone 7 is stupid. I WANT A HEADPHONE PORT. I also think a phone is horribly flawed if a case is required to survive a drop, which everyone will do at some point.
Make a thin and rugged phone with a headphone port. You have a winner to me. Otherwise I'll hang onto my iphone 6 for as long as I can and then go Android.
Say goodbye to your weenie arms by SubtleGuest · 2016-09-30 04:01 · Score: 1

Plus with that extra battery you can use the phone plus case as a dumbbell!
Market research by sjbe · 2016-09-30 04:26 · Score: 1

Apple & Samsung & everyone else have performed market studies that show that other than a nostalgic vocal few, not enough people would actually buy thicker phones to justify their development.
"Nostalgic"? Nobody wants thicker phones for nostalgia reasons. They want a thicker phone because it comes with a bigger battery and be less likely to break. Believe it or not, not everyone who buys a smartphone gives a shit about showing off how thin it is. Virtually EVERYONE who buys a phone immediately puts it in a protective case. So why not offer a version that doesn't need the case for those who want it? If they genuinely think they wouldn't sell then their market research people are bloody clueless. The evidence is right out there for everyone to see.

The proof of this is that If the market for thick phones was as underserved as you pretend, sales of thicker phones and these thick, reinforced battery pack cases for todays thinner phones would be a significant percentage of all smartphone buyers.
Battery pack cases and larger cases like Otter cases sell in HUGE numbers. They are exactly what you are describing and they are on literally millions of phones. I don't see any credible argument that there isn't a substantial market for smartphones with more durable construction and/or larger batteries.
1. Re:Market research by phayes · 2016-09-30 05:04 · Score: 1
  
  Then buy a case and stop whining that Apple doesn't make your perfect phone.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
2. Re:Market research by Megol · 2016-09-30 08:35 · Score: 1
  
  You realize that adding a case makes the resulting thingy thicker and heavier than a properly designed phone would be in the first place?
3. Re:Market research by SvnLyrBrto · 2016-09-30 10:58 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe. But it also provides the flexibility to have a thin and light phone when I want a thin and light phone (the majority of the time) and to switch to a case with additional battery power when I want it for extended outdoors activities or whatever.
  
  --
  Imagine all the people...
4. Re:Market research by phayes · 2016-09-30 21:07 · Score: 1
  
  Adding models has costs. Apple doesn't cater to tiny niche markets and their market research shows that those who would buy a thick phone over a iPhone+battery case is too small to merit it's development.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
Money on the table by sjbe · 2016-09-30 05:09 · Score: 1

So how is Apple "leaving money on the table"?
Apple doesn't make and sell most of those accessories so they are giving any profits from them to others. Apple could charge a (bigger) premium for the bigger battery and increased durability. Apple could sell to market segments they currently are ignoring. It creates more means to market their product beyond "thinnest ever" (which is reaching it's limits) and denies a means of differentiation to their competitors. The business case and possible value added by doing it is a fairly straightforward case to make.
The market segment exists for smartphones with bigger batteries and/or more rugged construction. That's not really a debate. Whether that market segment is big enough for Apple to give a shit is a separate issue but there is ample evidence that it might very well be big enough.

It's very unlikely Apple would make enough profit by having an additional phone model for these people to justify the expenses involved (engineering, inventory, etc.). It's costly for companies to have more versions of a product, so it's only worth it if it brings them more customers.
You are correct about the cost considerations but that is EXACTLY why Apple over time has had to create additional versions of their products as they mature. That's why they ended up with numerous different iPod versions. It's why they have several different iPad versions. It's why they don't just have one model of Macintosh. If they fail to address these market segments then their competitors will sooner or later. People will not stick endlessly with Apple products if they can get better options elsewhere. We've already seen that when Apple almost died prior to the return of Steve Jobs. They may not have to do it today but sooner or later they probably will in some form or fashion.
1. Re:Money on the table by Grishnakh · 2016-09-30 08:43 · Score: 1
  
  Apple doesn't make and sell most of those accessories so they are giving any profits from them to others.
  It doesn't work that way. Big American companies aren't like Asian conglomerates that have divisions for all kinds of different stuff; they focus on just a few things, and maximize the profitability of those things. If something isn't profitable enough, it gets cut.
  Most likely, these accessories just don't have enough profit involved for Apple to feel it's worth it. For some small company, it is.
  Apple could charge a (bigger) premium for the bigger battery and increased durability
  Not very many people are willing to pay that much of a premium for these things. Even worse, they can get these things as add-ons from 3rd-party sellers, cheaper than what it'd cost from Apple, which has to have huge profit margins.
  Apple could sell to market segments they currently are ignoring.
  Which ones? These people are going to buy iPhones no matter what. They aren't missing out on any customers. Apple customers aren't like customers for other things, where they compare the features, prices, reliability, etc. and make a balanced decision. With Apple buyers, they have an emotional connection to Apple so that's what they buy, no matter what.
  You seem to be assuming that Apple is like other companies, such as car companies, which have to worry about losing their customer to competitors. Apple doesn't.
  The market segment exists for smartphones with bigger batteries and/or more rugged construction. That's not really a debate.
  People who prioritize these things over "I love Apple!!!" are not Apple customers. They're going to get some other device that suits them better and doesn't cost as much. People who care about these things are obviously practical, and that means they won't be interested in an overpriced fashion statement.
  If they fail to address these market segments then their competitors will sooner or later.
  Their competitors can't put Apple logos on their stuff, or run iOS on their devices. Their competitors aren't Apple. Apple's customers are not going to defect because a competitor makes a device with better specs; if that were true, Apple would already be out of business because there's already much better phones than theirs out there, for less money.
  People will not stick endlessly with Apple products if they can get better options elsewhere.
  Yes, they will. At least for a long time, unless Apple *really* screws up, but it'll take a long time for them to trash their reputation that badly.
  We've already seen that when Apple almost died prior to the return of Steve Jobs.
  It took a long time for the glow to fade before Jobs came back. And they're arguably doing a much better job now than they did under Scully.
Dead Cat Bounce by ThatsNotPudding · 2016-09-30 05:14 · Score: 1

Apple and the MAFIAA will make absolutely sure this added analog hole remains firmly plugged; that was the whole raison d'etre of the 'courageous' decision in the first place.
Oh look, another crowdfunded product by oldcarsmell · 2016-09-30 05:26 · Score: 1

If I was dumb enough to buy an iPhone 7, there is no way I would touch this until it became a retail product. I'm sick of the crowdfunding scam.
Re:69 by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:00 · Score: 0

69 is not copulation.
It is, however, definitely fucking.
Not the first by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-30 06:08 · Score: 0

The 'daptr' headphone case was in development well before the launch date and was leaked when the iphone 7 was launched. Pretty sure this indiegogo ripped them off.
http://daptr.com/
Wrong by fluffernutter · 2016-09-30 06:56 · Score: 1

The fact that there is a market for this proves that Apple was wrong.

--
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Does't that indicate how small the niche is... by SuperKendall · 2016-09-30 06:59 · Score: 1

I see what you are saying, and at first I agreed - it seems like some phone maker would make a larger phone with more battery.
But after some thought, I'm pretty sure no-one would buy it and that's why they aren't making them. The problem is when buying a new phone a larger phone would look and feel terrible in comparison. A three day battery life would mean nothing to most people used to charging phones every day anyway, while the larger phone would not fit well in pockets, or be super heavy in a purse....
The fact is that it's just way too inconvenient to lug around un-needed battery with you all the time, being able to use an external battery for more power is way more flexible and people just prefer it.

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
First they took away... by Stumbling+Sober · 2016-09-30 08:59 · Score: 1

...my headphone jack, so bought a case that had one. Then they took away my SD card slot, so I bought a case that had one. Then they shortened the battery life of my phone, so I bought a case that had more... ... 10 years later, they just stopped making new phones...because my case did it all.
There I fixed it... by matbury · 2016-09-30 09:40 · Score: 1

Are the makers of the case going to post it on http://failblog.cheezburger.co... ?
Gameboy by climbtrees · 2016-09-30 16:22 · Score: 1

Not Found The requested URL /story/316879/newcomment/subject/Game boy/comment/Any y'all ever had a gameboy*? Man you could buy all sorts of accessories and adapters for that thing+. What they're really distracting you from here is core functionality is A PHONEÃÂ. I remember phones with no headphone jack. With no universal charging port. With no way to dial phone numbers once the device was "closed" or "locked". Moving forward, there is a certain functionality progression one should expect and endorse. BTW Blackberry. Wonderful device - obsolete. Murder. *I had generations of gameboy from Color on up to DS XP we, eh. + Comes to mind? A light. Rechargeable battery pack. Speakers. ÃÂdevice which is capable of transmitting and receiving calls and sending other data messages/ communicating with text was not found on this server.
You type that on an Android with a case? by Uberbah · 2016-10-01 12:42 · Score: 1

Let me spell that in a way that you people understand: I'm a snob

FTFY
1. Re:You type that on an Android with a case? by Opportunist · 2016-10-01 23:58 · Score: 1
  
  So I'm a snob when I don't get why people buy ultraslim phones that need a cover which turns the phone into the usual brick again?
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
2. Re:You type that on an Android with a case? by Uberbah · 2016-10-02 06:08 · Score: 1
  
  Yup. If you don't want a case for your phone....don't buy a damned case for your phone. As to understanding those who do, it's a matter of an expensive device costing hundreds of dollars and simple math. If a case adds another 4mm to the thickness of your phone, having a slimmer phone to start with means a slimmer overall width when the case is on it.
  If you're a unique snowflake that doesn't have kids, pets, or has ever dropped a thing in his life (and doesn't carry car/home insurance), it's a free country. But the same goes for people who want to protect a $700 device or extend it's built-in capabilities.
3. Re:You type that on an Android with a case? by Opportunist · 2016-10-02 21:32 · Score: 1
  
  Well, maybe using a $150 phone makes me less interested in attaching bells and whistles to it. Maybe if I bought a $700 phone I would... then again, why would I do THAT?
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.