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Sorry, Apple, the Headphone Jack Isn't Going Anywhere (yahoo.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the defy-space-and-time dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Rob Pegoraro via Yahoo Finance: Two things unite almost every phone on display here at Mobile World Congress 2017: Android and a headphone jack. Apple doesn't exhibit its wares at this trade show, so the domination of Google's operating system is predictable. But the headphone jack's persistence did not look so inevitable when Apple cut it from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus last September. Lenovo's Motorola subsidiary had already shipped a phone without a headphone hack, the Moto Z, and Apple's influence over the rest of the smartphone industry remains formidable -- indeed, within months, the Chinese firm LeEco had debuted a lineup of Android phones devoid of headphone jacks. As my colleague David Pogue predicted in a post approving Apple's move: "Other brands worldwide will be following suit." The hardware on display here at the world's largest mobile tech conference, though, suggests otherwise. Two days of walking around the show floor showed companies expressing a consistent unwillingness to abandon the humble headphone jack, even on models as thin as, or thinner than, the iPhone 7. The MWC floor revealed only one company willing to do away with the headphone jack: HTC. The Taiwan-based firm, which has struggled financially for years despite shipping such well-reviewed models as the HTC 10, used its exhibit to showcase the U Ultra and the U Play, which rely on their USB-C ports for audio output. Unlike, Apple, though, the company didn't make the move to save space, but rather to incorporate its "USonic" feature, which lets the phones' headphones calibrate themselves to your ears and provide noise cancellation.

22 of 332 comments (clear)

  1. HTC by msauve · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Unlike, Apple, though, the company didn't make the move to save space, but rather to incorporate its "USonic" feature, which lets the [USB] phones' headphones calibrate themselves to your ears and provide noise cancellation."

    Oh, bullshit. There's no reason the headphone jack has to be removed to support that. They're not mutually exclusive.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    1. Re:HTC by Tx · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's true that you need power for active noise cancellation, however it's pretty trivial to supply that power via a DC bias voltage over the regular audio signal on a headphone jack, and use any one of many trivial methods to detect supported headphone to switch that bias voltage on or off.

      --
      Oh no... it's the future.
    2. Re:HTC by ausekilis · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Hell, this feature was available on my Cyangen-Modded Galaxy S3 years ago. The Oneplus-1 was also able to do this with typical headphones.

      It was actually pretty neat, you listened to a series of pitches at different volumes with each ear and it was able to tell if you had some amount of loss in one ear and calibrate sound for it.

    3. Re:HTC by PostPhil · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Exactly.

      Even for Apple we know that the argument for saving space is nonsense. USB-C is 8.4mm x 2.6mm.

      A typical 3.5mm analog headphone jack is not much thicker, but even if it is, there is a simple solution to the problem: a 2.5mm analog headphone jack which is even NARROWER and THINNER than USB-C. Headphones already exist for this, and even if they didn't, all existing 3.5mm analog headphones can use a simple adapter that's been around for decades. Plug it on the end of the cable. DONE.

      Now that we know the superiority of 2.5mm for solving the space issue, I'm sure a company as "courageous" as Apple will fix their mistake and use 2.5mm instead. Right?

    4. Re:HTC by msauve · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Whoosh. Do you understand what "not mutually exclusive" means? It's exactly the opposite of your "either this or that." There's no reason a phone can't support both USB audio with advanced function and the ubiquitous 3.5 mm jack for near-universal connectivity without the power consumption required for noise cancellation and DSP tweaking. Contrary to the claim, there is no need to remove the jack in order to support USB audio, so the rationalization given in the summary is bullshit.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    5. Re:HTC by supremebob · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Where is the added profit in using an industry standard 2.5mm headphone jack? Apple wants you to buy their more expensive and proprietary Lightning port earbuds or wireless Airpods instead.

      Rumor has it that the next iPhone will be USB-C, but I wouldn't be suprised if they added some proprietary protocols that require Apple/Beats branded headphones or earbuds for that as well.

  2. Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does anyone honestly think that Apple cares whether other companies drop the headphone jack on their phones?

    1. Re:Really? by jcr · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Bingo.

      The headline is stupid.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    2. Re:Really? by MBGMorden · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They kinda do. Apple has be seen as a trendsetter. We were the FIRST to remove the old outdated headphone jack.

      If the other companies buck the trend, then there is the public perception to think of iPhones as "those stupid phones that don't even have a headphone jack" instead of "those cool phones that did away with that outdated tech".

      If they public's opinion doesn't sway I'd expect to see the headphone jack back on the iPhone by the time the iPhone 9 comes out.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    3. Re:Really? by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If they public's opinion doesn't sway I'd expect to see the headphone jack back on the iPhone by the time the iPhone 9 comes out.

      It just struck me that this is not just about headphones, but also things like the Square reader that plugs into the headphone jack*. I'm sure Square would be thrilled to have re-design their hardware to incorporate it wirelessly (and what does that do to security of said devices?)

      * Although if Apple shifts to USB-C and softens its stance on the what can be physically connected to their products then it might be a win-win situation.

      --
      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  3. Real reason for removal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    to incorporate its "USonic" feature, which lets the phones' headphones

    ...Only work when authorized by a persistent online connection to the MAFIA.

    They want to "close" this analog hole just as much as the last one. No, "smaller phone OMG!?!?!?!" is not a good reason anymore. These days the damn things are so small, that if you want it to survive daily use, you need a clamshell that's typically 2x bigger than the phone itself to put the phone in. I'd argue that most phones are too small already. Waterproofing it, can also be done if the money is shelled out for it, and wasn't one of the selling points of buying an iPhone the whole: "I'm so rich, I can afford to wear this bling! Be jealous." thing? They could up the damn price for that, and then some by saying the extra costs are for protecting the consumer's investment.

    This has nothing to do with "better phone" it's all about control.

  4. Remember when Apple went full USB? by pastafazou · · Score: 3, Informative

    I do, and I remember all the freakouts over the lack of SCSI and ADB ports, and on the Windows side of the aisle everyone insisting manufacturers NOT kill the PS/2 ports. Ultimately, the technology advances, and old ports aren't needed any more. You may very well find phones with headphone jacks for many years to come. But more and more, the industry will shift to wireless headphones, and those jacks will get less and less use. Kind of like those PS/2 ports that still ship on a few models of motherboards....

    1. Re:Remember when Apple went full USB? by fluffernutter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Except bluetooth has so many drawbacks it isn't really a replacement for a headphone port. In fact in every account I have seen, the bluetooth version of a headphone is inferior to the wired version, especially if you take cost into account.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    2. Re:Remember when Apple went full USB? by evilbessie · · Score: 4, Informative

      If you want full rollover support on your keyboard you need PS/2, USB will only allow 6 key rollover. This is an actual feature some people care about (mostly those who buy mechanical keyboards).

    3. Re:Remember when Apple went full USB? by gaiageek · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is the exact argument that I'm sure someone at Apple made -- and the exact argument that shows that some people just don't get it.

      Headphones are not SCSI hard drives. Headphones are not PS/2 mice. One of my favorite pairs of headphones was purchased around the same year I once bought a SCSI card (1996), and I still use them today.

      They're an item which is very personal. You don't wear a hard drive. You WEAR headphones. On walks to class or work, riding the subway, on transcontinental flights, lying in bed late at night. They may be pressed up against or even inside your ears for hours each day. When someone who uses headphones a lot finds a pair that they love, it's a bond that is not easily broken. And certainly not for something new that will either 1. easily get lost, 2. require recharging at some inconvenient time or 3. die a slow death as their rechargeable batteries wear out.

      Apple was the brand for many musicians and music producers. Taking away the audio jack was another big "fuck you" to that following who were long some of Apple's most ardent supporters.

      --
      www.gaiageek.com
    4. Re:Remember when Apple went full USB? by edtice1559 · · Score: 4, Informative

      USB keyboards can support full rollover in HID "report protocol". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

  5. Re:Yes Apple cares... sort of by jcr · · Score: 3, Informative

    . If Apple is wrong about their bet that people don't really care about the headphone jack then it will cost them business.

    They already know that they're right. They have the sales figures to prove it.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  6. Will take years to play out by sjbe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Two days of walking around the show floor showed companies expressing a consistent unwillingness to abandon the humble headphone jack, even on models as thin as, or thinner than, the iPhone 7.

    PCs held on to Dsub parallel and serial ports and PS/2 ports and floppy drives for many years after Apple kicked them to the curb. Blackberry kept making physical keyboards long after the market proved that most buyers don't care about them. Just because everyone else didn't follow Apple one year later doesn't really tell us much. It's going to take a few years for this to really play out. The other handset makers are going to be watching. If Apple sales remain strong you can bet that more of them will follow Apple's lead over time. No one should be surprised that there wasn't a stampede of removing the headphone jack in just one year.

  7. Re:Coke Classic by courteaudotbiz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You really think that the headphone jack is the culprit in Apple's market loss? It's been 3 times they changed the freakin docking connector on their phone and other iShit. Those who did not understand when they went from 30pin to lightning connector will maybe understand this time, when they once again have to change all the audio / charging docks on which they paid the Apple premium (especially now that Apple has a trick to exclude non-Apple-royalty-paying builders).

    You think Apple is switching to USB-C to open to the rest of the World? Think again. They will certainly lock you once again in their fenced garden of Apple-approved stuff.

  8. Replaceable battery by Mr.+Droopy+Drawers · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No, but the death of the Replaceable Battery seems to be in evidence!

    I'm not talking about easy replacement like the Galaxy S5 has (although that's nice). I'd settle for being able to open the back and remove the battery on my workbench without a heatgun and surgical tools.

    Why do these phones have to be disposable?

    --

    To Copy from One is Plagiarism; To Copy from Many is Research.

  9. My guess: all ports and sockets will be gone soon by zerofoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Just a wild ass guess, but I'll bet ALL ports and sockets will be gone soon.

    It's far easier to make a phone waterproof, if you don't have any ports and sockets to seal up.

    I suspect the rumors we've been hearing about Lighting being replaced by USB-C aren't accurate. I do think that we will see lightning converted to a mag-safe style flush mount connector.

    So my prediction for the next iPhone is no buttons, switches or socket style connectors.

  10. Re:You obviously lack COURAGE! by Catharsis+Unhinged · · Score: 3, Funny

    Obligatory courage video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...