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USB Type-C Headphones Were Nowhere in Sight at CES 2019 (androidauthority.com)
In a sea of 3D audio products and true-wireless earbuds, USB Type-C headphones were nowhere in sight at CES 2019. From a report: This absence isn't an accident, however. Rather, it's the deafening silence of an abandoned product category. While many looked to USB-C audio as the successor to the famed physical port, the available models aren't catching on, and they don't seem to be going anywhere. Their absence at CES 2019 doesn't paint a rosy picture of their future, either.
In general, it takes new standards quite a while to catch on, however, USB-C was thrust into the limelight far before its time. When Apple and Google ditched their headphone jacks, it limited the pool of audio peripherals to Bluetooth, or the very young USB-C category. Perhaps with a little more time and backing from a few more serious partners this could have matured alongside its older brother the TRRS plug, but it just wasn't to be. [...] One of the biggest issues that companies need to navigate pertains to source and peripheral device compatibility. USB Type-C headphone cables can either be active or passive -- or manifest as a dongle adapter. This inconsistency, paired with the fact that Audio Accessory Mode has yet to be universally supported, results in a barrage of compatibility issues. Hence why many users are unable to operate playback controls or use a headset's integrated microphone.
In general, it takes new standards quite a while to catch on, however, USB-C was thrust into the limelight far before its time. When Apple and Google ditched their headphone jacks, it limited the pool of audio peripherals to Bluetooth, or the very young USB-C category. Perhaps with a little more time and backing from a few more serious partners this could have matured alongside its older brother the TRRS plug, but it just wasn't to be. [...] One of the biggest issues that companies need to navigate pertains to source and peripheral device compatibility. USB Type-C headphone cables can either be active or passive -- or manifest as a dongle adapter. This inconsistency, paired with the fact that Audio Accessory Mode has yet to be universally supported, results in a barrage of compatibility issues. Hence why many users are unable to operate playback controls or use a headset's integrated microphone.
Nobody wants USB-C headphones. We want universal headphones that work not just with cell phones and computers, but professional audio equipment, older audio equipment... and we want it to be near or at 100% compatibility for future audio products. Any digital interface is, by design, going to fail to meet the needs of the ones who purchase it. I for one am glad it was nowhere to be seen.
I have a hard enough time finding a set of regular wired headphones that I like. I'm not putting myself through that pail for something that works on 2% of my devices (conservative estimate). Anyone who removes the headphone port is an idiot. It seems that audio quality is getting the back seat these days; at one time we had portable music devices. Now that went away because everyone started to use their phones and the phones are forcing us to go to bluetooth so there goes the best path for audio.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Ummm, the target audience is "people who don't want Bluetooth audio".
No sig today...