Innovation or e-waste? Apple rumored to ditch headphone jack

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Shane R

DRM went away from the music store in 2009.

Yes, but now they have Apple Music, and the related streaming radio. Apple Music tracks can be downloaded to iOS devices for offline listening, and those are DRM protected.

[leaston]

Originally Posted by Shane R

But going by the number of white earbuds and Beats headphones that I see everyday, high fidelity, high quality audio reproduction isn't something the mass market is particularly interested in anyway.

Unfortunately, that's a very good point.

I'll stick with the old fashioned wired kit so I can listen to flac encoded music until I'm forced to do otherwise. The thought of listening to any 128k mp3 via bluetooth on an Apple device makes me feel ill

[GERGE]

Well, my headphones are more expensive than my iPads, if they do this, iPad will have to go.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Yes, but now they have Apple Music, and the related streaming radio. Apple Music tracks can be downloaded to iOS devices for offline listening, and those are DRM protected.

I guess I'm struggling to make sense of the argument.

With regard to the offline music tracks, Apple is a 3rd party vendor. The music in those tracks doesn't belong to them, instead, it belongs to the labels. And those same labels have licensed (and continue to license) that music to be consumed in the same way on other services like Spotify and Google Play music. Both services being available both on Android and iOS.

So why would the labels request that Apple implement a DRM block on the iPhone when they didn't request it of Spotify and Google Play Music? And why would they want a DRM block on the iPhone and not on Android devices?

[ApK]

For the record, I'm not buying either the "thin" or the "waterproof" excuses for the reasons for possibly eliminating the jack.

It would be easy to make the port waterproof (and there is still that lightning connector there, don't forget), and the 3.5 mm port is not the limiting factor for thickness.
Some day, with new materials, and new designs, maybe, but not now.

[leebase]

Planned limited lifetime. For sure. Ever since the original iPod, or Macs going back 30 year...Apple planned to force you to upgrade in 2016. All in a greedy move to sell you on external 3.5" floppy drives

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by ApK

For the record, I'm not buying either the "thin" or the "waterproof" excuses for the reasons for possibly eliminating the jack.

Concur.

I understand how they could possibly make it work, but I don't yet understand why they'd do it...

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by ApK

For the record, I'm not buying either the "thin" or the "waterproof" excuses for the reasons for possibly eliminating the jack.

It would be easy to make the port waterproof (and there is still that lightning connector there, don't forget), and the 3.5 mm port is not the limiting factor for thickness.
Some day, with new materials, and new designs, maybe, but not now.

Devices long passed the point where a majority of users put their devices in cases not just to protect them, but to make them thick enough to hold comfortably. Bob J. Gear specializes in making silicone bumper cases for tablets and ereaders.

Thinner jumped the shark.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Shane R

DRM went away from the music store in 2009.

But not for Audiobooks or Video sound

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by theducks

But not for Audiobooks or Video sound

No different than for Audible or Google.

[GlennD]

Originally Posted by ApK

For the record, I'm not buying either the "thin" or the "waterproof" excuses for the reasons for possibly eliminating the jack.

It would be easy to make the port waterproof (and there is still that lightning connector there, don't forget), and the 3.5 mm port is not the limiting factor for thickness.
Some day, with new materials, and new designs, maybe, but not now.

The lightning connector could be replaced with wireless charging, and iphones have been syncing with iTunes over wifi for years now, assuming you're not just syncing with the cloud. All the pieces are in place to go completely portless/wireless.

There are a couple of accessories that would need replacement (SD card readers and the credit card readers come to mind) but those are niche markets that could be served with modified products.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

And it will be able to last on a full charge for a good hour or so

The above post reminds me of this ad:

[rdfry]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Wrong way, Tigger. Square and PayPal swipe readers both plug into the headphone jack. Doing away with that form of connectivity would be a big middle-finger to not only accessory manufacturers and buyers, but a horde of small businesses.

That will be another reason to ditch Apple.

[rdfry]

[QUOTE=leaston;3248211]This!!! Wireless headphones/earbuds/IEM's simply don't sound as good as wired.

Try streaming lossless files via bluetooth and you'll kiss goodbye to hearing anything with high fidelity. If Apple cared about providing a quality listening experience they wouldn't supply such poor earbuds with their products in the first place.

This change isn't for the customer's benefit, it's for Apple.[/QUOTE

Exactly Apple is all about their 45% profit margin.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ApK

For the record, I'm not buying either the "thin" or the "waterproof" excuses for the reasons for possibly eliminating the jack.

Me either. It's just an attempt to boost profits by selling more proprietary accessories. And what's the point in making these things ultra-thin when everyone puts a thick case on them anyway? (Not just Apple -- all thin devices.)