Apple Jan. 27 launch event... what will it be?

[creekster]

Why dropping the mini audio jack is a good idea...


http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/ap...olescence.html

That article is so patronizing.

Apple is including a mini-jack to Lightning adapter with the phone, for free.

Free? really? Ain't nothing in this world, especially not if it comes from Apple, that's free.

The apple headphone jack has four rings, each with a mechanical friction connector that is subject to bending and failure.

Uh, no, not really subject to bending or failure. I have used 1/8"/3.5mm cables for many years on a variety of products and have never had them fail in this manner (I id have a 1/4 jack friction connector fail once, but that was 30 years ago). I have, however, had my lightning port fail due to accumulated debris. I can only assume using the lightning port for an additional function will might make it more likely to fail.

I don’t actually care that much that my headphone jack doesn’t work on my iPhone 6 because I have bluetooth connection to my hearables and listen to my phone calls, podcasts and google directions through them. I would hate to go back to wires.

hearables? Whatever. Translated, this means "It isn't going to bother me, an apple fan-boy, so screw you and everybody else who doesnt like it."

[Uncle Ted]

Absolutely 0 lightening port failures, I'm sure.

A lot of consideration went into the lightning port for reliability. Consider, for example, that you can plug it in two different ways. Try that with your mini USB.

Of course, Dude will say you can plug the mini-jack in an infinite number of ways. Try charging your phone using the mini-jack port, Dude.

[falafel]

A lot of consideration went into the lightning port for reliability. Consider, for example, that you can plug it in two different ways. Try that with your mini USB.

Of course, Dude will say you can plug the mini-jack in an infinite number of ways. Try charging your phone using the mini-jack port, Dude.

Ted, Ted, Ted. No one brought up the mini USB or its uni-directional design. And why would anyone try to charge a phone with the headphone jack?

Try to stay on topic! I know its tempting to keep changing the subject when your side is being universally mocked, but c'mon.

[Moliere]

I do it quite often.

1. In my office, I use my cell phone for almost all work calls and listen to music all the time. I keep the phone charging and keep the headphones in at the same time.

2. Backpacking/hiking I have an auxiliary battery that I use to keep my phone charged and I run the cable from the pack to a pocket with my phone. This way the phone is ready to be used as a camera or as a phone. I also like to listen to music while I hike and so use headphones while the phone is charging.

Every single day.

Is there a reason you are charging your phone? Seems more like an OCD thing to always have your phone fully charged. Even when I'm at home I don't plug my phone in until I go to bed. My battery can get to around 40% at times but that's rare. With the added battery life I wonder if I'll even break 50% at any point....and I do use my phone during the day.

I still wish there were two lightning ports in the phone, but I think a great alternative is to have a charging cord that also has a second port for headphones or whatever. Then you don't have to keep track of a separate dongle but you can plug in your headphones whenever you want....as long as they are lightning headphones

[falafel]

Is there a reason you are charging your phone? Seems more like an OCD thing to always have your phone fully charged. Even when I'm at home I don't plug my phone in until I go to bed. My battery can get to around 40% at times but that's rare. With the added battery life I wonder if I'll even break 50% at any point....and I do use my phone during the day.

I still wish there were two lightning ports in the phone, but I think a great alternative is to have a charging cord that also has a second port for headphones or whatever. Then you don't have to keep track of a separate dongle but you can plug in your headphones whenever you want....as long as they are lightning headphones

Moliere: not an iPhone power user.

[creekster]

Is there a reason you are charging your phone? Seems more like an OCD thing to always have your phone fully charged. Even when I'm at home I don't plug my phone in until I go to bed. My battery can get to around 40% at times but that's rare. With the added battery life I wonder if I'll even break 50% at any point....and I do use my phone during the day.

I still wish there were two lightning ports in the phone, but I think a great alternative is to have a charging cord that also has a second port for headphones or whatever. Then you don't have to keep track of a separate dongle but you can plug in your headphones whenever you want....as long as they are lightning headphones

Becasue it runs down to zero if I dont. I use my phone for a lot and tend to have a lot of things running on it all the time. (and dont tell me that I shouldnt do that in this context. There may be a lot of good reasons why I shouldn't use it so much, but less use in order to avoid charging my battery so that I cant complain about Apple's decision to eliminate the headphone jack is not among them). I think Falafel is correct; MOliére doesn't use his phone that much.

[Moliere]

Moliere: not an iPhone power user.

You are apparently correct but I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[swampfrog]

This has been interesting. As a stereo enthusiast for a long time it seems like an odd choice speaking just from an audio quality point of view. Apple gained its new life via the Ipod, not the Iphone, audio resurrected (or at least restored) it. Curious that they would mess with that.

At some point digital audio must be converted to analog electrical signal. There are no significant digital transducers yet. All voltage driven transducers are horribly inefficient, most of the electrical energy is converted to heat. Which means that for any device to reproduce sound, it needs power, and lots of it. Luckily headphone transducers don't need the kind of power that drives most loudspeakers since a headphone is much more tightly coupled to the ear.

Apparently, Apple has abandoned any analog audio out on their Iphone 7, as there is no analog AC signal via a lightning connector (and no analog at all besides charging). Which means in order to hear anything on an Iphone 7, the digital to analog conversion must now happen outside the device. Once conversion has been completed, then an amplifier is required to drive the selected transducer. So in order to listen to music on the device, you have to have an external DAC (digital to analog converter) and an external amplifier. So instead of using the capabilities of the extremely capable processor already in the phone, another audio-only dedicated processor must be added (even though the processor in the phone is capable of driving the entire phone plus audio conversion without breaking a sweat). Then signal is routed to an amplifier, which power also must be provided for both the DAC and the amplifier--from the phone.

This is great if I want to connect to a system that already has those things, like a modern digital-era home theater system, or for audiophiles/enthusiasts that use outboard DAC's and amplifiers anyway. But that isn't the target audience of the phone. The consumer simply wants to plug in their current $6 headphones they are using because they lost the originals, ran over the expensive replacements with a skateboard, and the wires pulled out of the ones they "borrowed" from their friend.

Which brings us to "lightning headphones", these headphones require a DAC and amplifier be built into the headphones themselves. Complete violation of the KISS principle. Headphones are transducers, much like loudspeakers. And while there are "digital loudspeakers" that include internal DAC and amplifier, they will never be mainstream, too expensive to design, build, and maintain replace. Transducers involve moving parts which are exposed to the environment, they break, corrode, or otherwise fail over time. Transducer designers don't want to be digital audio designers too, it complicates the design, and adds expense for processing that should have already happened somewhere else. Especially in the throw away consumable culture we live in.

And for the argument that Apple has figured out how to need only one button. I can't leave that alone. The phone has a freakin' touchscreen.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Everyone is all caught up in the headphone jack, I'm anxiously awaiting Uncle Ted's announcement of iPhone 7's Pac 12 capabilities.

[beefytee]

When is Apple getting wireless charging?

[Art Vandelay]

This is challenging the Game of Thrones thread for nerdfest superiority. Does the iPhone 7 come with dragons or big all to keep zombies out?

[Uncle Ted]

When is Apple getting wireless charging?

Hmm... then Apple could get rid of the lightning port.

[Jeff Lebowski]

This is challenging the Game of Thrones thread for nerdfest superiority. Does the iPhone 7 come with dragons or big all to keep zombies out?

... quips Art, without a hint of irony, not one week after using a Star Wars quote as a thread title for the rivalry game.

[Moliere]

This is challenging the Game of Thrones thread for nerdfest superiority. Does the iPhone 7 come with dragons or big all to keep zombies out?

Comes with both but you can only use one at a time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Art Vandelay]

... quips Art, without a hint of irony, not one week after using a Star Wars quote as a thread title for the rivalry game.

Ha. I'm not even that much of a Star Wars fan. The only reason I knew that quote was when my 16 YO was young he watched SW's DVDs over, and over, and over. He would constantly quote Darth Vader. I don't deny my unhippness, just not much of a Sci Fi or Fantasy fan