With Apple apparently dumping the 3.5 headphone jack...

[Guy Incognito]

I like that my Turbo 2 has a slot for expandable memory. Not many phones have that anymore, especially not iPhones.

The iPhone never had that, FWIW.

 

[fordman84]

The iPhone never had that, FWIW.

That is my one knock against the iphone.

 

[ill]

The iPhone never had that, FWIW.

I know this

 

[Mebert]

And Samsung wasn't the first to do that either, but they improved on previous waterproof devices. The obsession with "apple didn't invent that" from the fandroid boys is funny, but Apple does to well at improving on things.

I think "Apple did not invent that" is more from the company walking around patting itself for how great they are at innovating. They do a good job of making lesser known things globally available, but I am not sure I would call it improving. It is improved if you are willing to live 100% within the Apple ecosystem, the amount of control users give over is staggering. It makes it so it can be seamless within the environment, but it also is what lets them gouge so much on prices.

 

[Superbelt]

I think "Apple did not invent that" is more from the company walking around patting itself for how great they are at innovating. They do a good job of making lesser known things globally available, but I am not sure I would call it improving. It is improved if you are willing to live 100% within the Apple ecosystem, the amount of control users give over is staggering. It makes it so it can be seamless within the environment, but it also is what lets them gouge so much on prices.

Yeah, that was mostly about how they would release a feature a few years after other phones have already had it, and claim it was still some amazing innovation, and only they were able to implement it right.

 

[fordman84]

I think "Apple did not invent that" is more from the company walking around patting itself for how great they are at innovating. They do a good job of making lesser known things globally available, but I am not sure I would call it improving. It is improved if you are willing to live 100% within the Apple ecosystem, the amount of control users give over is staggering. It makes it so it can be seamless within the environment, but it also is what lets them gouge so much on prices.

the amount of control users give? you think Apple users relent any more than Google users? You are kidding yourself if you think that true. Innovation doesn't mean you created something. Ford didn't invent the automobile, but he innovated to make it accessible to the mass public. So if Apple didn't create something on its own, that's probably true in every case. So just because Samsung is the first to do something, doesn't mean they got it right or that it was done the best possible.

 

[fordman84]

Yeah, that was mostly about how they would release a feature a few years after other phones have already had it, and claim it was still some amazing innovation, and only they were able to implement it right.

It's like you have already said, other phones have been waterproof. If you make sure you have all of the gaskets on and in working condition, and you plug this or that with a special case, and less than a mist gets on it...it's waterproof.

Apple has actually removed unnecessary openings, removed moveable keys, and implemented a new technology that uses vibrations to actually keep water out of ports. So you don't need to adjust your phone to be 'waterproof' ready before you drop it in a puddle on accident.

Why not just send a ziploc bag with every phone, make the instructions say "put phone in bag and zip it before putting in water" and claim you have a waterproof phone? Congrats you "did it first".

 

[TheDayMan]

And Samsung wasn't the first to do that either, but they improved on previous waterproof devices. The obsession with "apple didn't invent that" from the fandroid boys is funny, but Apple does to well at improving on things.

Guess they should have made the Note 7 fireproof, too.

I mean, I'm not trying to do the android vs apple thing, I don't care... I mentioned I even considered switching earlier in the thread. I didn't claim anyone invented anything, just mentioned that the current generation of samsungs seemed to nail the waterproofing feature (among other things).

And come on, it's not like the note 7 is the first device to have issues upon release. I thing just about every manufacture has experienced that.

 

[TheDayMan]

but they're already ahead in prettyness...

Does the S7 come with white earbuds and a dongle?

Minus the dongle.

 

[Bridgeburner]

I'm a big iPhone fan. Just got rid of my 4 a few months ago. It was nice to get "years" out of a phone instead of the typical Android "months". Can't get behind this lack of a jack though. Doesn't matter though when the other options (Android and Windows) are so shitty. They could get rid of the charging port next and I would still by another one in 3-4 years when my 6 stops getting updates and I need to upgrade.

 

[Superbelt]

It's like you have already said, other phones have been waterproof. If you make sure you have all of the gaskets on and in working condition, and you plug this or that with a special case, and less than a mist gets on it...it's waterproof.

Apple has actually removed unnecessary openings, removed moveable keys, and implemented a new technology that uses vibrations to actually keep water out of ports. So you don't need to adjust your phone to be 'waterproof' ready before you drop it in a puddle on accident.

Why not just send a ziploc bag with every phone, make the instructions say "put phone in bag and zip it before putting in water" and claim you have a waterproof phone? Congrats you "did it first".

Getting water in the headphone jack doesn't damage the phone. It's already watersafe.

It's an innovation no one asked for that doesn't really help anything but make the phone a little thinner, and removing an often used port on the phone.

Add a few more millimeters back and give apple users something they have actually been clamoring for, like a larger battery or wireless charging. Though they'd surely develop their own wireless charging standard that's incompatible with any other existing chargers.

 

[Mebert]

the amount of control users give? you think Apple users relent any more than Google users? You are kidding yourself if you think that true. Innovation doesn't mean you created something. Ford didn't invent the automobile, but he innovated to make it accessible to the mass public. So if Apple didn't create something on its own, that's probably true in every case. So just because Samsung is the first to do something, doesn't mean they got it right or that it was done the best possible.

Absolutely they give up control. Apple is not releasing features better than other companies. All of apples stuff only works as advertised if EVERYTHING you have is Apple. So while all the seamless options are nice, they are not really options unless you are forgoing choice in other products that you buy. Other phones lose some of the polish as a trade off for a more open interface.

I am not saying one is better than the other, if you prefer the enclosed environment Apple is for sure the choice. If you want some more openness at the cost of some of the seamlessness of Apple you go Android.

 

[TheDayMan]

It's like you have already said, other phones have been waterproof. If you make sure you have all of the gaskets on and in working condition, and you plug this or that with a special case, and less than a mist gets on it...it's waterproof.

Apple has actually removed unnecessary openings, removed moveable keys, and implemented a new technology that uses vibrations to actually keep water out of ports. So you don't need to adjust your phone to be 'waterproof' ready before you drop it in a puddle on accident.

Why not just send a ziploc bag with every phone, make the instructions say "put phone in bag and zip it before putting in water" and claim you have a waterproof phone? Congrats you "did it first".

Like I said, the s7 doesn't need adjustments to be water ready either, and it still has the 3.5 jack. So waterproofing isn't an excuse for dumping it.

What is the reason, by the way? Is it just to make it thinner? Is it thought that freeing up that space will give them room for new features for future models? I see why you'd accept it and move on if you're already bought into the apple world, but I don't think it'll do much to get anyone to switch over.

 

[Rex Racer]

It was nice to get "years" out of a phone instead of the typical Android "months"

I had my S4 for two years and only jumped to the S6 because Sprint gave me a free upgrade.

 

[ill]

Like I said, the s7 doesn't need adjustments to be water ready either, and it still has the 3.5 jack. So waterproofing isn't an excuse for dumping it.

What is the reason, by the way? Is it just to make it thinner? Is it thought that freeing up that space will give them room for new features for future models? I see why you'd accept it and move on if you're already bought into the apple world, but I don't think it'll do much to get anyone to switch over.

from the same article I posted earlier
What Happens If Your iPhone (or Other Smartphone) Has No Headphone Jack?

Why would Apple and other smartphone vendors do this?
Although some tech writers seem to think Apple has a Beats-centric business model in mind, we’re convinced the reasoning is a little simpler than that. (The fact that smartphone vendors that don’t own headphone companies are considering the same move seems to support this notion.) Here are three good reasons that Apple removed the analog jack (and other companies might too).

1. No headphone jack means more room for something else, or a smaller phone. When a company is making devices as space-conscious as an iPhone or some other smartphone, every square millimeter matters. The removal of the jack (plus the other internal hardware that makes that jack function) could possibly mean a thinner phone, a larger battery, more memory, an improved screen, an extra speaker for stereo, or, as in the case of the iPhone 7, a force-sensitive home button.
2. Bluetooth has come a long way. There was a time when Bluetooth audio was laughably bad and connection issues were common. But thanks to improved transmitters, receivers, and codecs, Bluetooth, though still more costly than a wired connection, can sound really close—and in some situations even identical—to wired. Connection issues are also much less common with the latest models. (Of course, this varies between headphones.) As more and more people cut the cord for mobile use, Apple may simply be responding to what the company sees as customers’ future demands. (Indeed, NPD reports that in June 2016 Bluetooth headphones outsold wired models for the first time ever.)
3. Lightning-based audio can be superior to what the average smartphone’s analog jack gives you. Here’s where we have to get a bit technical: All digital-audio devices need to take the ones and zeros that make up your audio files (or streams) and turn them into audible sound. To do so, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) converts digital data to the analog audio signal that traditional headphones use. Like a skilled translator, a high-quality DAC can give you better audio quality, but a poor one doesn’t work quite as well. The DAC in the iPhone is pretty good for what it is, but moving the DAC outside of the iPhone allows for potentially better conversion, and thus possibly better sound. (This applies to USB audio, too.)

 

[fordman84]

Getting water in the headphone jack doesn't damage the phone. It's already watersafe.

It's an innovation no one asked for that doesn't really help anything but make the phone a little thinner, and removing an often used port on the phone.

Add a few more millimeters back and give apple users something they have actually been clamoring for, like a larger battery or wireless charging. Though they'd surely develop their own wireless charging standard that's incompatible with any other existing chargers.

This does make room for a larger battery, and I trust when Apple puts out a wireless charger it will actually work.

 

[fordman84]

Absolutely they give up control. Apple is not releasing features better than other companies. All of apples stuff only works as advertised if EVERYTHING you have is Apple. So while all the seamless options are nice, they are not really options unless you are forgoing choice in other products that you buy. Other phones lose some of the polish as a trade off for a more open interface.

I am not saying one is better than the other, if you prefer the enclosed environment Apple is for sure the choice. If you want some more openness at the cost of some of the seamlessness of Apple you go Android.

I asked if you think Apple users give up any more control than google users.

And your openness of android is the curse. My Samsung TV only can use samsung phones as a remote, same ecosystem setup as Apple. The rest of the android stuff is garbage. LG can make a good TV, but that's it. Samsung walls itself in. And just because you are on android doesn't mean anything as you move across companies that run the adroid software.

so I guess the point here is that Apple has the same ecosystem setup that samsung has, and not other android hardware offer the choices those two do.

 

[TheDayMan]

from the same article I posted earlier
What Happens If Your iPhone (or Other Smartphone) Has No Headphone Jack?

I dont know man... none of that really does it for me. I personally don't care to have a thinner phone, I like Bluetooth, but don't want to rely on it (like we discussed), and give me a break about the sound is far superior with lightning/USB C, I highly doubt it is on any noticeable level, the 3.5mm jack has worked out pretty well for everyone for a long time. That's especially absurd next to 'hey, Bluetooth is better than it used to be' as a reason.

Maybe a bigger battery I could get behind.

 

[ill]

I dont know man... none of that really does it for me. I personally don't care to have a thinner phone, I like Bluetooth, but don't want to rely on it (like we discussed), and give me a break about the sound is far superior with lightning/USB C, I highly doubt it is on any noticeable level, the 3.5mm jack has worked out pretty well for everyone for a long time. That's especially absurd next to 'hey, Bluetooth is better than it used to be' as a reason.

Maybe a bigger battery is one reason I could accept.

I don't disagree. As someone who has taken apart iPhones to repair, the headphone jack is pretty insignificant.

Maybe they need more room to put another tracking device.

 

[TheDayMan]