Google's Pixel 2 will ship without headphone jack as well.

They were one of the many that laughed at Apple (and with good fucking reason too) for ditching the headphone jack back then. Now they're joining the trend. And yes, it is a trend - Motorola's Moto Z has no jack, the HTC U11 has no jack. Some not-so-ubiquitous Chinese phones also have no jack too.

Do I have to dread a future in which I have to go back to getting a separate device for listening to music? I mean, I'm not an audiophile, but that doesn't mean I have to settle for shitty audio that cuts out everytime, and then losing one earbud and not being able to find it because it isn't attached to any fucking thing. Oh, and bluetooth earphones are also much more expensive than the wired option.

Oh, and guess what? Fucking Intel is also gonna try to remove headphone jacks from computers as well. Seriously, fuck you, Intel. All your moves right now are shit.

Fuck tech developers and their catering to the rich and the rich alone. Tech should be for everyone, and replacements should come only when they're demonstrably superior in every single way and every single FUCKING TIME to what they're replacing.

This post was last modified: Oct 5, 2017 at 3:14 PM by T-man.

The removal of the headphone jack is an incredibly transparent attempt to force people into buying expensive Bluetooth headphones. Wireless earbuds in particular blow my mind because those things are always falling out. This is some bullshit that should have been stamped out when Apple pulled this, but complacent sheep continued to graze.

Corporate apologists are traitors to their fellow man and should be thrown from the rooftops.

This post was last modified: Oct 5, 2017 at 4:13 PM by Spritanium.

As far as I'm concerned it's the same as when they started removing microSD slots from phones, there were people who wouldn't have that and now there are still phones with microSD to this day

A large percentage of consumers simply won't buy a phone without a headphone jack, so there will always be phones with headphone jacks (that is until tech evolves to the point when it's a non-issue)

Personally, I think wireless earbuds are incredibly stupid (and a cash grab since there's no way they don't expect you to lose them constantly), but I have a pair of bluetooth headphones that only cost $40 and are just fine. Earbuds suck anyway, I've never had a pair last longer than a few months; so I think this is less a "trend" and more just an example of a port that a lot of people don't use being phased out in flagship devices. I don't see anything wrong with it

As for "catering to the rich", well yeah, flagship phones are supposed to be the best of the best. If you can't afford one (I sure can't) then it's not targeted toward you. The Pixel 2 is going to cost like $800 if not more, it's a fair assumption that if you can afford an $800 phone, you can afford a $40 pair of bluetooth headphones

And I mean it's not like this is just a random decision, they've probably done market research and determined that people with that kind of budget are less likely to want a gaping hole in their phone. Probably because they can afford bluetooth headphones

I don't think it's fair to expect technological progress to slow down just so everyone can afford it, considering there are plenty of low-end and midrange phones with 3.5mm jacks. The number of phones without it is probably under 1%

Yeah Spritey, that is a rather reasonable way to see it, but uh

I have 2 problems with this development and the first one, to be honest, is the hypocrisy of Google and other tech companies that first laughed at Apple for ditching the jack and the went and ditched the jack on their own. Like... if you're already planning on doing that kinda move, don't say anything. And if you're not yet planning to make that kind of move and you mocked people who did... And if your customers liked that, and bought your product, and highlighted that you were still including useful and accessible tech... um...

The other problem is that more tech firms are liking this and moving towards it blindly. Hell, fucking Intel. INTEL. Wants to get rid of headphone jacks on fucking LAPTOPS. What. Seriously, what.

Man, I hope you're right about the jack staying around for much longer. I want it to stay for as long as I breathe, and maybe beyond that. I don't even know what's the fuss with wanting to remove all wires.

forcing your consumers to buy expensive bluetooth headphones is shit fuck that noise

also wireless earbuds, something that can be so easily lost lmao

This post was last modified: Oct 5, 2017 at 4:32 PM by Spritanium.

@EH2 Yeah I can almost guarantee that for the forseeable future, there will be phones with headphone jacks, even if it gets to the point where it's a really niche market (but at that point I'm sure bluetooth headphones will be a lot cheaper)

And you're right, it is hypocritical that these companies made fun of Apple for doing this first, but to be fair even I thought it was a stupid move when Apple did it. And that was only a year or two ago so I don't think bluetooth was much pricier than it is now. But when I look back, I think what I really thought was dumb were the wireless earbuds - that will just never be a good idea.

From a business perspective I guess it makes sense; the vast majority of people seemed to think removing the jack from the iPhone was a bad idea, so the other companies capitalized on that doubt. Now people have gotten used to the idea and it's a better move for them to pretend like they always thought it was a good idea.

As for removing the jack on laptops - this is a little dumber because there's plenty of room on a laptop, and usually the 3.5mm jack on modern laptops doubles as a mic port. However a lot of decent recording mics come with a USB connection, so it's not necessarily the end of the world for professional laptop use. What I really hate is laptops that don't have any USB ports, or only one USB-C. I have a 2015 macbook from work, and I can't tell you how inconvenient it is when you need to use a USB device and just...can't lol

"without the headphone jack we'll be able to make phones thinner!"

>phones are already thin as fuck

>without headphone jack nothing changes about the phone other than there being no headphone jack

lol

forcing your consumers to buy expensive bluetooth headphones is shit fuck that noise

Again though, you're not forced to buy "expensive" bluetooth headphones, mine were $40 and if you're spending less than that on headphones they're likely going to suck ass

And you're not forced to buy bluetooth headphones anyway, unless you make an active choice to buy a device without a 3.5mm port. Just because the latest top-of-the-line device that you aren't going to buy anyway doesn't include a feature you want, that doesn't mean it's being forced on you. That's kind of a victimized mindset

"without the headphone jack we'll be able to make phones thinner!"

>phones are already thin as fuck

>without headphone jack nothing changes about the phone other than there being no headphone jack

lol

Since I have cheap bluetooth headphones I'd probably choose a phone without a headphone jack over one with it

If you don't use it, it's just a hole in your phone for dust and crumbs to get into

cheap bluetooth headphones

mine were $40

I just feel like a lot of people who are upset by this are the type of people who prefer to buy $10 earbuds every 3 months instead of investing in a pair of nice headphones that will last years

$40 is not expensive for a product you'll use almost every day, and that will last you longer since there's no wiring to come loose when you pull on it/wrap it around something

This post was last modified: Oct 5, 2017 at 4:42 PM by Spritanium.

I mean $40 is like, half of a single minimum wage workday. It's really not the end of the world for someone who is choosing a phone that costs almost a grand

I should also mention there are in fact bluetooth headphones that cost half what I paid, which will still last longer than wired earbuds costing the same price

idk I guess I just can't wrap my head around being mad that a product exists instead of just not buying it

you do realize this creates a standard over time right

the fact that you're like "oh there will always be options with the headphone jacks" reminds me of people who used to say VCR and VHS would always be an option.

only in this case the "upgrade" isn't better than having a simple headphone jack

This post was last modified: Oct 5, 2017 at 4:51 PM by Spritanium.

you do realize this creates a standard over time right

the fact that you're like "oh there will always be options with the headphone jacks" reminds me of people who used to say VCR and VHS would always be an option.

VHS was an option for as long as it was relevant; I'm sure at first people made the same complaints toward DVDs until the price dropped and VHS was superseded.

By the time 3.5mm jacks are obsolete, you won't want one anymore. Until then there will always be (at least) a niche market for people who like to use headphones that break after 3 months

only in this case the "upgrade" isn't better than having a simple headphone jack

Like I said in a previous post it would be better for me, and many other people; I don't use the 3.5mm jack so it's just an unsightly opening in the phone

ok maybe if music is beamed directly into my head I won't want a 3.5mm jack

but that's a big if

ok maybe if music is beamed directly into my head I won't want a 3.5mm jack

but that's a big if

Why is this necessary right now though, what's so bad about bluetooth headphones? (not earbuds)