It’s 2016. The world’s most iconic smartphone, Apple’s iPhone 7, is rumored to do away with the 3.5mm audio jack. Android manufacturers are already moving away from it. The Moto Z and 2016 LeEco range have been released without the traditional connection. What’s happening? In the technology sector, nothing can be granted immunity from aging and being discontinued. In fact, it’s inevitable for anything technological to not stay around for long.
Next to go is likely the standard headphone system that has been around since everyone can remember. It’s the standard that every manufacturer has in common – laptops, TV’s, phones, PlayStations, cars and everything in between utilizes it. And that is why nobody is happy that it might be leaving. It’s easy to use. We all use it. We’ll have to purchases new, more expensive equipment to fill the place of our hundreds of millions of depreciated headphones, speakers and related accessories.. The headphone jack works, and it works well. So why replace it?
Around 1878, the larger version of the audio plug came around. It has the same shape and uses the same technology in order to move audio around as the modern version.
Initially the this quarter-inch jack was used by operators in old-fashioned telephone switchboards, plugging and unplugging connections.
The plug and jack that we use today are basically smaller versions of this technology. Sure, they have improved and the technology that drives them are vastly different (and better). The jack used analog signals to transfer data and does exactly the same to this day. Using something in technology at present day that was created so far back literally makes it feel like an eternal solution. If we want to advance in technology, should we really carry on using a 19th century plug?
Take Zorloo’s digital earphones that we reviewed, for example. The earphones got rid of the standard connection and instead used the Micro-USB connection to transfer digital data that resulted in a sufficiently better overall audio quality. Because the charging port is capable of outputting power and your jack is not, this already favors the digital headset. The Micro-USB connection itself is being depreciated, and Zorloo has already started producing a USB Type-C version.
We reached out to Mr Andy Ho, the co-founder of Zorloo, and asked him two questions:
1. What advantages does the digital connection have over the traditional method that made you swap over?
2. Where do you think the digital connection is going to take us and what is going to happen to the traditional connection?
“Digital audio interface using Micro-USB (or USB-C) will move on to take over the analog phone jack given the inherit advantage being mentioned. The last obstacle to solve is the simultaneous use and charge with a single connector. (In fact, USB specifications support this configuration but just not too many manufacturers follow).”
There you have it: headphones like these greatly enhances our ability to make something bigger and better, and are just an example for the possible benefits of getting rid of the fossil-aged audio jack.
If we want to advance in technology, should we really carry on using a 19th century plug?
Removing the jack is also beneficial to your phone. Manufacturers won’t be obliged to set aside a reasonable chunk of precious space for something that can be done through the charging port. It’s a place where a better, more exciting component can be placed. It’s also one place less for water to leak in and one less component that can break down and need repairing. Phones can be thinner, have bigger screens and invest in that left-over space better.
You may ask why we should fix the standard if it’s not really broken. The connection works just fine, you say, and I totally agree that it does. But so does Micro-USB, that is slowly being replaced by USB Type-C. USB Type-C is taking over the older connection as it can transfer data faster, output more power and is generally better suited for daily life. Are we complaining about this transition?
We could carry on using Micro-USB forever and simply write off what could be a better technology.
Secondly, what about the daily inconveniences? All those decrepit headsets that will go to waste, and adapters that will need to be bought, not to mention that you cannot charge your phone while listening to music (at least at present). Â Let me put it like this: you have to lose something in order to gain something. You can either use Bluetooth headsets, or adapt. Countless phone manufacturers have sacrificed battery life for a thinner phone and consumers eventually adapted to it regardless of how much backlash they gave.
If Apple does indeed leave out the headphone jack in the iPhone 7, it’s almost certain that many others will follow suit. We could expect the standard to be almost gone from mobile devices within the next four to five years. Taking into consideration that the invention has been around since the 19th century, it is a miracle that it is still in use.
The fact remains that change is inevitable, and that your attitude towards embracing it is up to you.
The reason for people complaining is that people don’t see any useful advantages to offset the clear disadvantages of this change. And your article seems to give three advantages: 1) 3.5mm is old and therefore should be replaced, 2) the output quality could be higher, 3) that space can be used for something else. Did I miss something? So to address them in order. 1) I am all for progress but progress for progress’ sake is meaning less, 2) yes, for people who now spend hundreds of dollars on headphones this makes sense but for the other 95% of the smart phone users we will never hear any quality improvements, 3) there may be a small amount of value in this but I don’t think any consumer will ever see enough difference to care. The value of this change is all to benefit the phone manufacturers not the consumers.
So what are the disadvantages? As you said 1) no more listening to music while charging, 2) no more using the same headphones on all devices, 3) now you need to replace all existing headphones, 4) that DAC and amplifier that improves quality needs power so either you have to plug your headphones in to the wall too or you will be draining your phone battery, 4) that digital stream will likely end up encrypted and DRM enabled so we enter the world where Beats headphones could ONLY work with Apple devices, 5) right now headphones are very simple components and have no expensive electronics but the new headphones will have more circuits and logic built it to convert the digital stream into the analog signal needed by the speakers, 6) digital headphones will cost more (disadvantage 5).
Sadly the truth is that we probably do simply have to just accept that the manufacturers want this change because the “advantages” benefit them much more than the consumer. And their perspectives on the “disadvantages” also shift to being advantages for them.
They tried to get rid of the headphone jack years ago. Guess what, those phones didn’t sell well and it came back. I had an old htc phone that didn’t have a headphone jack, instead it had an adapter to charge and listen at the same time, I hated it. I plug my current phone into my sound system in my car via the headphone jack, and charge so that Google GPS doesn’t kill my phone in 2 hours, guess what. I will not buy a phone without a headphone jack. Good luck Lenovo, but with all the sheep following apple blindlessly, they will still buy
The only way this could be in any way acceptable is if compatible headphones are supplied with the phone. They don’t have to be great but at least as good as the standard ipod earbuds. They’d need to be Bluetooth too.
A few years ago a fad started for some phones to have the jack on the base, forcing you to place the phone upside down in your pocket, meaning the volume buttons were effectively reversed and the power button on the wrong side. Not to mention you had to re-orient the phone every time you removed it before you could use it. Otherwise you were crushing the cable around the connector whilst in your pocket. Ridiculous. How this was even allowed is beyond me. Of course you’d have the same problem with using the usb port. It makes no sense. Especially when you consider all the design and supposed ergonomic aspects gone in to the phone development. So basically it’s Bluetooth or gtfo. What’s the betting if apple do away with the headphone Jack they start pushing their coincidentally new range of Bluetooth headphones? Of course other manufacturers would follow suit.
Also, the fact that the jack has been around forever is not a reason to do without it. In order to remove something, surely it has to be superfluous or replaced with a newer/better alternative? For many, the cost of a good replacement would not justify the change. My phone is my portable media player too. I’d hate to not be able to use my trusty ba11s on my next phone because somewhere along the line apple decided they don’t like the connector anymore.