The Obligatory iPhone 7/Apple Watch "Series 2" Thread

[Guest]

 

tbh..

 

they are bundling that lightning dongle, right?

this thing may not be pretty, but it does take stress off the headphone cable's connector. I'd rather replace a $9 adapter than repair a headphone cable. For listening on the go, it's not that bad really.

 

 

except that dongle is probably going to be $29.99...

 

 

 

nah it's $9. 

[Alcofribas]

 

 

 

Why in gods name would you get rid of the 3.5mm jack

god, i just fucking hate this company with all of my heart, it's like they do everything to make computing less open, less universal, and more dumbed down and more corporate dependent. there's like a whole generation of people now dependent on their shit and who consider it normal and acceptable. just fucking sad.

it's *more* dumbed down without a 3.5 jack? possibly the dumbest, most fragile connection port ever? it outdated when they included it in the ipod. they had made it clear that the jack was inhibiting both the thinness battle and the waterproofing battle. I think I have plugged headphones into that jack on my iphone about twice anyway. Any time i play music from the phone (gym, car, travel speaker) its always wireless. Its not as tho this is an audiophile device to plug your grados in it or whatever. thats what foobar and an external DAC headphone amp is for hurr durr

 

lol come on dude as if the 3.5 mm jack = free computing

it's the most universal one, there's literally not an audio interface that doesn't have this or similar analog input. where can you plug this lightning bullshit at this point? from now you can't even use your iphone as a simple wired music player connected to a simple amp. and the bigger issue is that this step is making tons of existing headphones more inconvenient to use because you need bulky adapter now.

 

the fact that this jack is old is a non argument. if they had a better alternative, then sure, i would jump on it, but they offer nothing better, they simply move the dac+amp from the phone to the headphones themselves. it's not analogous to usb flash disks replacing cds and dvd for file transfers, the former are superior in every way. the waterproof argument is bs too, samsung flagship phones are waterproof while retaining this jack. the thinness - it's crap too, you wouldn't dare use that overpriced phone without a cover most probably, so the fact that they shaved off 0.2mm (i think) means nothing.

 

you're absolutely wrong about iphone (and other flagship phones from major firms for that matter) not being "audiophile", they absolutely are by all objective measures: http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/iphone-6-plus.htm#measurements.

 

 

 

of course the counterargument "well, no one's forcing you to buy that" is easy to make, but it doesn't really cover what's going on. apple breed a certain type of user that will be very close-minded and dependent on their shit, and will consider their practices normal and acceptable. they are a big enough company to really affect how people see technology and what they expect from it, with moves such as those they're propagating a pretty backward idea of technology, the constant rejection of open-sourceness, compatibility and universality.

This is a bit of bs tho isn't it? Apple has been a closed system from the beginning and I don't see the "idea of technology" being held back in the ensuing decades bc of this. On the contrary it's been flourishing beyond anyone's wildest dreams (well, except for hover boards).

 

I do appreciate your underlying sentiment about how personal computing technology should be totally open and customizable but doesn't that option exist unhindered for those who want it? Can you demonstrate how apple has held this back in any way?

 

Imo Apple make closed systems that people want bc a lot of people don't want to fuck with their devices. They want to turn them on, press a button and never be bothered to take a look under the hood and see what's possible. And imo Apple makes really good shit that works really well for this kind of consumer. If they made absolute shit maybe I could appreciate your argument more but the way I see it their influence on consumer computing has not crippled the possibilities but rather has supplied the model for a particular and very successful style of computer.

 

And anyway if sam and bobby can produce elseq on macs I don't see a whole lot to complain about. My personal view is that Apple exists for precisely and only that reason.

[eugene]

well it's pretty simple really. when half of the people in the world (dunno the real numbers, but let's assume it's 50%) buy, and are consequently bought by (via their closed ecosystem), apple, the incentive and power behind developing into a more open source computing world is half of what it can be, broadly speaking. apple breed computer illiteracy in world that's more and more dependent on computers.

i get that argument about people choosing this model to save time and not have to mess with more under-the-hood stuff and rely on tech support for every single problem they might have with their products, but it just doesn't seem healthy to me with regards to the increasingly computerized world, it's really analogous to calling tech support to help you read and summarize some article for you.

[Guest]

^ 

 

https://swift.org

http://www.apple.com/swift/playgrounds/

https://webkit.org

[Alcofribas]

well it's pretty simple really. when half of the people in the world (dunno the real numbers, but let's assume it's 50%) buy, and are consequently bought by (via their closed ecosystem), apple, the incentive and power behind developing into a more open source computing world is half of what it can be, broadly speaking. apple breed computer illiteracy in world that's more and more dependent on computers.

i get that argument about people choosing this model to save time and not have to mess with more under-the-hood stuff and rely on tech support for every single problem they might have with their products, but it just doesn't seem healthy to me with regards to the increasingly computerized world, it's really analogous to calling tech support to help you read and summarize some article for you.

I'd say a more useful analogy would be employing plumbers or mechanics. It would be amazing to be able to understand the inner workings of plumbing, electricity, automotive mechanics, and any of the other complex technology normal people rely on everyday. Unfortunately the vast majority of people are too busy slaving away at shitty jobs and being poor and shit.

 

I'm more or less with you that apple's closed system does not represent the optimal, educational and creative model that an open system affords but at the same time I'd wager the vast majority of all computer users are not using their machines for l33t hacking or algorithmic compositions but are rather just looking up porn, playing taylor swift and writing dumb shit on fb. I somehow doubt apple is really one of the major reasons for this.

[digman]

Can't wait to not be discriminated against in the dating world for using an Android!

[gmanyo]

Oh, it comes with an adapter for the 3.5mm jack. I was under the impression that they were just providing no support for it anymore. That's not that bad, really. Plus, easier to replace if it breaks.

[Braintree]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTxLkj-6Esg

[IOS]

 

Why in gods name would you get rid of the 3.5mm jack

god, i just fucking hate this company with all of my heart, it's like they do everything to make computing less open, less universal, and more dumbed down and more corporate dependent. there's like a whole generation of people now dependent on their shit and who consider it normal and acceptable. just fucking sad.

 

This.

[chassis]

I've never owned an Apple device in my life, here's a hint, if this new thing annoys you, you don't have to buy it.

 

I've never owned one either, but like it or not Apple have a significant proportion of the tech market and when they make a move that further divides them from that standardization that most companies seem to have an understanding of, it divides the users from the rest of us too. I thought phones we're supposed to help us communicate better, how do you justify disrupting harmonization as a communications company. It's just money, they realise their market is shrinking. The people who like apple with stick with it and the sooner they trap them in their "ecosystem" the easier they'll be to keep, while some people have already jumped ship and this will probably cause a few more to too. Might just solidify their user-base though, who knows. Apple has successfully made themselves a fashion item now too, people will pay over the odds not because of ease of use it's because of branding more than anything.

 

The thinness argument is such a hack, most people will put a cover on their phone anyway. Plus I guarantee if you asked anyone if they would accept making a new iphone fatter for an extension in battery life people would take your hand off.

[Joyrex]

JR, in response to your love of the jet black...

Yeah... I never buy a phone (any phone) without a case of some sort...

 

did anyone watch this? this thing going around twitter can't be real, right?

Erm, no.

 

 

Why in gods name would you get rid of the 3.5mm jack

god, i just fucking hate this company with all of my heart, it's like they do everything to make computing less open, less universal, and more dumbed down and more corporate dependent. there's like a whole generation of people now dependent on their shit and who consider it normal and acceptable. just fucking sad.

 

Oh, please - Apple wasn't the first to remove the headphone jack, and while they didn't go with USB-C, it's their product and they can do whatever they want. YOU just don't have to buy it. And I'd say there are 1 BILLION reasons against your rant at the moment.

 

$160 for Airpods is complete bullshit. No new iPads or MacBooks was a big letdown. As was Miyamoto appearing just to announce a gimped version of Super Mario Bros.

iPads/Macbooks will likely come in October... they always hold that stuff off for later in the year.

 

The Nintendo thing was... weird. Interesting to see how that goes. Sad to hear the Animal Crossing/Fire Emblem iOS games got pushed back to 2017.

 

 

 

Why in gods name would you get rid of the 3.5mm jack

god, i just fucking hate this company with all of my heart, it's like they do everything to make computing less open, less universal, and more dumbed down and more corporate dependent. there's like a whole generation of people now dependent on their shit and who consider it normal and acceptable. just fucking sad.

 

it's *more* dumbed down without a 3.5 jack? possibly the dumbest, most fragile connection port ever? it outdated when they included it in the ipod. they had made it clear that the jack was inhibiting both the thinness battle and the waterproofing battle. I think I have plugged headphones into that jack on my iphone about twice anyway. Any time i play music from the phone (gym, car, travel speaker) its always wireless. Its not as tho this is an audiophile device to plug your grados in it or whatever. thats what foobar and an external DAC headphone amp is for hurr durr

 

lol come on dude as if the 3.5 mm jack = free computing

 

Exactly. And I am sure there is a Apple to USB-C adapter in the works...

 

 

tbh..

 

they are bundling that lightning dongle, right?

this thing may not be pretty, but it does take stress off the headphone cable's connector. I'd rather replace a $9 adapter than repair a headphone cable. For listening on the go, it's not that bad really.

 

 

except that dongle is probably going to be $29.99...

 

Nope, 10 bucks.

[Guest bitroast]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTxLkj-6Esg

[IOS]

Meow

[Joyrex]

[Candiru]

Oh, it comes with an adapter for the 3.5mm jack. I was under the impression that they were just providing no support for it anymore. That's not that bad, really. Plus, easier to replace if it breaks.

Yeah I was like... What if I'd rather use actual good earbuds? I'm not planning on buying a new phone soon anyway.

[chenGOD]

well it's pretty simple really. when half of the people in the world (dunno the real numbers, but let's assume it's 50%) buy, and are consequently bought by (via their closed ecosystem), apple, the incentive and power behind developing into a more open source computing world is half of what it can be, broadly speaking. apple breed computer illiteracy in world that's more and more dependent on computers.

i get that argument about people choosing this model to save time and not have to mess with more under-the-hood stuff and rely on tech support for every single problem they might have with their products, but it just doesn't seem healthy to me with regards to the increasingly computerized world, it's really analogous to calling tech support to help you read and summarize some article for you.

 

Lol what closed ecosystem?

 

I can boot into Windows, Linux, run fucking BeOS in a virtual machine if I wanted to, on my MacBook Air.

I can run VLC, foobar2000 (through a wrapper if i want to stay in Mac OS, or natively if I boot into Windows).

I can play all the same file formats, wav, flac, etc etc - sure there are going to be some obscure file formats that can't be played but for the vast majority of the time there's no issue.

Programming tools are all readily available for the Mac.

 

Apple uses and contribute to open source software.

You are not forced to only install apps through the App Store for computers, nor is connecting other devices besides Apple exceedingly difficult.

 

Also Apple wishes they had 50% of the global market share of computing devices.

 

Apple's not perfect, my biggest issue with them is that I can't put microSD cards into the things, and this headphone move seems to be a bit premature, but Apple has never been one to shy away from introducing new concepts.

 

Finally, again, if you don't like their stuff - buy something else - there are plenty of manufacturers out there.

 

Samsung, Sony (the Xperia Z5 compact is a beautiful piece of kit, but I don't think they sell it in Canada unfortunately), the Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and XiaoMi, blackberry (lol ok ok).

 

In terms of laptops and computers there are lots of other options out there. Apparently the new lenovo products are amazing.

 

It's like you see the words "Apple, new product" and a giant vacuum sucks all rational thought out of your normally very pragmatic brain.

[keanu reeves]

is it honestly that hard to understand why getting rid of a headphone jack is a shitty move? on a forum devoted to music where i'm guessing a lot of us value having a decent pair of headphones when we use mobile devices? it's like the words "apple, new product" bring out the contrarian shithead in normally pragmatic people.

[Joyrex]

Ever wonder how you'll listen to music and charge your iPhone 7? Belkin has the ($40.00 USD) answer:

 

http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F8J198/

 

LOL.

[keanu reeves]

here's the solution to a problem you never had before!

[Joyrex]

is it honestly that hard to understand why getting rid of a headphone jack is a shitty move? on a forum devoted to music where i'm guessing a lot of us value having a decent pair of headphones when we use mobile devices? it's like the words "apple, new product" bring out the contrarian shithead in normally pragmatic people.

Again, free adapter included with every iPhone 7 - use the headphones you want to use. Also, for the majority of iPhone users, the included earbuds (urgh, can't stand them) is just fine - I see dozens of people every day wearing them. Hell, Apple made a whole campaign about it years ago with the iPod.

[keanu reeves]

cool so now i get another thing i can lose. i spent a lot of money on my shure earbuds, i like them, i'm not going to use apple's and i'm not using shitty bluetooth wireless headphones that crap out on me. it doesn't really matter anyway, i'm using an iphone se and will go to android for my next phone. if at that point the entire industry has phased out 3.5 connectors, fair enough. i just hate built in obsolescence when it's completely unneeded. apple should put some money and effort into fixing their appalling bad music software.

[Joyrex]

cool so now i get another thing i can lose. i spent a lot of money on my shure earbuds, i like them, i'm not going to use apple's and i'm not using shitty bluetooth wireless headphones that crap out on me. it doesn't really matter anyway, i'm using an iphone se and will go to android for my next phone. if at that point the entire industry has phased out 3.5 connectors, fair enough. i just hate built in obsolescence when it's completely unneeded. apple should put some money and effort into fixing their appalling bad music software.

Can't see how you would lose it if it was connected to your 3.5mm jack...

 

And the industry WILL phase out the 3.5mm jack, just like RCA connectors are hardly used anymore.

 

Apple removed it for various reasons - smaller form factor, waterproofing, all-digital connection (surprised nobody mentioned this as an advantage yet) - their product, their decision. If you don't like it, switch to Android until they do the same as companies are usually lemming-like in that respect.

 

You raised an interesting question - what does Android devices use as a music player? Google Music? I have it on my iPhone, and I can't say I'm terribly impressed with it's UI over the Music app on iOS - and this coming from an avowed Google "fan" when it comes to their software.

[hello spiral]

^Yeah tbh the response in defence of this here is a bit weird.

I'm all for lol-ing at the adolescent apple hate which I see a LOT of. But this is the first time I've seen defensiveness about a really fucking shitty move by apple.

What Keanu said basically. I like my sennheisers and want to just plug and play. If this is a thing that sticks I'll be moving to android, although that'll be in about 5 years time lol.

[keanu reeves]

 

cool so now i get another thing i can lose. i spent a lot of money on my shure earbuds, i like them, i'm not going to use apple's and i'm not using shitty bluetooth wireless headphones that crap out on me. it doesn't really matter anyway, i'm using an iphone se and will go to android for my next phone. if at that point the entire industry has phased out 3.5 connectors, fair enough. i just hate built in obsolescence when it's completely unneeded. apple should put some money and effort into fixing their appalling bad music software.

Can't see how you would lose it if it was connected to your 3.5mm jack...

 

And the industry WILL phase out the 3.5mm jack, just like RCA connectors are hardly used anymore.

 

Apple removed it for various reasons - smaller form factor, waterproofing, all-digital connection (surprised nobody mentioned this as an advantage yet) - their product, their decision. If you don't like it, switch to Android until they do the same as companies are usually lemming-like in that respect.

 

You raised an interesting question - what does Android devices use as a music player? Google Music? I have it on my iPhone, and I can't say I'm terribly impressed with it's UI over the Music app on iOS - and this coming from an avowed Google "fan" when it comes to their software.

 

 

i actually don't have an issue with the ios music player, i'm talking about itunes. it's the worst software i've ever used on an otherwise functional computer and i've finally had to do all of my digital music management on my desktop pc through foobar. it's baffling to me how neglected it is and how every upgrade makes it less intuitive and useable. 

btw i'm not an apple hater or whatever. there are strengths and weaknesses and i use both pc and mac hardware (macbook pro laptop and ground up pc build for desktop). it's really more frustrating to see this weird defense of a decision that's clearly for money, not customer satisfaction. this isn't "courageous" as their marketing seems to be trying to communicate, it's so they can upsell overpriced hardware "solutions" to problems they create. i understand that's the tech industry in a nutshell, it's just frustrating because there was nothing wrong with the old audio jack.

[Kidrodi]

Removing the headphone jack is a dick move but given this is Apple we're talking about we just have to wait until every headphone manufacturer on the face of the earth starts making lightning headphones.

Just put more than 1 port on the phone Apple ffs