Say goodbye to headphone jack

[Orion78]

Good news, wired headphones still work.

Yes I know that now. I made that comment when the rumors first broke out. I'm over it already. I'm on board waiting for next week.

 

[flyingkytez]

I do not buy a phone based on whether it has a headphone jack or not. That being said, yes I am still going to buy it even though I know absolutely nothing about the new model. It is a Pixel and that is good enough for meツ

On a side note, old technology has to be shed from time to time to make way for new technology.

What's better than a headphone jack? A 2.5mm smaller headphone jack? That's already been invented and proven not convenient because no one uses that. And now USB C headphones? Gotta carry a dongle around. Wireless headphones? Just another annoying gadget you have to carry around. Unless they can make the battery last for a week, not convenient. Apple is lying when they said they're being brave and innovative by removing the jack, it's about brand licensing and money. When Steve Jobs said that in the famous interview, he was referring to floppy disks, CD drives, and other inferior PC components now obsolete. The audio jack was meant to stay, Steve Jobs would have been upset at what they're doing at Apple. He invented the iPod for goodness sake and that was designed to be used with a headphone jack along with iTunes software. Such a disgrace Pixel is following suit trying so hard to be simple and clean like Apple, already stealing their design.

 

[Aquila]

What's better than a headphone jack? A 2.5mm smaller headphone jack? That's already been invented and proven not convenient because no one uses that. And now USB C headphones? Gotta carry a dongle around. Wireless headphones? Just another annoying gadget you have to carry around. Unless they can make the battery last for a week, not convenient. Apple is lying when they said they're being brave and innovative by removing the jack, it's about brand licensing and money. When Steve Jobs said that in the famous interview, he was referring to floppy disks, CD drives, and other inferior PC components now obsolete. The audio jack was meant to stay, Steve Jobs would have been upset at what they're doing at Apple. He invented the iPod for goodness sake and that was designed to be used with a headphone jack along with iTunes software. Such a disgrace Pixel is following suit trying so hard to be simple and clean like Apple, already stealing their design.

Do you intentionally misunderstand the business reasons for evolving hardware or do you actually not get it?

 

[flyingkytez]

Do you intentionally misunderstand the business reasons for evolving hardware or do you actually not get it?

Come on, be real. Apple removing headphone jack is marketing scheme. They get paid big bucks for manufactures using their lightning port for accessories, it's a gateway for money. On top of that, they are selling their overpriced Air Pods. No technological advancement because everything was already there in the first place, just removal of a useful port. Don't try to sound smart, it's pretty straightforward.

 

[sydneycooper1979]

Mod note: Please keep the discussion civil and on topic. No need to discuss each other. Thank you.

 

[Aquila]

Apple removing headphone jack is marketing scheme.

Obviously I can't speak for Apple, but that doesn't match the reasons that anyone else did the same move and it doesn't make sense logically.

 

[dsignori]

.... And now USB C headphones? Gotta carry a dongle around. ..

Gonna have to make a template response for this stuff ..

So ..
(1) There are USB-C wired headphones around to buy, some are pretty great
(2) You have to "carry around" your headphones anyway. If you keep the $4 USB-C to 3.5mm dongle attached to your headset, there is absolutely nothing new to "carry around".

If you are a person that frequently charges your phone and listens on the 3.5 mm jack now, then this change is definitely an issue, and for those folks, I can see being upset.

For me, I really don't like them doing this, but in reality, I don't see it at all affecting anything I do, as long as I get the $4 dongle (or 3 of them).

 

[Morty2264]

I think I'd still buy a device without a headphone jack. As long as I have the adapters, I'm good. I guess it's still a little weird to me that manufacturers are going this route... But I guess it has to do with the public wanting slimmer devices and all that jazz.

 

[Mike Dee]

I think it's time say goodbye to a device that lost the 3.5 jack if the jack is a must have. There are other devices at the moment that work quite well if you need a jack.
I like a traditional jack as much as the next person but I know I can make due.
The Pixel looks to be an amazing device and losing the jack is a minor inconvenience in only one realistic way... charging and listening simultaneously and I believe there are some existing solutions for that. As far as everything else, it's solved with the dongle. If it doesn't work for you there are a bounty of alternative phones.

 

[dpham00]

One thing that could be a life saver with the headphone jack is fm radio. Even the fcc is on this and wants fm radio. The way fm radio is implemented in my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 8,it requires a headphone plugged in. It would be possible without a headphone, but then another antenna would need to be added.

 

[Mike Dee]

One thing that could be a life saver with the headphone jack is fm radio. Even the fcc is on this and wants fm radio. The way fm radio is implemented in my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 8,it requires a headphone plugged in. It would be possible without a headphone, but then another antenna would need to be added.

A valid point, however FM is not available on all phones and I haven't seen the FCC do anything in over 4 years. I'm not even sure they can.

 

[dpham00]

A valid point, however FM is not available on all phones and I haven't seen the FCC do anything in over 4 years. I'm not even sure they can.

They don't have the power to mandate manufacturers, if that's what you are getting at. But they can issue strongly worded requests. I am not sure what you mean about doing nothing in the past 4 years, the fcc has been championing it and has issued a few statements on this this year alone, the latest being today.

It should also be noted that the 4 major carriers will allow fm radio devices on their network. Also,manufacturers like Samsung, lg, HTC, Motorola, and more have carrier devices with fm radio. So you do have choices, if you want fm radio.

 

[Mike Dee]

They don't have the power to mandate manufacturers, if that's what you are getting at. But they can issue strongly worded requests. I am not sure what you mean about doing nothing in the past 4 years, the fcc has been championing it and has issued a few statements on this this year alone, the latest being today.

It should also be noted that the 4 major carriers will allow fm radio devices on their network. Also,manufacturers like Samsung, lg, HTC, Motorola, and more have carrier devices with fm radio. So you do have choices, if you want fm radio.

I realize they don't have the power that's why nothings changed. I have Verizon and they took it away on my Droid X years ago after an update. Verizon doesn't allow it anything except maybe Samsung. I wouldn't use it anyway. I don't think the FM fanbase is big enough to do anything about. Most people don't even know know it exists.

 

[modifier]

Is google putting wireless headphones in with the phone this year? I thought I saw that somewhere

Found the article but it doesn't mention including them with the phones. At this price it's not likely. But, we'll know soon enough.

Rumor: Google May Launch $159 BT Earbuds At Oct. 4th Event
https://www.androidheadlines.com/20...vent.htmlidheadline/status/913643409738518528
​

 

[dpham00]

I realize they don't have the power that's why nothings changed. I have Verizon and they took it away on my Droid X years ago after an update. Verizon doesn't allow it anything except maybe Samsung. I wouldn't use it anyway. I don't think the FM fanbase is big enough to do anything about. Most people don't even know know it exists.

It's not about the fan base... But this is a safety feature... That's why the fcc is pushing for it. Otherwise the fcc wouldn't care.


For those on Verizon that need it... In addition to Samsung, it is also available on the lg g6 and numerous unlocked motos which work on Verizon.

 

[modifier]

It's not about the fan base... But this is a safety feature... That's why the fcc is pushing for it. Otherwise the fcc wouldn't care.

How does the FCC chairman expect FM to work on phones without wired headphones attached? The wire acts as the antenna. If headphones aren't attached to the phone, there's no FM antenna. As you mentioned before, an internal antenna is really the best solution. In a time of disaster it's silly to assume everyone will have their phone and their headphones.

Perhaps they need to hire an electrical engineer to head the FCC rather than an attorney. No offense intended to the attorneys in the crowd but an EE degree goes a long way in understanding antennas.

 

[Mike Dee]

It's not about the fan base... But this is a safety feature... That's why the fcc is pushing for it. Otherwise the fcc wouldn't care.


For those on Verizon that need it... In addition to Samsung, it is also available on the lg g6 and numerous unlocked motos which work on Verizon.

It is about fanbase for the consumers to push the issue with manufacturers and that is what I was referring to. I'm in Verizon and I'm not buying my phone based around which ones have a working FM radio. Unlocked phones on Verizon lose features that are much more important to me. I doubt that it's a the top of the list of features for many people buying phones. The feature didn't always exist and it wasn't added for safety reasons. I have other resources for FM radio including an emergency one that runs off lithium, and aaa batteries, solar and hand crank generator. Yes I realize we all carry our phones so it's within reach for most people, however not everyone carries earbuds with them. If they really want to implement it they should forego using earbuds as antenna.

 

[Mike Dee]

Found the article but it doesn't mention including them with the phones. At this price it's not likely. But, we'll know soon enough.

Rumor: Google May Launch $159 BT Earbuds At Oct. 4th Event
https://www.androidheadlines.com/20...vent.htmlidheadline/status/913643409738518528
​

They could also make the antenna work through the USB C jack if they needed to. I honestly think it doesn't matter enough except to a minor population. For me it actually sits lower on my list of important features than an IR blaster. That's not to say it's unimportant feature.

 

[modifier]

They could also make the antenna work through the USB C jack if they needed to.

The FM chipset connects directly to the physical analog 3.5mm jack to create the antenna path. I'm not sure how they'd correctly tune an antenna with a USB chipset and adapter in between. Some dongles (like on the Essential) have active chipsets inside, adding to the chain.

Do any phones with USB-C only also have a working FM chipset?

 

[Aquila]

The FM chipset connects directly to the physical analog 3.5mm jack to create the antenna path. I'm not sure how they'd correctly tune an antenna with a USB chipset and adapter in between. Some dongles (like on the Essential) have active chipsets inside, adding to the chain.

Do any phones with USB-C only also have a working FM chipset?

Not that I've heard of. Moto Z Force does not have FM, iPhones don't have FM on the 7, 8 or X, U11 doesn't have it.