Say goodbye to headphone jack

[dpham00]

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.

you are right that the fanbase doesn't care...but as i said before, the fcc isn't pushing it because it's a wanted feature, but because it is a safety feature

 

[dpham00]

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.

it's not a guarantee because yes you need headphones for current phones that have fm radio, but it's better than nothing. say that you were in a hurricane, and cell tower is down. true, if you don't have a headphone, then it won't help you...but if you did, then it can certainly help, and all with virtually zero cost at least for phones with 3.5mm jack.

 

[dpham00]

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.

no one cares about it except in a life or death situation...in which case fm can save your life in emergency situation. IR blaster? not so much.

 

[modifier]

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.

Add Essential to that list. Nothing there, either. I've looked for examples of phones without a headphone jack and none appear to have an FM chipset. I'm going with the scientific approach in attempting to prove myself wrong to prove myself correct.

it's not a guarantee because yes you need headphones for current phones that have fm radio, but it's better than nothing. say that you were in a hurricane, and cell tower is down. true, if you don't have a headphone, then it won't help you...but if you did, then it can certainly help, and all with virtually zero cost at least for phones with 3.5mm jack.

Trust me, I'm all for it. I just think it's being dropped on USB-C phones due to implementation issues and not being dropped for popularity. I fully agree it's good for safety. After all, if someone doesn't use it then at least it's there for emergency. But, with more manufacturers dropping the jack entirely, FM chipsets might disappear with them.

Perhaps the thread title should be "Say goodbye to the headphone jack and FM chipset."

 

[SactoKingsFan]

I still like having the headphone jack since I haven't fully switched over to just using BT headphones. My Jaybird BT headphones are usually used for music at the gym. Need the headphone jack for over the ear headphones I prefer for watching shows and movies. I'll keep buying phones with headphone jacks as long as possible.

 

[Mike Dee]

no one cares about it except in a life or death situation...in which case fm can save your life in emergency situation. IR blaster? not so much.

I get it....I just don't think we'll get it.

 

[Mike Dee]

it's not a guarantee because yes you need headphones for current phones that have fm radio, but it's better than nothing. say that you were in a hurricane, and cell tower is down. true, if you don't have a headphone, then it won't help you...but if you did, then it can certainly help, and all with virtually zero cost at least for phones with 3.5mm jack.

I get deployed to various municipalities prior to and during storm emergencies by the utility I work for and by some public safety organizations that I do volunteer work for so I understand the importance of communications. I just don't think we will solve the lack of FM radio support here in the forums.

 

[flyingkytez]

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.

Apple did it for money. Other Android phones did it because they were inspired by Apple from the beginning (the Pixel closely resembles the iPhone 6s, the One Plus 5 too) and are too lazy to improve audio quality so they just took it out trying to look futuristic and innovative, or what Apple called themselves, "brave". Trying to have a "clean" minimal design like the Essential Phone, ridiculous because that company is going to be bankrupt because all they focus on was simplicity and design. Trying extremely hard to be like Apple is going to cost you because in recent reports Apple isn't as "cool" anymore, the Essential Phone is going to be trashed.

 

[Aquila]

Apple did it for money. Other Android phones did it because they were inspired by Apple from the beginning (the Pixel closely resembles the iPhone 6s, the One Plus 5 too) and are too lazy to improve audio quality so they just took it out trying to look futuristic and innovative. Trying to have a "clean" minimal design like the Essential Phone, ridiculous because that company is going to be bankrupt because all they focus on was simplicity and design. Trying extremely hard to be like Apple it's going to cost you because in recent reports Apple isn't as "cool" anymore.

Lenovo/Moto did it before Apple, as did Oppo and LeEco. They definitely weren't following Apple's lead and neither is Google or HTC. This entire quote is a supreme misunderstanding of the situation. For Money? Hardly, there is opportunity cost in lost sales that vastly outweighs the "savings" they could expect from not having this component. As loathe as I am to quote BGR, this person gets the gist: "No, the answer isn’t “courage.” It’s a bit more complicated than that, but not much. Smartphones pack a tremendous amount of tech into a tiny amount of space, and every single fraction of a millimeter counts. A 3.5mm headphone jack serves one purpose and one purpose alone: audio output. Of course, every smartphone already has another port capable of outputting audio. So, by shifting audio to the USB-C or Lightning port, the 3.5mm jack can be eliminated and that space can be better utilized. It’s that simple." Most important part underlined. It's about saving SPACE not PENNIES. It's about eliminating a huge component that is completely redundant. That's efficiency.

 

[modifier]

Apple did it for money. Other Android phones did it because they were inspired by Apple from the beginning (the Pixel closely resembles the iPhone 6s, the One Plus 5 too) and are too lazy to improve audio quality so they just took it out trying to look futuristic and innovative, or what Apple called themselves, "brave". Trying to have a "clean" minimal design like the Essential Phone, ridiculous because that company is going to be bankrupt because all they focus on was simplicity and design. Trying extremely hard to be like Apple is going to cost you because in recent reports Apple isn't as "cool" anymore, the Essential Phone is going to be trashed.

If anything it's Intel pushing for 3.5mm to go away. Apple is irrelevant here.

https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/17/12519936/intel-usb-type-c-headphone-jack-replacement-idf-2016

Phones like Essential get trashed because everyone foolishly expects every phone to be made identically with identical specs. If you want a minivan, buy a minivan. If you want a sports car, buy a sports car. But, expecting a sports car to have the same space and features of a minivan is downright unrealistic. Buy what fits your needs. Don't trash what doesn't just because it's not what you want.

Choice is a good thing. Carbon copies are boring.

 

[dsignori]

Lenovo/Moto did it before Apple, as did Oppo and LeEco. They definitely weren't following Apple's lead and neither is Google or HTC. This entire quote is a supreme misunderstanding of the situation. For Money? Hardly, there is opportunity cost in lost sales that vastly outweighs the "savings" they could expect from not having this component. As loathe as I am to quote BGR, this person gets the gist: "No, the answer isn’t “courage.” It’s a bit more complicated than that, but not much. Smartphones pack a tremendous amount of tech into a tiny amount of space, and every single fraction of a millimeter counts. A 3.5mm headphone jack serves one purpose and one purpose alone: audio output. Of course, every smartphone already has another port capable of outputting audio. So, by shifting audio to the USB-C or Lightning port, the 3.5mm jack can be eliminated and that space can be better utilized. It’s that simple." Most important part underlined. It's about saving SPACE not PENNIES. It's about eliminating a huge component that is completely redundant. That's efficiency.

While I agree completely with this, I would argue that what you stated in bold applies to your own conclusion too. Whether or not they eliminated it for cost or to save space, they are risking lost sales to save a bit of space (space that absolutely no one is using for things like bigger batteries or other goodies so far).

While I agree with your argument, I don't think it makes it better for consumers, or for companies who may lose some sales because of it ..

Lastly, while perhaps not executing changes in phones "to copy Apple", I think many companies definitely feel it's OK to remove or change something after Apple does it - because to the general public often times once Apple does something, that is of course the way it should be.:-\

 

[Aquila]

While I agree completely with this, I would argue that what you stated in bold applies to your own conclusion too. Whether or not they eliminated it for cost or to save space, they are risking lost sales to save a bit of space (space that absolutely no one is using for things like bigger batteries or other goodies so far).

While I agree with your argument, I don't think it makes it better for consumers, or for companies who may lose some sales because of it ..

Lastly, while perhaps not executing changes in phones "to copy Apple", I think many companies definitely feel it's OK to remove or change something after Apple does it - because to the general public often times once Apple does something, that is of course the way it should be.:-\

The more I think about this the more I think that I'm becoming glad to see it go lol

 

[dsignori]

The more I think about this the more I think that I'm becoming glad to see it go lol

Yeah, it is all a bit melodramatic. Just rip off the band aid I guess Now if they would just use that extra space in this big phones to include bigger batteries ...

 

[flyingkytez]

If anything it's Intel pushing for 3.5mm to go away. Apple is irrelevant here.

https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/17/12519936/intel-usb-type-c-headphone-jack-replacement-idf-2016

Phones like Essential get trashed because everyone foolishly expects every phone to be made identically with identical specs. If you want a minivan, buy a minivan. If you want a sports car, buy a sports car. But, expecting a sports car to have the same space and features of a minivan is downright unrealistic. Buy what fits your needs. Don't trash what doesn't just because it's not what you want.

Choice is a good thing. Carbon copies are boring.

Ironic "choice is a good thing". Ain't got no choice if manufactures are choosing for us, in this case, the removal of headphone jacks.

Apple and Pixel: "We'll tell you what to like, and you better like it." LG and Samsung: "We did all this for you, I hope you'll like it." Why not do a user poll before making such decisions? Because you don't have the right to choose what goes in, they do. Guarantee the votes for it than against it will be higher. Notice Apple and Google are giant American dominant corporations with massive power.

Say what you like as fannys but the headphone jack isn't going anywhere soon. That's like saying the standard USB is going to be trashed anytime soon. It's way too universal right now. Imagine buying a computer without one, extremely outrageous. Apple is apparently killing off the USB port right now. You gotta buy a darn dongle. Buying products from those manufactures means you're supporting greedy business decisions and forcing folks to trash their still useable electronics, ending up in the dump where third world country kids salvage for gold pieces, while Chinese workers work away their lives making new phones for pennies. Wake up guys, don't be a sheep.

 

[recDNA]

USB C is an expensive pita in phones and I will never understand why many got all excited about it. Micro USB was ubiquitous and had many more inexpensive accessories.

 

[dsignori]

Say what you like as fannys but the headphone jack isn't going anywhere soon. That's like saying the standard USB is going to be trashed anytime soon. It's way too universal right now. Imagine buying a computer without one, extremely outrageous. Apple is apparently killing off the USB port right now. You gotta buy a darn dongle. Buying products from those manufactures means you're supporting greedy business decisions and forcing folks to trash their still useable electronics, ending up in the dump where third world country kids salvage for gold pieces, while Chinese workers work away their lives making new phones for pennies. Wake up guys, don't be a sheep.

A bit dramatic, no? It's a headphone jack, they didn't take your kid here.

Also, you seem to be arguing both (a) USB port is not going away, while saying (b) it's the apocalypse because, yes, apple is taking it away ..

 

[flyingkytez]

A bit dramatic, no? It's a headphone jack, they didn't take your kid here.

Also, you seem to be arguing both (a) USB port is not going away, while saying (b) it's the apocalypse because, yes, apple is taking it away ..

What I'm saying is Apple (the most greedy of them all) is setting a trend for trashing still useable tech. In this case the headphone jack and USB port. While Apple is doing it, doesn't mean everyone will do it, but some like Google will follow suit. Google is the least innovative and all they do is buy out other companies despite the brain power of many smart individuals from Silicon Valley. Korean and Chinese companies are raising the bar, but still lack the power and influence of users and marketing.

I honestly don't really care as because I never liked Apple and Google Pixel/Nexus anyway. They are too limiting especially with no headphone jack, no microSD, and minimal features. I just don't like seeing other manufactures copy catting Apple because they want to be famous like them (The Essential Phone for example, and HTC). I lost great respect for HTC, the only phone that had the chance to be number one, now pretty much a clone of Apple/Google phones. Could see why they failed and sold themselves to Google. Meanwhile, Samsung and LG is coming up real fast because they give us what we want (for the most part). Samsung killed the micro SD and it created an outage but then brought it back because that's what the people wanted.

 

[modifier]

Ironic "choice is a good thing". Ain't got no choice if manufactures are choosing for us, in this case, the removal of headphone jacks.

What's ironic about it? If you need a headphone jack as your top priority, choose a phone with a headphone jack. It's that easy. If consumers stop buying phones without them then manufacturers will reverse course. The market will ultimately decide.

USB C is an expensive pita in phones and I will never understand why many got all excited about it. Micro USB was ubiquitous and had many more inexpensive accessories.

The same was said when Mini-B switched to Micro-B. At least USB-C can be inserted in either direction unlike the other two. This makes connecting in low-light situations far easier, let alone the speed increase in USB 3.x data transfer.

The added cost of buying new cables will never go away. At least USB-C has a good chance of being the standard for a long time.

 

[Aquila]

What I'm saying is Apple (the most greedy of them all) is setting a trend for trashing still useable tech. In this case the headphone jack and USB port. While Apple is doing it, doesn't mean everyone will do it, but some like Google will follow suit. Google is the least innovative and all they do is buy out other companies despite the brain power of many smart individuals from Silicon Valley. Korean and Chinese companies are raising the bar, but still lack the power and influence of users and marketing.

I honestly don't really care as because I never liked Apple and Google Pixel/Nexus anyway. They are too limiting especially with no headphone jack, no microSD, and minimal features. I just don't like seeing other manufactures copy catting Apple because they want to be famous like them (The Essential Phone for example, and HTC). I lost great respect for HTC, the only phone that had the chance to be number one, now pretty much a clone of Apple/Google phones. Could see why they failed and sold themselves to Google. Meanwhile, Samsung and LG is coming up real fast because they give us what we want (for the most part). Samsung killed the micro SD and it created an outage but then brought it back because that's what the people wanted.

Yeah, we get what you think are your points... they're just wrong, which is why people are trying to help you understand the actual reasoning so that you can stop going on about the incorrect conspiracy theory reasoning. One of the purposes of this forum is to help educate people on topics to do with Android, etc. When some people spend most of their time spreading misinformation, it causes others to have to spend a lot of time correcting the record. When the people spreading the misinformation don't read the corrected information and just repeat the misinformation, that can be pretty frustrating.

 

[modifier]

Just realized the the cable at monoprice is what you were referring to. The Google is already 6 inch. I'm waiting for 10/4 event also.

Quick update: The 6" USB-C male to USB-A female cable just showed up from Google. Sure enough, it's made by Foxconn. It wasn't cheap at $13 + tax but definitely worth the cost in my book. I don't see USB-C going away anytime soon.

I still haven't decided on a Dragonfly. Now that I have a cable for it, that's next on the list.