If I remember correctly, the very first android phone had only a mini USB port and required a dongle to use a 3.5mm audio port. This was almost a decade ago, and this struck me as a terrible design choice. The latest Moto phone does the same (with USB C instead mini USB).<p>If manufacturers are going to phase out barrel connectors for audio, they should do two things:<p>1) Use a single universal port standard, like USB Type C<p>2) Provide TWO of these ports. I want to charge my phone while playing music.<p>I know its unlikely, but I would rather Apple switch from lightening to USB Type C if they are going to abandon the 3.5mm port.
agreed. Audio people will never accept some Apple(or other company)-driven non-standardized port for what everyone knows is a basic differential unbalanced output/input.<p>It's like making an electric guitar without a 1/4" jack... sure, you can, but you will be unable to tap into the world of effects pedals, amplifiers, pre-amps, and the rest of the guitar gear eco-system.<p>one can adjunct a digital control-plus-data port, to sort of upgrade SPDIF (the pro-standard was always AES-EBU anyway) but ditching analog-audio outputs and pushing folks onto ridiculously limited consumer audio "dacs on the phones" headphones and boomboxes is a step BACKwards for those producing content, which should be more and more people not less.
Apple has been indicated already what it thinks "quality audio gear" amounts to with it's Beats purchase.
It speaks volumes about Apple's lack of commitment to professional audio and standards that they are moving away from being the company that provided the bedrock for DAW and other audio software innovation. It's a pity. We shall go elsewhere.
I don't think so. Floppy died because new storage media offered what people <i>desperately</i> needed: storage space.<p>Usb-c is more likely going to offer what people don't really need for a price that they are very unlikely to agree spending.<p>Plus, if I sum up all of the euros I've spent on headsets... Well, a large part of that sum has been spent on sub-10 € headset.<p>Good luck making a good profit margin on that market segment.
I am tried for charging all my devices and I am not keen to add another device to my charging list.<p>Floppy disk died due to better and more capacity substitute.<p>Bluetooth headset is an alternative to wired headphones.