Don’t get me wrong. Apple removing audio jack was the biggest facepalm in smartphone history. And you can thank it for not being able to make an upgrade without sacrificing audio jack (and SD card too :/). But USB-C is getting standardized everywhere now (laptops, smartphones, etc.). What makes USB-C earphones not worth the switch?

  • @[email protected]
    -2•1 year ago

    Instead of having audio and usb-c, now you have usb-c port, usb-c headphone dongle, the finally audio port and usb-c port again. Unless you want to intentionally buy a usb-c exclusive set of headphones that won’t work with whatever next “revolutionary port technology” comes out.

    Standards change as they get developed and better, sorry. I don’t see the “new revolutionary port technology” coming out in the next couple of decades, especially with the EU forcing USB-C on all (which is a good thing). USB-C is still fairly new and not adopted everywhere. And I’d bet money that most people don’t keep 40 year old headphones. Like, I said, sure it sucks now because we’re in the middle of it.

    Yes, technically every line of code is increased attack surface, but it’s a huge assumption that USB-C audio is in any way more secure or less surface.

    Except the USB-C is here to stay for a good bit…unless you’re proposing making it a power only connectors? Some secure devices do that, but why handicap the new port on mobile device that has limited space? So yes, removing the audio port code portion on a device with no audio port makes sense, when we get there.

    Space is at a premium in phones as they are already fairly small and cramped. And why duplicate the ports (have two audio ports) simply because you don’t want to buy a dongle or a new headset to replace 40 year old devices that have drastically been improved?

    • @[email protected]
      2•1 year ago

      You’re coming at this from the angle that the headphones are just going to be used with the phone. Why should the headphones I use for my desktop amp, digital drum set, music work, etc all change to support my phone?

      I get for the vast majority of people they use headphones with their phones and that’s why this was allowed to happen, but in music the overwhelming majority of headphones use the standard jack and I can tell you there is no way in hell that is changing any time soon. People pay a lot of money for audio equipment and they’re not throwing it out to use the crappy DAC built into headphones.

      Is this niche? Sure. But it’s a standard that has worked and will continue to work forever due to its simplicity. The analogue headphone jack will long outlive USB-C, mark my words.