If Apple was a democracy

[Artdeco]

So much drama over the 3.5mm audio connector, but it brings up an interesting point, although a switch for iOS to Android would be cool as hell.

 

[pm]

I saw that on Reddit this morning in /r/iphone. Since I'm generally humor challenged, I found the cartoon to be annoying rather than amusing.

I wasn't thrilled with the lightning connector but went along with it because it's small and bidirectional. I'd have rather they went to USB-C (which didn't exist at the time but the plans were already in place and Apple knew about them), but... oh well, I lived with it because it's a bit of an improvement over the old big wide cable. But I don't see any advantage at all to making me toss my noise-cancelling headphones, my heartrate monitor headphones and all the other headphones that I have in favor of switching to a more expensive connector. Even with some dongle on the end, it won't fit in my pocket. If they make some sort of super small adapter, then maybe... but even then I'm sort of irritated with the whole. I have an iPhone and I generally like it, but I hate this perpetual push towards Apple stuff. It feels like a blatant money grab to me and it annoys me.

It's fine that Apple's not a democracy, but I will vote with my wallet anyway.

 

[VashHT]

Yeah I can't say I agree with a lot of the decisions Apple makes with regards to the iphone but in general I'd say they do a good job with it and they know their audience quite well.

I really can't agree with removing the headphone jack though, I still use it a lot as I have several nicer headphones that I use at work and at home with my phone. I think it probably wouldn't be a big problem for a lot of people though since a lot of people seem to just use the included earbuds anyway and that's it. I think Apple knows this, so they'll save some costs on the jack and supporting circuitry and they can continue to make their phone excessively thinner.

 

[openwheel]

I want to see Apple make an A/V receiver.

Heck I want to see Apple make a house. Some people will mindlessly move and "upgrade" every two years because iHouse 5S came out.

 

[Artdeco]

I want to see Apple make an A/V receiver.

Heck I want to see Apple make a house. Some people will mindlessly move and "upgrade" every two years because iHouse 5S came out.

Elon Musk is convinced they're working on a car. It'll be way the hell out of my price range, but it'll be interesting to watch.

 

[openwheel]

iCar should only be allowed to fuel at Apple authorized gas/electric pumps with proprietary nozzle called Tornado. Their fuel will also cost more because Siri will be available at the pump for any question you may have.

Apple Airport only ,BT or 3.5mm jack will not be available anywhere in the iCar.

 

[poofyhairguy]

So much drama over the 3.5mm audio connector, but it brings up an interesting point

Meh, people go too far creating justifications for Apple. The implied statement in the picture is not having every port is a usability issue, but dropping the lone universal port an iPhone has had after nearly a decade of iPhones is a blatant cash grab.

Honestly at this point many of the decisions made for the iPhone aren't even for the iPhone or for iPhone users anymore, they are done to leverage the iPhone business in new directions:

-the iPhone doesn't need the monster SoC it has, but that is a great way to cover the costs of a CPU business that later can be used in real computers

-the iPhone doesn't need something like Android Auto to work with vehicles (it is so big vehicle makers will accommodate IT) but having a car 100% compatible with an iPhone would be a great selling point for an Apple car

-common iPhone users don't have the technical wherewithal to understand force touch, but that is a great way to expand the complexity of the iOS interface to accommodate a more demanding corporate audience

-and finally the iPhone doesn't need to drop a headphone jack to stay slim or be fully usable, but doing so is a great way to make sure the headphone business Apple bought for billions make some new sales

Companies have done this for years, leveraging a successful product to float other markets. I just refuse to applaud it like whoever made that picture. The part of Apple that strived for simplicity and usability over making a buck literally died years ago.

 

[Commodus]

It's not much of a secret that Apple is working on a car. It's hiring automotive experts (including from Tesla), it's talking to California's DMV and multiple reputable outlets have leaks surrounding the project, which is nicknamed Titan. It's expected to show up in 2019 or 2020.

The real question is who Apple would target. If it's an EV with self-driving features, it probably won't be cheap... but will it be priced like the Chevy Bolt or Tesla Model 3 (i.e. under $40K), or will it be a no-compromise design like a Model S?

As for the comic, I'm reminded of that overused Henry Ford quote (not sure he even said it, but still): if I asked my customers what they wanted, they'd say "a faster horse." Apple definitely makes some mistakes with its designs, but it at least doesn't focus group its hardware to death like some of its rivals. A good tech company develops things your average person hasn't even thought of yet -- you don't advance the industry by asking people who just want refinements on what they already know.

 

[openwheel]

So Apple advances the industry by developing things your average person hasn't even thought of yet? It is true, that your average person hasn't thought about replacing their perfectly fine headphones with 3.5mm jacks.

Right, so Apple didn't make an iPod that was a better mp3 player, iMac that was a better desktop, iPhone that was a better smart phone, or iPad that was a giant iPhone?

Sometimes I wonder what you and Artdeco are smoking? Whatever it is I am sure it is apple flavored.

 

[Oyeve]

It doesnt have toslink. Apple fail, yet again!

 

[Artdeco]

So Apple advances the industry by developing things your average person hasn't even thought of yet? It is true, that your average person hasn't thought about replacing their perfectly fine headphones with 3.5mm jacks.

Right, so Apple didn't make an iPod that was a better mp3 player, iMac that was a better desktop, iPhone that was a better smart phone, or iPad that was a giant iPhone?

Sometimes I wonder what you and Artdeco are smoking? Whatever it is I am sure it is apple flavored.

Meh, I've used BT almost exclusively to get audio out of my phone for years, not going to miss a port I don't use. If the BT was more stable on the Android phones, I'd use them as my daily driver.

 

[quikah]

As for the comic, I'm reminded of that overused Henry Ford quote (not sure he even said it, but still): if I asked my customers what they wanted, they'd say "a faster horse." Apple definitely makes some mistakes with its designs, but it at least doesn't focus group its hardware to death like some of its rivals. A good tech company develops things your average person hasn't even thought of yet -- you don't advance the industry by asking people who just want refinements on what they already know.

The comic is a straw man. No one is asking for half the stuff they threw in there.

What benefit does removing the 3.5mm jack have for the end user?

What benefit does removing it have for Apple?

 

[openwheel]

Meh, I've used BT almost exclusively to get audio out of my phone for years, not going to miss a port I don't use. If the BT was more stable on the Android phones, I'd use them as my daily driver.

Apparently you don't do air travel, nor care about sound quality.

I thought Apple was better than that.

 

[lxskllr]

That phone looks amazing. I might have to go Apple if they released it :^D

 

[Commodus]

So Apple advances the industry by developing things your average person hasn't even thought of yet? It is true, that your average person hasn't thought about replacing their perfectly fine headphones with 3.5mm jacks.

Right, so Apple didn't make an iPod that was a better mp3 player, iMac that was a better desktop, iPhone that was a better smart phone, or iPad that was a giant iPhone?

Sometimes I wonder what you and Artdeco are smoking? Whatever it is I am sure it is apple flavored.

I didn't say that. Please drop this tendency to immediately leap to the "omg total Apple apologist" conclusion the moment anyone makes a statement that even vaguely defends the company. I know Apple screws up sometimes, and I'm torn about the possibility of losing the wired headphone jack -- the point I'm making is that the better tech companies don't just base their products on what users ask for.

Besides, you're oversimplifying things. It's not just about broad categories, it's about developments within those categories. Take the iPhone as an example. When people were imagining what an Apple smartphone would look like, most people pictured it as an unholy mix of an iPod with the dominant smartphone design of the time (i.e. the BlackBerry look). They couldn't imagine that Apple would go with a full touchscreen using interface concepts that most people had never heard of before then, like multi-touch.

See what I mean? If Apple had simply hewed to what people were expecting, it'd have made yet another phone with a hardware keyboard and a tiny display. Other companies do this, too. Microsoft may have built the Surface as a response to the iPad, but I'll doubt that it asked iPad users what they wanted when it was developing that keyboard mechanism and kickstand. (The Surface doesn't pull in nearly as much revenue, but it still inspired an industry shift.)

 

[openwheel]

.............
Besides, you're oversimplifying things. It's not just about broad categories, it's about developments within those categories. Take the iPhone as an example. When people were imagining what an Apple smartphone would look like, most people pictured it as an unholy mix of an iPod with the dominant smartphone design of the time (i.e. the BlackBerry look). They couldn't imagine that Apple would go with a full touchscreen using interface concepts that most people had never heard of before then, like multi-touch.

See what I mean? .......

You mean nobody envisioned a full touch screen phone with grid icons of application? OMG witchcraft!!! witchcraft!!!

 

[poofyhairguy]

If Apple had simply hewed to what people were expecting, it'd have made yet another phone with a hardware keyboard and a tiny display.

Yeah but if Apple wouldn't have bent to market pressure early in the product's life the current iPhone wouldn't have copy and paste, it wouldn't have replaceable keyboards or browsers, heck it might not even have an App Store. It sure as hell wouldn't have a phablet model.

Point being it isn't all or nothing. Having a clear vision and executing that vision is important and that is where Ford's comment comes in. But he also (maybe) said "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black." Point being that eventually listening to customers is how you transition from having an amazing product to having a mature product line.

 

[Commodus]

You mean nobody envisioned a full touch screen phone with grid icons of application? OMG witchcraft!!! witchcraft!!!

Can you please read what I actually wrote, not what you imagine I wrote?

The statement was not that people had never seen a full touchscreen phone before. It's that people didn't expect Apple to make a full touchscreen phone, let alone using multi-touch and other concepts that had never really made it to consumer products before.

 

[Commodus]

Yeah but if Apple wouldn't have bent to market pressure early in the product's life the current iPhone wouldn't have copy and paste, it wouldn't have replaceable keyboards or browsers, heck it might not even have an App Store. It sure as hell wouldn't have a phablet model.

Point being it isn't all or nothing. Having a clear vision and executing that vision is important and that is where Ford's comment comes in. But he also (maybe) said "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black." Point being that eventually listening to customers is how you transition from having an amazing product to having a mature product line.

Oh, I agree. The key is finding a balance between what people are asking for and the big, unexpected leaps that drive things forward. Arguably, Apple wasn't listening enough for a while (mainly when it was designing the iPhone 5/5S). But nor would I want it or any company to center their design processes around user requests... that's how the industry calcifies.

 

[Artdeco]

heh, never mind, trying to keep New Years resolution

 

[ControlD]

Remember when this was instantly recognizable as Apple?

That headphone cord was a standout feature.

 

[phexac]

You mean nobody envisioned a full touch screen phone with grid icons of application? OMG witchcraft!!! witchcraft!!!

You are right, Apple deserves no credit for completely changing how smart phones look and function.

 

[Oyeve]

NM

 

[Raduque]

I forsee headphones using the lightning connector. Beats, Earpods or nothing for the first year, at least. Or the Earpods will go away and you can buy the Beats from Apple.com for an additional charge. Maybe at a slight discount because you bought the iPhone 7, voucher code in the box.

IMO, the main reason for removing the 3.5mm minijack is money. They want to sell Beats headphones and make more money. Anybody taking bets on how long before Beats with 3.5mm plugs are gone or have only a couple new models with it?

 

[deathBOB]

Meh. 3.5 is always the first thing to break on my phones/ipods/computers/etc. I'm in favor of a more robust standard, but I wish it were USB-C instead of Lightning.