Thread October 1, 2016 editorial: comments

Cutting the Cord

You’ve probably heard that the new iPhone 7 is the first iPhone without an analog headphone jack. Apple has once again decided to drag its users forward technologically — whether they like it or not.

Those of us who use Macs for music production will find this scenario familiar — we've dealt with similarly abrupt changes from Apple in the past.

Yes, the company does have to move forward. But it seems to me it could take a more gradual and user-friendly approach when eliminating still-relevant technologies, rather than just dropping its support and turning the peripheral gear its loyal users bought for the older format into obsolete junk.

Although I didn’t actually get to speak with Apple CEO Tim Cook about all of this, but here’s how I imagine that conversation would go:

Me: Tim, I don’t understand why you got rid of the headphone jack. We all depend on it.

Tim: The future is wireless. Have you seen our beautiful new wireless AirPods? They’re coming soon, by the way.

Me: I have. But they’re little, and there’s no wire holding them together, so I can easily imagine losing them. I like having the option to use Bluetooth headphones, but I don’t like being forced into it.

Tim: Trust us, it’s in your best interest. We’re Apple, we know what’s best for you. In fact, we’re all-knowing. Did you know that?

Me: But Tim, I use my iPhone with pro music apps. Don’t Bluetooth earbuds introduce latency to audio?

Tim: Yeah, well, big deal. Most of our users don’t use those kind of apps, anyway, they use their iPhones for texting, surfing the web, and Pokemon Go — so latency isn’t an issue for them. And if you don’t want latency, you can use the EarPods with Lightning Connector that come with the phone.

Me: But then I can’t charge my phone and listen at the same time.

Tim: You’ll adapt. People always do.

Me: What about everyone who bought expensive wired headphones to use with their iPhones?

Tim: Wired? The future is wireless. Did I say that already? Besides, if you really want to be a Luddite and still use analog headphones, you can buy a third-party adapter that plugs into the Lightning port.

Me: True, but that means I have to spend even more money, and have an adapter hanging off my phone when I want to listen to anything. Or, if I use Bluetooth headphones, I’ll have to worry about keeping another set of batteries charged.

Tim: So what are you going to do, switch to Android? [Laughs]

Me: I admit, that’s still a bridge too far for me.

Tim: And don’t we know it. [Laughs]

Me: But Apple has gotten so arrogant, the thought of switching has crossed my mind.

Tim: Trust me, you won’t do it. We’re the coolest, and we have the best commercials. Oh, and did I mention, the future is wireless?

Me: Argh!