
Microsoft patents a way to fit a 3.5mm headphone jack into less than 3.5mm - skellertor
http://pocketnow.com/2017/10/30/microsoft-patents-3-5mm-headphone-jack
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vanattab
Why not just make a new 2mm-1.5mm port and ship 3.5mm to 2mm adaptors with all
phones? I know it would easier to bend but I feel like they would be pretty
cheap to replace the adaptors and could be designed so that they break in such
a way that you could pull the broken end from the phone. You could also have
high grade titanium reinforced plugs/adaptors.

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kalleboo
2.5mm audio jacks have been around for decades
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_(audio)#Modern...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_\(audio\)#Modern_connectors)

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dTal
Um, didn't Apple file basically this exact patent some years ago?

What does the USPTO actually _do_ these days?

[https://www.cultofmac.com/85736/apple-patents-ways-to-
make-a...](https://www.cultofmac.com/85736/apple-patents-ways-to-make-an-ipod-
thinner-than-a-headphone-jack/)

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emmab
If it's on the top will it prevent you from closing your laptop lid while it's
attached?

It seems like if you accidentally closed the lid it might do damage to the
screen?

I guess you would have to have a rim around the front of the lid with a notch
if you wanted to avoid that?

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anotheryou
Why not like this?
[https://i.imgur.com/dmuGOA5.png](https://i.imgur.com/dmuGOA5.png)

Too small tolerances needed?

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Doxin
That floating corner there is very likely to snap off, furthermore it'd
require quite a hefty bezel to even fit it without having a weird gap in your
screen.

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boznz
Not sure what the point of this is if they have give up making phones. I doubt
a surface pro will be made thinner than a phone.

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squarefoot
I can only wonder why all that work to keep alive a connector that was born
defective in the first place, especially when the patent is for something that
obvious. I'm strongly opposed to removing analog output from devices, but
would hope someone somewhere could make a more modern and reliable design then
implement it successfully and release its specs for public use without the
aggressive involvement of any law firm. ...Geez, it's a connector!

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0x0
What's defective about the 3.5mm jack? It's worked well for all these years
for me and many others until Apple started labeling it "legacy"?

