
USB Type-C could kill your headphone jack. Here's how - doener
http://www.cnet.com/news/intel-expects-usb-type-c-could-help-kill-the-3-5mm-audio-jack/#ftag=CADf328eec
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DannyB2
A couple things.

Don't blame USB Type-C for killing your headphone jack. Blame your device
manufacturer.

And from TFA . . . "will really make USB Type-C the right connector for
audio," Saunders said.

I say: Type-C will really be the right connector for DRM audio. How about I
just keep my simple, standard and ubiquitous analog audio headphone jack.

~~~
gr3yh47
to me the article's argument is as ridiculous as the argument that tablets
will kill PCs

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wang_li
>Another is that it's harder to charge a phone if you have headphones plugged
into its sole port.

>The new specification, due this quarter, adds features to ensure a USB
headphone doesn't drain too much battery power...

The second isn't an answer to the problem of the first.

>As a result, with USB headphones, "the difference in battery life is
negligible" compared with 3.5mm audio jacks.

It's not negligible because, so far it seems like we are going to have a
choice of a charging cable or an audio cable. Currently I can listen to audio
and charge my phone simultaneously, so in an hour my net battery life is +25%.
The best the either/or situation can deliver is -0.0% (but likely something
more along the lines of -5% in an hour of audio listening.)

~~~
eyeJam
Look, I know this article is a bit diluted, but haven't you always wanted to
hear your favourite music filtered through an obnoxious reverb filter?
Imagine, you can now have the experience of hearing Bob Marley perform in an
opera theatre!

In all honesty this has to be one of my favorite quotes from the article: "But
there are good arguments to be made for embracing USB audio, Saunders said,
and the companies that make USB controller chips are very excited about the
idea." Wow, the people manufacturing this thing are excited about it? No way

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takk309
What is with the obsession with thinner phones? Also, is the headphone jack
the real limiting factor in thinness?

~~~
hipshaker
Phone covers. If functional, they will add some mm to the thickness of the
phone. I believe overall smartphone thickness to be the sum of phone + cover.

~~~
LeifCarrotson
But why not integrate the phone cover with the phone itself? A phone ought to
come with the right size cover (replaceable, durable) from the factory.

This sort of cover could be integrated (via screws or mechanical latches that
would be unsightly on a bare phone) with the phone skeleton, making for a
package which is both stronger and sleeker than, for example, iPhone +
OtterBox.

~~~
cpa
iPhone with integrated cover? Ugly, not cool, definitely not worth $700. That
would never sell.

iPhone? Sleek, thin, $700. Better put a cover to protect this piece of art!

It drives crazy the engineer in me, but that's the way it is. And it's about
as rational as buying a nice car and letting it sit in the garage.

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crote
Honestly, the main issue i see with USB-C is that it tries to do too much. On
top of the "regular" USB features, it also adds high-power power delivery to
both devices and peripherals, analog audio, MHL, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort,
and i probably missed a few. Sure, having a single connector might seem easy,
but i'm afraid it will result in a plethora of devices and cables which
physically fit, but do not work with or will even damage your device.

That fancy usb c-to-displayport adapter you bought for your laptop? It won't
work with your phone, because that requires a mhl-capable adapter which
outputs hdmi, but don't try to use that one on your laptop, because your
laptop doesn't output mhl, so it requires a regular adapter. Never mind trying
to explain to someone that yes, usb-c cellphone chargers are indeed compatible
between all cell phones, but laptop chargers aren't interchangable. And even
headsets suddenly don't seem like such a great idea anymore: a headset might
have a usb-c connector, but will it talk analog audio or usb to your device,
and which one did your device support again? And why do all my adapters stop
working when i try to use a usb hub?

I'm all for innovation, but even ignoring all the potential issues with
backwards compatibility with legacy connectors (3.5mm is on _everything_!) and
the limited number of ports, it seems like we're in for a whole lot of pain
for a very limited gain and it just doesn't seen to be worth it.

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Daishiman
It looks like a PR piece from a million miles away...

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drivingmenuts
None of those arguments are particularly compelling. My suspicion is that this
will lead to new forms of digital lockdown, since it effectively ends the
analog hole on phones. Additionally, it replaces a know ultra-cheap technology
with something that will be more expensive or can be pushed to be more
expensive in the long run.

~~~
dTal
>ends the analog hole

Nah. You can't plug the analog hole, it's impossible - that's the point of
calling it that. Your ears are analog, so somewhere along the way the signal
has to become analog.

Worst case, you replace your ears with a microphone. Easier: tear open a pair
of headphones and get at the driver wires. Easiest: buy one of the
_inevitable_ adapters for connecting iPhones to home stereos.

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jpalomaki
The expected release of the standard on this quarter is nicely inline with
Apple rumours.

Could USB-C replace Lightning in iPhone? Probably not, but I would be happy if
it did.

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supercoder
No. lightning is nicer anyway

~~~
craftkiller
Lightning might be pleasant but it's got some shortcomings:

    
    
      - The springs are in the device instead of in the cable, so your $700 device wears out instead of your $5 cable
      - It only has 8 pins
      - It's intentionally locked down to ensure Apple has control
    

USB Type-C is more open, more durable, and more powerful

