If nothing else, it's refreshing to see a more logical take on the headphone jack issue. All of tech media will not stop harping on this, just like they did when the optical drive was no longer standard on Macs (you need to buy a $35 USB optical drive, the HORROR).
Maybe Apple was a little ahead of their time to remove the optical drive, and maybe they are with the headphone jack too. So far the more level headed of the user base don't seem to give too much of a shit.
Well the major difference is that optical drives were becoming more and more obsolete with the increase in streaming and download services. With spotify, netflix, amazon prime, itunes, etc, the main uses of optical drives for dvds and music disks were decreasing in popularity pretty rapidly. The only uses I ever have these days for my optical drive is to install drivers for new hardware in my PC, which in most cases can be found online anyway. And even this isn't needed on Macs because, unlike customisable PCs, you'll never need to install drivers for a fancy new PCIE wifi card.
The headphone jack is different, because it isn't being replaced by convenient online services. Sure there are wireless alternatives, but the cost increases, difficulty of pairing, and the fact that 3.5mm is a standard across a huge range of devices from simple headphones to complex audio recording/mixing/playback setups means it just cannot be replaced. They could remove the optical drive without including the external drive because most people wouldn't need it, they definitely could not have removed the headphone jack without including an adapter in the box because of how popular the jack still is.
My issue with the headphone jack removal is that it is a more reliable port than the lightning port. I've had a lightning port on an iPhone become damaged before through normal wear and tear. I have to now position the cable just right to charge it. There's no way that I'd want to use that lightning port even more by trying to play music on it and I definitely don't want to have to hold the adapter a certain way to get music to play.
Are you sure the port is actually damaged? A common issue is lint clogging it up. I had an issue where I had to jiggle the cable to get it to charge and when I finally brought it to an Apple store they disappeared out back and returned with so much lint I don't know how it even fit in the port. You can remove it yourself with a paperclip but I'd take it to the Apple store so that if the port really does get damaged removing the lint they're liable.
Comments
If nothing else, it's refreshing to see a more logical take on the headphone jack issue. All of tech media will not stop harping on this, just like they did when the optical drive was no longer standard on Macs (you need to buy a $35 USB optical drive, the HORROR).
Maybe Apple was a little ahead of their time to remove the optical drive, and maybe they are with the headphone jack too. So far the more level headed of the user base don't seem to give too much of a shit.
Well the major difference is that optical drives were becoming more and more obsolete with the increase in streaming and download services. With spotify, netflix, amazon prime, itunes, etc, the main uses of optical drives for dvds and music disks were decreasing in popularity pretty rapidly. The only uses I ever have these days for my optical drive is to install drivers for new hardware in my PC, which in most cases can be found online anyway. And even this isn't needed on Macs because, unlike customisable PCs, you'll never need to install drivers for a fancy new PCIE wifi card.
The headphone jack is different, because it isn't being replaced by convenient online services. Sure there are wireless alternatives, but the cost increases, difficulty of pairing, and the fact that 3.5mm is a standard across a huge range of devices from simple headphones to complex audio recording/mixing/playback setups means it just cannot be replaced. They could remove the optical drive without including the external drive because most people wouldn't need it, they definitely could not have removed the headphone jack without including an adapter in the box because of how popular the jack still is.
My issue with the headphone jack removal is that it is a more reliable port than the lightning port. I've had a lightning port on an iPhone become damaged before through normal wear and tear. I have to now position the cable just right to charge it. There's no way that I'd want to use that lightning port even more by trying to play music on it and I definitely don't want to have to hold the adapter a certain way to get music to play.
Are you sure the port is actually damaged? A common issue is lint clogging it up. I had an issue where I had to jiggle the cable to get it to charge and when I finally brought it to an Apple store they disappeared out back and returned with so much lint I don't know how it even fit in the port. You can remove it yourself with a paperclip but I'd take it to the Apple store so that if the port really does get damaged removing the lint they're liable.
Whoa, never thought of that. It's definitely possible. I'm going to give that a try. Thanks!!
Edit: It worked! (I used the cut stem of a q-tip instead, wasn't brave enough to try a paperclip; lots of lint)
Great! It's a common issue apparently. It also happened to my lock switch which wouldn't move for a while.
I haven't opened my DVD drive except by mistake for 2 years or more. Definitely obsolete.