“At a glance, you’d be hard-pressed to tell Apple’s new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models, which go on sale Friday, from their 2015 and 2014 counterparts. They look almost identical and are the same sizes. But once you get your hands on them, the differences are clear: Better cameras, longer battery life, water resistance, doubled memory at essentially the same prices and more,” Walt Mossberg writes for Recode. “Oh, and upon closer inspection, you’ll notice something else: The disappearance of the age-old, standard, perfectly fine audio jack that fits every earbud and headphone you own. Yeah, I know. I’m not crazy about that change either.”
“The most important thing about the 2016 iteration of the iPhone is that, overall, it takes a truly excellent smartphone and makes it significantly better in a host of ways, even without overhauling the exterior design and despite the removal of the standard audio jack,” Mossberg writes. “Yes, Apple has a long history of removing (and also pioneering) standard components, going back to the removal of the floppy disk from the first iMac in 1998… The company is clearly trying to move the whole industry towards wireless audio, which has never been great due to patchy Bluetooth connectivity, poor fidelity — especially for music — and limited battery life.”
“As a transition, the iPhone 7 includes Apple’s familiar white earbuds — and a free adapter — only with a Lightning connector at the end instead of the standard audio plug. It sounds the same. But now you can no longer charge your phone while making long phone calls or listening to music without a bulky adapter or dock. I label that worse, not better,” Mossberg writes. “Apple says very few people do charge and listen at the same time. I respectfully disagree.”
Full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: Walt is disturbingly fixated on the headphone jack throughout one of his worst, most curmudgeonly reviews on record.
We’d venture to guess that Apple has slightly better data on how many users perform the very particular act of charging while listening via wired headphones than Mossberg. Just because Walt seems to perform this rather unique use case doesn’t mean everyone else does. You know, the difference between empirical and anecdotal data can be rather huge. As for charging while listening via wired headphones, we, for another anecdotal example like Walt’s, have never done it. The only time we listen while charging is in the car (the sound comes out of the car’s stereo speakers, obviously) or when the iPhone is sitting in a dock of an older, still pristine-sounding Bose speaker without Bluetooth (the sound comes out of the Bose speaker, of course).
You can certainly make a long phone call while charging by using the iPhone’s built-in stereo speakers or the Bluetooth headsets (BTW, if your phone call goes over 5 hours, you needed to hang up at least four hours ago). That said, we hardly ever even use the telephone (voice, how quaint), but we’re of a different, younger generation than Walt. Spring for Belkin’s $39.95 Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar (available October 10th), Walt.
When your review is tinged throughout by the fact that you can’t sit around making 5+ hour phone calls wearing wired headphones (wouldn’t that start to get annoying on/in your ears after the first, oh, three hours, anyway?) while charging (even though the iPhone you’re reviewing has battery that delivers up to 21 hours of talk time (negating the need to charge while listening in the first place), then your review is fatally flawed.
With his review, Walt has accomplished one thing with aplomb. He’s proven the old saw correct: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks – no matter how simple.
SEE ALSO:
How to listen to music while charging your iPhone 7/Plus – September 13, 2016
The Verge reviews Apple’s iPhone 7/Plus: ‘The future in disguise’ – September 13, 2016
Customers begin queueing for Apple’s iPhone 7 five days ahead of release; pro line-sitters charging thousands to save a spot – September 13, 2016
No headphone jack? No problem: How to listen to music while you sync and charge your new iPhone 7/Plus – September 8, 2016
Who cares about the headphone jack. Get over it. You can use the easy adapter if you’re stuck with a non-wireless headset. Oh there will be cries of hate, and Apple is doomed, but just get over it. The industry is replacing a technology that has been around since the hand connected phone operators of the early 1900’s. I’m surprised some people are not still complaining about loosing the floppy drive and the buggy whip.
I would have given five stars for this comment, except for the misspelling of the word “losing”. So, four stars.
LOL. Thanks. I can’t even blame spell check either…
massive Ditto..
its unreal how stupid this whole FUD is.
Long in the tooth, Post PC, MicroDolt. Makes me miss Steve Ballmer… At least he jumped around. All poor Moss does, is sit in the chair floundering for words of his great tech wizdoms.
Use iPhone Lightning Dock for listening to headphone while charging:
How to listen to music while you sync and charge your new iPhone 7/Plus
The only problem with that lightning dock is that you then need another pair of headphones (with a 3.5mm plug), since you won’t be able to plug in the pair that comes with the phone (it needs a lightning connector, which is occupied by the charging cable).
No!
Oops! YES!
Fire Tim Cook. Yes really.
Oops no! I was right the first time. Hire Tim Cook back again.
Use the Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter that Apple gave you in the box.
That won’t work.
In order to charge and listen at the same time, your phone needs to have two lightning connectors: one for the charging cable, the other for the headphones. Lightning dock has one lightning connector (to plug in the charging cable), a male lightning connector (which goes into the phone) and a 3.5mm headphones connector. If you only have the headphones that came with your iPhone 7, you will have no place to plug them in. In order to listen, you would need old-school headphones with 3.5mm connector.
Currently, neither Apple, nor any other maker, has an adapter that provides a through-connection for Lightning (or a lightning splitter, or anything similar) that would allow two separate lightning devices (charging cable, plus headphones) to be connected to the phone.
This negative review will allow him to come around in a few weeks in order to not appear like a total lap dog to Apple products & services.
Old Walter is giving curmudgeons a bad name. Apple has you covered whether you want plug-in or wireless headphones. (A year from now it’ll be the sound of crickets of those still whining & complaining.) ‘Nuff said.
I’ve been using the 3.5mm headphone jack for my entire, already rather long life and, by golly, I’m going to whine my tired, old ass off if I can’t anymore. I don’t like your highfalutin’ Lightning whatsedoozie! Back when I was a kid, you could get a headphone plug for a nickel! NOW GET OFF MY DAMN LAWN!!!
I’m trying to figure out whether this was the real Walt taking a moment to show his sense of self-efacing humor here, or if it is someone poking fun at Walt. I’m leaning towards the latter, but can’t exclude the possibility…
Either way, it is funny.
It was me imagining what Walt might say.
(Brought to you by Carl’s Jr.)
…”“Apple says very few people do charge and listen at the same time. I respectfully disagree.”
He may disagree, but unless he has some data that confirms that, his disagreement is irrelevant. When Apple says that very few people do charge and listen at the same time, one of the two things will be behind that statement: either Apple’s PR is trying to neuter the argument (charging/listening), which is likely, or Apple has done their homework, surveyed their audience usage habits and determined that very few people listen and charge at the same time, which is much more likely behind the statement. Apple has done this thing many, many times over the past decades. Every time they did it, it was a result of evaluation of usage habits of existing owners. This is the reason why we saw disappearance of NUBUS, SCSI, ADB, ADC, modem, Ethernet, FrontRow remote, Firewire 400, Firewire 800, PC card slot, ExpressCard slot, optical drive… There is a lot more, this is just off the top of my head. These were eliminated because very few people actually used them.
Yep. I *never* charge and talk on the phone at the same time. I only charge and listen to music when I climb into bed, and then a blue tooth speaker is actually better anyway. (I haven’t done that yet, but will soon, and it won’t be a big deal!)
Also note that in order to be charging and doing anything else, you are either 1) attached to a wall, so the dongle won’t matter, or 2) attached to a battery, which in and of itself is already a dongle of sorts. STUPID argument!
A lot of us miss Firewire. Sorry, but it’s true.
My issue: my car does not have Bluetooth, so I have to connect my iPhone to the sound system with a 3.5mm cable. With no such jack on the iPhone 7, I will have to use the adapter. That prevents me from plugging the phone into a charger without yet another clumsy accessory like a Lightning Dock. My mother lives 590 miles from here, so the phone battery is likely to go flat if I try to listen to music for most of the trip. Since cell service is poor in West Texas, the phone uses a lot of extra power hunting for a signal. I guess I could buy a new car, but I will probably just go back to using my iPhone for voice and data and a separate iPod for music.
As my anecdotal data, there are 2 things that annoyed me about wired headphones:
(a) a slight motion of the jack often causes crashing noises
(b) the wires ripped my earPods out (and nothing else did)
Both problems solved with airPods.
I have not used that audio jack in years
Wow! The biggest non issue about the new iPhone, and that’s all these idiot tech media types can talk about? Who gives a &*#@**! about the stupid headphone jack? Get a bluetooth speaker (they sound awesome) or headphone, and get on with the program. Old Walt must be getting senile. He probably still misses his 8track tapes.
Good Lord, will these people ever get real and move to the 21st wireless century? I’m so sick of this subject.
How do we tell Mossberg to jack off?
Get wally with that berg in your moss?
Hey wally, take a wank.
Who cares about the headphone jack. Nobody. This thing has lightning headphones. Go back to the 1990’s. it’s like you bought a bluray player and are asking where your VHS tapes go. Idiot.
It’s going to be funny to go back and read all this whining in a couple years once everyone and their dog has AirPods, or another headset using the w1 chip and apple is proven right for the 100th time about getting rid of something. For example, I no longer have to use the in ears’ unless I’m in a bar or something, because my new car has Bluetooth and CarPlay, and my old car (2004 Avalon) was just updated with a pioneer 5200nex system which gives it a navigation system, car play, SiriusXM, Bluetooth, and DVD playback which honestly I’ll never use but still. Apple is right about this, again, amd as usual they have to take the rest of the tech world kicking and screaming into the future.
Boca, Walt. Boca. — MacDailyNews, November 16, 2011
It is next to his other smelly hole.
Hey Uncle Walt,
the jack’s off!!
If only I could use my ADB Wacom tablet! I actually installed a serial port in my bondi blue iMac…wasn’t easy. C’mon Walt, of all people to complain about the dinosaur, I did’nt think it would be you…I always pictured you to complain about Apple being stagnant like their competitors…when did you start complaining the other way? Walt’s getting old fast. What is the adaptor for?…why isn’t that a transition solution?
I swear, sometimes the groupthink on this forum reminds me of a herd of middle-school girls. Any difference, any legitimate criticism must be hammered down with ‘get over it’ or similarly witty comebacks. Are you guys all 12?
I’ve grown increasingly tired of the right-wing tilt of this board. It’s not conservatism, it’s just yelling. So I’ll bid you all a fond farewell.
Walt’s been spending too much time with the bitchy Verge millennials.
I charge my phone while on speaker phone all the time, especially on hold.
Remember: Using lower quality Bluetooth headphones is a feature.
How can you possibly know that the air pods are lower quality when they’re not even available yet?
Bluetooth headphones have been out for several years now. They all suck compared to their wired equivalents. Try them for yourself.
I have no problem with technological progress even though I have had my own problems with the issues it can cause. It’s an unavoidable part of the process… but Apple isn’t perfect in how they iterate this.
Anyone remember what happened when Apple remove CD drives from Macs? And I’m referring to the first time they did it… when the hue and cry forced Apple to re-instate them.
And I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Walt’s personal experience… being anecdotal doesn’t invalidate anything. Where do you think scientific inquiry starts?
Is Apple’s process for evolving their tech based on actually evolving tech, or how many people Apple thinks are(n’t) inconvenience by an end result?
And just how would Apple have such info, anyway? Do iPhone users get polling inquiries from Apple? Do iPhones send data to Apple whenever a person is(n’t) using their earbuds and charging at the same time, or anything else people do with their iPhones? If it is some form of the latter, I find that disturbing.
I like and use Apple stuff and have since 1986, but come on already, let’s stop with the Apple-can-do-no-wrong, corporation worship that appears to blind so many (except when they get personally bitten).
Corporations (like governments) aren’t infallible, nor do they have any method of making better decisions than individual human beings.
A case could be made that they actual make worse decisions. They are run by human beings… particularly by groups of human beings, and we have all kinds of sayings about the negatives of group think. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Too many chiefs, not enough braves. And so on, and so on.
None of apple’s computers have optical drives anymore, and haven’t for quite some time. They never reinstated them, they just removed them from the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro all in successive years. The MacBook Air was the only one without an optical drive for almost 4 years. It tested the concept, and they’ve always made an external. Not sure where you got your history on that one.
I got my history from being there. Maybe it was before your time. What I am talking about occurred in the early 2000’s.
Apple attempted to remove the CD drive back about the time of the candy-colored, gumdrop-shaped iMacs If I remember correctly, I think it proceeded the Flower-power & Dalmation models.
Whenever it was exactly, it went over like a lead ballon. Consumer backlash was so bad Apple immediately reinstated CD drives. It came and went in a matter of weeks.
Sorry, in my original post I failed to mention this all occurred with just iMacs. It wasn’t something that Apple did with all Macs at that time.
No… I was there too, and I don’t remember that (if you read the post below this I went back to the mid 90’s in my recounting). I remember people being indignant over the floppy drive for almost 4 years after its removal from the original iMac and every other machine though. Are you referring to the misconception/rumor that the snowball iMac was rumored to not have an optical drive in 2001-2002 before macoworld? Because that was just a rumor, and wasn’t founded. It was based on the leaked design images that were published on Apple insider, and someone speculated that an optical drive couldn’t fit in the machine. They were of course, wrong. In fact the entire ad campaign for that product featured the window ad with the snowball machine using its optical drive like a mouth and tongue mimicking the person on the other side of the window. There was never an Apple announcement or attempt to remove optical drives prior to the MacBook Air.
No. Never heard/read that rumor about the “Snowball” iMac, Which, btw, I’ve only heard/read referred to as the “lampshade” iMac… maybe it’s a regional thing.
What I’m talking about proceeded any reveal of the Snowball/Lampshade, G4 iMac. It occurred during spec changes to the original, gumdrop shaped iMac lineup. As mentioned above, it happened about the time of the change to the Flower Power/Blue Dalmation/Graphite iMac lineup. Thinking about it, it’s possible that it was an addition model to the lineup, just sold very poorly, and was pulled.
At any rate the whole brouhaha came and went over the course of just a few weeks.
Ok, you may well be right, I honestly don’t remember that. I do remember people getting confused over the slot loading DVD drive revision in 1999-2000 though. They thought it couldn’t read cd’s for some reason. So maybe that’s it? Or when they took out the DVD drive in the grey DV model and went back to a cd rom I remember people complaint about that too and also being confused. And I should’ve said lampshade, but here at work we always called them snowballs, so that’s my bad.
And if you’re referring to the G4 cube, it had an optical drive. The MacBook Air was the first Apple computer without an optical drive since they introduced them. The PowerBooks of the 90’s had hot swap expansion bays like in my 3400c and G3 Kanga, the Power Macs had them, the 20rh anniversary Mac had one, the iMac famously only had that, the iBook had one, as did all G3 & G4 PowerBooks….
I use the 3.5mm jack every day in the car, and am often charging at the same time on the way home in the afternoon/evening. In general, I don’t object to moving the technology forward by eliminating old stuff, but this particular change will inconvenience me.
What a surprise, MDN’s take is dripping with sarcasm.
Genuinely shocked that they didn’t refer to retirement homes or Geritol.
If you regard the most respected tech journalist in the business and long-time Apple fan with such distain merely because he (rightly) dares to question Apple’s obviously selfish move here, you are a very self-absorbed and shallow person with one or more of these attitudes:
1. I don’t mind X and anyone that does is an uneducated foolish troglodyte loser that does not understand why X is so awesome.
2. You’re living in your parent’s basement and need to get a job so you too can afford the products and embrace the ideas I approve of.
3. You are living in the past and need to hurry up and die to make more room for we who will occupy the beautiful shiny future.
4. If you are inconvenienced or even harmed because you chose a product I disapprove of: Karma.
5. Anything and everything Apple does leads the world while everybody else gropes around in darkness.
You can teach an old dog new tricks, what you cannot do is convince him it’s a good thing that the new trick costs more, is less convenient, and requires a proprietary connector that will never, ever become an industry standard.
Apple is not courageously ushering in a wonderful new era of technology, if they were the connector would be USBC or the phone would have wireless charging, they’re simply adding another revenue stream. With the W1 chip they’ve really thought it through, and that’s great, but in 10 year’s time the trusty old headphone jack will still be around, as will millions of stupid little adaptors Apple magnanimously provided.
One star this if you’re an egocentric that thinks your use case should be everybody’s use case.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB901747560996300000
Enough said…