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The iPhone headphone socket debacle threatens to destroy Western civilisation.You have surely heard by now that on the new (totally unpredictable) iPhone 7, they are going to forgo this traditional little jack where you would plug in your headphones and attempt to sell you wireless headphone for nearly £200 instead. What has happened to the world? Why is this happening? I want to be able to plug in my headphones. One of the thousand pairs I have that have come with various devices over the years and cost nothing and so it doesn't matter if I lose them. Not some little Uhura like ear plug things that I will obviously lose or drop down the toilet or will burrow into my brain and turn me into a Borg (Nice Star Trek refs for the 50th anniversary, nerds).
I mean, yeah, sure, you can still plug in new style headphones into the same slot you charge the phone through and they are providing a little adapter so you can still use your old headphones….but that's not the point. What if I want to charge my phone and listen to music at the same time? Hey? Had you thought about that Ian Apple? I mean, yeah, mildly inconvenient. Though one can hope that the claimed increased battery life will mean you only have to charge your phone at night (we can dream). And what if I go out without headphones and need to buy or borrow some cheap headphones to listen to my music. Won't be able to. Well a) I bet you will, because cheap headphone manufacturers will start making the new type and b) you'll be OK as long as you carry the adapter with you at all times and c) don't forget your headphones.
Hey, I can see arguments on both sides, and I am as annoyed as you are by Apple (and other firms) changing their chargers and the size of their phones so you need to keep buying new chargers and cases. But if they don't change stuff then we're stuck with out of date stuff that will hold back the other tech. Let's face it, those old Apple chargers looks ridiculously big now don't they? I reckon we'll get through this new tragedy OK. I think in 10 years time you'll be in a museum and laughing your head off at items with headphone jacks, as you charge your phone automatically by splitting atoms in the air around you and have all your music played to you via an implant in your brain. But we'll see. This headphone jack controversy might create the 21st Century equivalent of the Luddites, going round smashing new phones because they have a drawer full of headphones that are now redundant in two very specific situations, but otherwise perfectly usable.
I don't really care. I have some wireless headphones already - they're much better - and also I hate music and want it to be destroyed. So this is an important step forward in that war.
Be interesting to see if the weight of public opinion forces Apple to take a step backwards…. that seems to be what public opinion wants in 2016.
We passed 1000 backers for the RHLSTP kickstarter, but we need about 1200 more. Even though this campaign seems to be going better than any of the earlier ones, it's still incredibly stressful wondering if we'll make it. Inevitably it's slowing down a bit. What if all the people who want to give have already given? It's more fun this way. Sure, we could relax if everyone gave on day one, but this is going right down to the wire. It makes me feel alive. Sick and alive. But what greater sign of existence is there than nausea?
I know many of you have valid reasons to wait a bit, mainly because you like the idea of me feeling sick.
I've already booked four fab guests for the new series (monthly badgers know about the first two) and lots more exciting possibilities.
