XPost: comp.mobile.ipad, comp.sys.mac.advocacy, comp.sys.mac.apps   
   From: rlhamil@smart.net   
      
   In article <140220200627381424%nospam@nospam.invalid>,   
   	nospam  writes:   
   > In article , Richard L. Hamilton   
   >  wrote:   
   >> And you don't need the dang headphone jack. I just leave   
   >> the mini phone to Lightning dongle on my (relatively) high-end wired   
   >> earbuds (which fits with them in their case, if a bit awkwardly); and   
   >> the rest of the time, when convenience matters more than limited   
   >> Bluetooth audio quality,   
   >   
   > bluetooth audio quality is not limited unless it's using an obsolete   
   > profile. the physical headphones is what determines the quality.   
      
   The basic Bluetooth audio profile (SBC)is horrible. But even MP3 or   
   AAC codecs aren't great. Qualcomm AptX HD or Sony LDAC are better   
   (with trade-offs in how they're better), but still not at the level of   
   what wired headphones can do (better than CD; up to 24 bit@48kHz on   
   most iDevices, I think).   
      
   >   
   >> use AirPods rather than wired ear buds. (I do   
   >> however think that the rumor of future NO connector and only wireless   
   >> access or charging would be a big mistake; there are assorted gadgets   
   >> from card (both SD and credit) readers to stereo mics to HQ audio DACs   
   >> and MIDI keyboards that can be connected to an actual Lightning or   
   >> USB-C port...not to mention that one might want to use a phone's data   
   >> connection without going over WiFi.)   
   >   
   > with 802.11ac, wifi is not a bottleneck and is much more convenient.   
      
   Sure, but my high quality portable DAC (iFi iDSD Nano) hooks up fine   
   with the camera cable...but doesn't do WiFi. Data transfer without   
   physical media is possible, but not useful with devices that don't do   
   WiFi (like many digital cameras), etc.  I'd prefer the option of more   
   consistent latency and better security* of a wired connection over   
   convenience, sometimes.  And not every presently supported peripheral   
   will have a future version that can do WiFi or Bluetooth. _Especially_   
   on an iPad (for which AFAIK zero connector is NOT rumored), but mostly   
   so also on an iPhone, one might hook up all sorts of things for which   
   WiFi is either less suitable or not an option. Do you know of a MIDI   
   keyboard that does WiFi? Or an app that will work with it, and feed   
   the MIDI to another app?   
      
   The usual argument for zero connector is thinner, smaller, etc. But   
   thinner is more fragile**, and phones have tended otherwise to larger   
   screens (for aging population's eyes perhaps, or in acknowledgement   
   that smartphones are being used more like tablets or even laptops   
   sometimes) lately. Wireless charging has gotten faster, but it's still behind   
   wired charging (and always less energy efficient). And waterproofing can   
   clearly be done even when both connectors and physical switches exist.   
      
   You have WiFi, Bluetooth, and on newer devices, UWB and wireless charging   
   already. You have all the convenience of not using a wire NOW if that's   
   what you want; but without a connector, you lose access to both legacy   
   devices and to devices that never will or should have a wireless connection.   
      
   IMO, the ONLY excuses for getting rid of all connectors are style,   
   cost, or the fragility of the socket; insecure chargers aren't an   
   excuse, since USB-C PD allows for authentication of chargers and   
   cables.  IMO, none of the reasons for getting rid of the connector   
   justify the loss of functionality...except MAYBE on a low-end phone,   
   where every $ saved counts.   
      
   * ok, one could have an untrusted device that also tried to hack one's   
   phone; but there's a solution to that, and anyway I'm not talking   
   about plugging in to untrusted devices.   
      
   ** I don't think foldable is sensible yet (if ever); rollable would be   
   more plausible, with no crease needed; but some folks might not want   
   to walk around with a cigar tube looking thing in their pants pocket   
   ("Is that a banana in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?";   
   or alternatively, "How much battery life do you get with that?";   
   stranger remarks are possible, but I'll leave those to the   
   imagination)), and retraction into the case through a slot would have   
   dirt problems.  Short of a jack in one's skull, IMO the best is AR   
   glasses or contacts plus wireless earbuds; but I suspect that for some   
   time, they'd be little more than a heads-up, hands-free peripheral of   
   a smartphone, not able to do much on their own. So I still don't see   
   an advantage to a zero-connector handheld device.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)