Fairbuds are Fairphone’s proof that we really could make better tiny gadgets
But of course we all know that the big manufacturers don’t do this not because they can’t but because they don’t want to. Planned obsolescence is still very much the name of the game, despite all the bullshit they spout about sustainability.
There are indeed good aspects to this product.
But I won’t join the “Fair phone” circle jerk and give them the free publicity, because just like Apple and Samsung, they removed the headphone jack from their phones soon before the launch of these headphones, in other words, artificially creating the problem and need to sell you their expensive solution.
You don’t get to ride the “we are pro customer!” free publicity train while also wanting to be the next Apple.
I understand people’s desire for a headphone port, but I really don’t understand the hate for devices that don’t have one. It would be one thing if they vendor-locked Bluetooth headphones so you had to use theirs, but it really just seems like a common sense move in a world where Bluetooth reigns supreme.
As long as a USB-C adapter still provides the same functionality, I really don’t see anyone’s choices being taken away. If it is one less physical port on the device that helps streamline the hardware, I’m all for it too.
And if it is a dealbreaker, you don’t have to buy a fairphone.
The problem is that there are fewer and fewer options with a headphone jack. My current phone has one and I use it all the time.
Bluetooth sucks for a variety of reasons, such as:
I also like using bluetooth headphones sometimes, but having an option is good, and I don’t want to bring a dongle around everywhere.
Most Bluetooth headphones are encrypted with a key shared only by the headphones and the host device. Not sure why you think they aren’t private. Maybe really cheap or really old headphones might not be so secure, but the vast majority of Bluetooth headphones in use today absolutely are.
Charging and audio quality are legitimate concerns, but again, you still have a headphone port… It’s just part of the USB-C port on the bottom of your phone. A $5 adapter completely absolves you of having to use Bluetooth.
I really don’t see how this is a big enough deal to care about.
They broadcast the ID and I think type of device. Yeah, the data sent between the devices is encrypted, but that’s not really an improvement over wired headphones since the signal is privacy by virtue of not being broadcast everywhere.
A $5 adapter
It’s not the price that’s the issue, but the convenience. I can’t change my phone while using the adapter, and I have to bring it along wherever I go. Why should I need an adapter for something that used to come standard?
What do I gain from not having a headphone jack? A slightly thinner phone due to slightly more space for the battery? My current phone has a headphone jack, and it’s no bigger than any other phone, and it has a larger battery than most. Better water resistance? I’ve never lost a phone due to water.
So I’ll flip it around, why do you not want a headphone jack? What about a micro-SD card?
My next phone will probably not have a headphone jack, and I’m annoyed just thinking about it.
I can’t change my phone while using the adapter
Why should I need an adapter for something that used to come standard?
The same reason you needed a new charging cable every time the USB standard changes: because technology standards change over time.
If anything, audio adapters have been a thing for decades longer than cell phones have existed. This is not a new development at all.
Headphone jacks are still ubiquitous, work well, and aren’t overly large. There’s also not really a significant downside vs other ports. USB-C beats previous ports because it’s better:
Moving to USB-C gives you:
Basically, the only downside is having to buy more cables (and the annoying difference between cable capabilities), and a little higher cost to include it in a product.
With the headphone jack, there’s really no objectively superior alternative. USB-C requires a dongle or USB-C specific headphones, and there’s not really a change to audio quality. If you want to charge at the same time (like you showed), you need an awkward dongle with half that’ll go unused most of the time. Yeah, it works, but it’s a solution to an artificial problem. They could just include an audio jack instead…
My phone has an completely excessive 512GB of storage
Ok, and how much did that built-in storage cost you? Would you have preferred a smaller amount of storage if it meant lower cost, and have the option to expand with a micro-SD card? With Apple, you’d pay $100 to bump to 256GB and $200 more to bump to 512GB. So you’re paying $300 to go from 128GB to 512GB. I could buy a fast, 512GB microsd card for $55 (or slower drives for $35).
And what happens if you switch devices? Let’s say you decide to go Android, now you need to figure out how to get your stuff from one phone to the other. With a micro-SD card, you just move the card. Or if someone wants to get a copy of photos you took, just copy to a micro-SD card and give it to them.
If you don’t want to use it, you don’t need to, but micro-SD ports are small (often paired with the SIM slot) and inexpensive.
Having those convenience ports doesn’t cost you anything and you can ignore them if you want. So I really don’t see a downside to manufacturers keeping them, and it just gives users flexibility. I actually never used the SD slot on my old phone, but I was glad it was there. I would’ve used it if my phone lasted longer than 3-ish years before running out of software updates.
If someone comes up with a better alternative to SD cards or headphone jacks, sure, replace them. But current phones merely lost functionality. Maybe they could have a version w/o the port that has a bit more battery, that would be a good compromise for losing a port you may not want. But just eliminating it while it’s still popular is stupid.
in response to bluetooth being private: cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvekey.cgi?keyword=bluetoot…
also the adapters get lost and break before the headphones usually do (and cost about as much as a cheap pair of headphones)
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