3.5mm socket & jack, RIP?

[Hope]

Could we be seeing the beginning of the end of this amazing piece of technology that traces it's existence to the 19th Century?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35253398

[Red Giant]

But are the new plugs any good?

My tablet has the micro USB charging cable taped on with sticking plaster because it's the only way to keep it connected.

Worse are the tubular plugs that come with mains adaptors.  When the adaptor gets bored with life you buy a universal replacement that comes with 8 different plugs and none of them fit.

And don't get me started on scarts.

Or car battery terminals that a croc clip won't grip.  Can't somebody invent a car starting socket?  Or some sort of crank handle thingy that you turn the engine over with?

[Rhiannon]

I use speaker docks a lot and I find that the connector thing gets knackered pretty quickly, so I always end up connecting my iPod to the dock via an auxiliary cable.

Same in the car.

Worst piece of new technology has to be HDMI.

[Jack Knave]

Simple answer don't buy it. If people resist then another firm will keep it and get the sales.

[Red Giant]

Worst piece of new technology has to be HDMI.

I see I've got new joys to look forward to.  If I ever replace the old 405-line monochrome set in the big walnut cabinet.

[jeremyp]

But are the new plugs any good?

The Lightning adapter is pretty solid. It's certainly miles better than the old Apple connector and I think more robust than microUSB as well as being rotationally symmetrical.

If Apple does get rid of the 3.5mm jack, they will certainly be an adapter made available. Don't forget they own Beats which means that not providing an adapter will shaft a lot of their own customers.

[jeremyp]

Hmmm! I have an iPhone and an iPad if they do that next time when I have to replace them I'm going to get something else.

I've got a few grumbles with Apple as it is.

The charging connector is expensive to replace as the wire alone is £18+

The official Lightning cable is £15.

Then I lost all my space on my iPad when they made a whole range of improvements to the operating system  . 

You mean your iPad was full. Nobody has invented an infinite capacity SSD yet.

I was annoyed when they changed the connector to a much narrower one, so that I had to buy yet another expensive adapter,  so I could play music by sitting it on my music dock.

Yes, the official adapter is surprisingly expensive at £35.

If they change the Jack so that you have to buy more expensive adapters for earphones , they can forget it.

When you buy a new iPhone, you get compatible earphones bundled.

Everyone else in my household has another make and tell me in comparison the camera is not very good on Apple either.

That's just product envy. Generally speaking, when first released, Apple phone cameras are equivalent to "best in class". However, if you want a good camera, buy a camera.

I know you can get cheap ones, but I have found sometimes they don't work.

Today's headline Rose in "You get what you pay for" scandal.

[jeremyp]

I see I've got new joys to look forward to.  If I ever replace the old 405-line monochrome set in the big walnut cabinet.

Those square pin 13 amp plugs are just a ruse to rip us off.

[Rhiannon]

We get through lightning cables at an alarming rate - including one that broke off inside the iPad itself - but I suspect at least part of that is the kids pulling them out too harshly. I've never had a problem with the old charger which I still use for my iPod Classic and my iPhone (not upgraded from the 4s yet).

[Red Giant]

Those square pin 13 amp plugs are just a ruse to rip us off.

Yes, every time I buy an appliance (still trying to find a vacuum cleaner that works), I have to pay for a plug I don't want, and then cut it off to fit the bayonet-cap adaptor that plugs into the ceiling light after you take the bulb out.

[Dicky Underpants]

Worst piece of new technology has to be HDMI.

Better than scarts, surely?