this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2023
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What % of mobile users plug their phones into a computer to move files on/off them? I'm not even an iPhone user (I have a Pixel 6 Pro) and it's probably been 5+ years since I last moved files over USB on my phone.
But why even limit it?
I'm guessing it saves them a few cents. I just don't think most customers care so I can see why they'd want to save a little bit of money.
That's the same excuse used when they removed the headphone jack and forced you to use bluetooth. I owned many a cell phones and they all had headphone jacks and bluetooth and both worked just fine. But then the headphone jack was removed and now you had to dish out cash for over priced devices that have a limited lifespan (those batteries aren't going to last forever).
I heard so many people say "well I never/rarely used the headphone jack" or "but I like bluetooth". Fine, that's nice, no reason to make it exclusive other than the company stands to make money off it. People gave up better audio quality and a plug that was more universal than the USB port... we're not likely to get it back. No doubt Apple (because of course it'll be Apple) will release a new proprietary cabled audio port that only works with their headphones.
Apple is anti-consumer.
I usualy agree with this but here is a thing USB 2.0 is really not that slow. I higly doubt you need faster data transfers on a phone.
The best argument I can see for faster than USB 2.0 speeds is YouTubers that shoot 4k video on iPhones and then need to edit the video. That's a very small number of people though
Those are definitely iPhone pro users and those get thunderbolt if my feeling is right (based on rumors I lost the source, lol)
Proprietary card audio port? What are you talking about? Apple doesn't care about wired audio and neither does the average consumer.
I've been using Bluetooth headphones for many years and imo it was the right call to push the industry in this direction. Bluetooth headphones don't die as quickly as you think. My first gen QC35 lasted close to 5 years when I replaced them and the battery was still good. They were replaced because they started making a weird noise randomly and I didn't take the best care of them so probably some wire in them became loose or something.
People don't like change but if you still want to use wired headphones you can. Use a USB-C/lightning adapter to headphone jack.
Batteries can last a long time. We have a Tesla in the driveway that I expect the battery to last 10+ years at least.
Man, you over trust tech industries... but your on Lemmy, weird IMO.
That's a lie, customers do care. They weren't given a choice.
Why? Because I cannot fathom a reason to remove a perfectly good option, especially since that option has existed for some decades.
I fully expect Apple to release a "premium" cabled option down the road. And why wouldn't they? Better audio quality and a whole new tech line to get money from. And if it's proprietary then they don't have to worry about those pesky non-Apple branded headphone from working.
Good for you you've been using Bluetooth. So have I. I also use cabled audio sometimes because I can or because it has fewer issues. I have headphones from the 80s and 90s that still work. I also have Bluetooth that gets flakey if I put the phone in the wrong pocket or I turn my head the 'wrong way'. Because Bluetooth is just a low powered radio.
The whole world had 3.5mm headphones. Then Bluetooth was an option. Now it's forced and the standard everyone had that any headphone or 3.5mm cable worked with doesn't. And lightning, is only Apple. And it's ignoring the myriad of problems...
And to make it perfectly clear, because I feel like people completely miss the point here (because every time this is brought up that seems to be the case). I'm not saying Bluetooth audio needs to go away. I'm saying, there was nothing gained from forcing people. Also, there's nothing gained from proprietary bullshit or things that cannot be repaired/maintained by people.
Lithium-ion batteries can last 10+ years. They can also last much shorter. They're not magic and it doesn't matter who makes them. It's science. They will fail. From over use, kept at the wrong amount of charge for too long, too hot\cold, somehow damaged, etc. They are going to fail and are all e-waste. I mean, find me someone who has any mobile phone that's from 2013 that still gets the full use of it like it was originally advertised. I mean, you're expecting to get 10 years maybe more out of a car... and you're not mad about that. I know people who drive cars that were built in the 60s. They've been able to repair/replace/maintained that vehicle for the life of it. Apple hates the idea of you repairing anything from them.
It's good for app development where you're constantly testing changes
Good point. I guess it can take a while if a large app is being moved to the device. I haven't done Android dev in a while but I think ADB debugging can also be done wirelessly.
I'm transfering stuff from my phone to PC all the time.
What are you transferring? Do you really think others are? Most people just use Google Photos or equivalent for photo back up and YouTube Music/Spotify/Apple Music/Amazon Music/etc.