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Why I'm not getting a Fairphone* (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by pineapplelover@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.ml

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A couple hours before I was on the edge of getting a Fairphone 5 but I read the specifications and didn't see 3.5 mm audio jack anywhere. So I thought to myself...why? The community has been requesting this for a couple years ago now so why not. They're already making money on the phone, they're really pushing for people to get their wireless headphones? Just add the headphone jack, shouldn't be too hard.

They said they're treating their workers fairly, sourcing from ethical sources, renewable claims, repairability claims, and supporting foss projects (they donated a fp4 to CalyxOS to support development). All of these are amazing, so adding a little headphone jack shouldn't be that hard in the grand scheme of all this.

*Add the headphone jack and I'll be happy to support and get a fp5.

https://calyxos.org/news/2022/02/25/device-support/

https://shop.fairphone.com/fairphone-5

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[–] ghandi9@lemmy.meg.li -2 points 1 year ago

No, just because you say “it is obsolete” doesn’t make it so.

It's not obsolete because I say so, it's obsolete because it has no function that cannot be replaced with USB, an interface that is already present on every modern smartphone..

The headphone jack is an industry standard, has been for decades and will be for much more time

The fact that we have done something in the past or had a certain standard is not a good argument for keeping it indefinitely..

It’s not really a standard

Of course it is... Apart from the Iphone, every smartphone has an USB C interface.. Yes, it is kinda a mess with differences in quality etc, but as far as the interface goes, USB C is the standard nowadays..

Why should i have a more fragile connector that has to rely on electronics when i can use a cable that i can fix myself if it breaks?

It's already there.. Even if you have a modern smartphone that still has a 3.5mm jack, you still have to have a USB port to charge your phone, etc.. So the actual question is:

Why should a modern smartphone have an additional 3.5mm audio jack that servers no function other than audio when that function is already taken care of with USB (or wireless)? I can see an argument if we were talking about audiophile tech, but we are talking about smartphones..

Also, please point me in the directon of some high end headphones with a usb connector. And i mean high end, reference quality, not some brandless crap from amazon.

What do you mean with "high end"? "Audiophile stuff"? The focus is obviously on wireless stuff nowadays because most people don't care that much about audio quality, especially not when listening on their phones, but there are USB headphones:

https://www.androidcentral.com/best-usb-c-headphones

Because Fairphone are arguing in bad faith. If they were really concerned about repairabilty, they would have kept a reliable and easy to fix jack instead of selling overpriced bluetooth earbuds.

Why? It's just another additional port that can break.. I'm sure selling wireless earbuds played a role in their decision, they are a business after all, but that doesn't mean that it was the only factor in their decisions or that there aren't viable reasons to move away from the headphone jack..

If anything, this whole ordeal is a constant reminder that corporations are not our friends, and that some people will somehow just blindly defend them.

Of course corporations aren't our friends, they are businesses.. And you can imply that I'm "blindly defending them" if you want, just as I can claim that you are blindly clinging to an outdated standard that has by today virtually completely disappeared in the smartphone world and that there would be no benefit in bringing it back..