[ctsooner22]

The thing is, it sounds like Apple will force those who can't use BT, to buy THEIR DAC.  I think it's also their way of forcing after market DAC's to pay them a royalty fee if they want their products Apple friendly.  I am starting to hate the ecosystem they are forcing down my throat.  I'm still using a late 2008 Macbook Pro because I hate the newer MacBooks, especially for the cost.  I would need to learn the Windows format as I haven't touched a Windows computer since I came down with MS over 10 years ago.  I love the iPhone and how easy it is for me to use, but this may just be a deal breaker or I may just go buy the Onkyo balance DAP and never get back to folks who try and get in touch with me because I won't have my phone around...lol

 

[Koolpep]

I think whatever extra adapter Apple will think of, will sound probably pretty amazing.

This strategy for Apple makes sense:

1) they certainly see the tendency for high quality music, apple loves music, now they decouple the DAC from the phone allowing them to upgrade the DAC independently. Ok, technically they could have done that already, but this way it's at least not a redundant piece of hardware. They will have an adapter available at launch for a normal headphone jack. This is also the chance for many audio brands to create high quality DACs

2) whatever they do want to build, they need the space and/or can't live with the thickness of the socket.

Anyhow, nobody neeeds to upgrade, everyone can skip a generation, maybe they will re-introduce the audio jack after one round if the backlash is big enough (I doubt that).

By the way, anything that connects to the living connector has to be licensed from Apple in any case. So no change there....

 

[Bankrep]

What if Apple decides to put aptX bluetooth technology in iPhone? Would that be a small substitute for not having 3.5 jack? My iPhone 6 sounds very good using the bluetooth connection in a Ford Explorer. 

 

[Koolpep]

  What if Apple decides to put aptX bluetooth technology in iPhone? Would that be a small substitute for not having 3.5 jack? My iPhone 6 sounds very good using the bluetooth connection in a Ford Explorer. 

Am sure it will be aptX or better once launched. Let's see - all rumors so far.

 

[ctsooner22]

Rumors yes, but this one is probably very very close to becoming reality. 
 
I personally will have to disagree with you Koolpep. I just don't see Apple caring about high end at all.  So far they've fought it tooth and nail.  They don't have a good interface for high end audio and they don't even have CD quality downloads etc...  As for their own DAC, there is no way they can come out with a good DAC for the price they have to charge.  Remember that they are mostly a very low resolution company and that's their audience, not a few of us who won't listen to low resolution (I realize that some still do, but in general most on this board are probably of higher res).  They will just over market and tell us what we want and how to listen and most will comply.  Apple doesn't admit mistakes and will never go back to putting a jack back in.  Just look at the MacBook they came out with that has only USB C and no other connector. 
 
As for aptX bluetooth, forget about it most probably.  When has Apple ever used another companies proprietary technology?  They just don't do that.  I think the bluetooth on my 6S plus is decent, but not quite as good as aptX.  aptX isn't CD quality to my ears as they claim, but it's still better than what Apple gives us currently.  
 
It's interesting to hear both sides of things though.  My thoughts are just that, my own thoughts.  I need a new computer and so far none of the Apple offerings are exciting to me.  If you go on Macrumors site you can see that they say don't buy any of the current MacBooks.  Only one even gets a neutral recommendation.  I agree with them on each and every recommendation.  I've been looking at the various Window's models for my wife's company, so I'm familiar with what's out there and how much it is.  I would need to convert everything at the same time from phone to pad to computer so I can get everything in synch on a cloud based system.  Having MS, I have no choice as I can only keep track of things when it's all tied together and I have access to my saved emails etc....  Seem like Windows integration is much easier than it was.  The biggest thing that's held me back is my hate for Microsoft (a business screw up on their part that nearly ruined my wife's business), but I'm starting to feel that Cook and Apple have lost their way and soon they won't be the leader in phones and right now, they probably aren't eh leader in personal PC's either.  JMHO

 

[Koolpep]

  Rumors yes, but this one is probably very very close to becoming reality. 
 
I personally will have to disagree with you Koolpep. I just don't see Apple caring about high end at all.  So far they've fought it tooth and nail.  They don't have a good interface for high end audio and they don't even have CD quality downloads etc...  As for their own DAC, there is no way they can come out with a good DAC for the price they have to charge.  Remember that they are mostly a very low resolution company and that's their audience, not a few of us who won't listen to low resolution (I realize that some still do, but in general most on this board are probably of higher res).  They will just over market and tell us what we want and how to listen and most will comply.  Apple doesn't admit mistakes and will never go back to putting a jack back in.  Just look at the MacBook they came out with that has only USB C and no other connector. 
 
As for aptX bluetooth, forget about it most probably.  When has Apple ever used another companies proprietary technology?  They just don't do that.  I think the bluetooth on my 6S plus is decent, but not quite as good as aptX.  aptX isn't CD quality to my ears as they claim, but it's still better than what Apple gives us currently.  
 
It's interesting to hear both sides of things though.  My thoughts are just that, my own thoughts.  I need a new computer and so far none of the Apple offerings are exciting to me.  If you go on Macrumors site you can see that they say don't buy any of the current MacBooks.  Only one even gets a neutral recommendation.  I agree with them on each and every recommendation.  I've been looking at the various Window's models for my wife's company, so I'm familiar with what's out there and how much it is.  I would need to convert everything at the same time from phone to pad to computer so I can get everything in synch on a cloud based system.  Having MS, I have no choice as I can only keep track of things when it's all tied together and I have access to my saved emails etc....  Seem like Windows integration is much easier than it was.  The biggest thing that's held me back is my hate for Microsoft (a business screw up on their part that nearly ruined my wife's business), but I'm starting to feel that Cook and Apple have lost their way and soon they won't be the leader in phones and right now, they probably aren't eh leader in personal PC's either.  JMHO

Dude, whatever makes you happy. I grew up on DOS/Windows and am an Apple user now, but am equally comfortable with Windows or Linux. 
 
Just to clarify:
 
MacRumors: You misunderstood the buyer's guide: they say DON'T BUY because it's at the end of it's lifecycle and will most likely see a refresh soon. They do NOT say don't buy MacBooks in general, LOL. They say WAIT for the new model to come out, then BUY the buyers guide is purely aimed at getting the "latest", quote: "The intent is to provide our best recommendations regarding current product cycles..."
 
Apple not using proprietary standards? You need to look that up, they do. You just mentioned USB-C - there you go. My MBP has 2xUSB, 2xThunderbolt/Lightning, 3.5mm audio, HDMI, SD card slot, Wifi and BT, nothing proprietary here. AAC(m4a) by the way is as well not Apple's format, it's a standard ISO, MPEG-4 standard, not exclusive to Apple. Youtube, Android, Blackberry, Playstation etc. use this codec as well.
 
Connectors of the Macbook: Then buy an Air or MBP instead, with plenty of connectors. There is choice and the MacBook is aimed on the super light, mobile market, that thing is so thin, it can't house any other connector.
 
HighRes: Apple has created Apple lossless (ALAC), they also made it open source and royalty free. You can stream music via Wifi to any Apple TV, Airport Express etc. lossless. They created the most successful music players of all times. Most of which support ALAC since the beginning, if you want to use it. They provide you with all the tools to rip your CDs into that format - free of charge. 
Just to be fair: Windows doesn't support FLAC either out of the box. Only their proprietary WMA Lossless (which is not open source or even documented). So in the end, they are all the same - except Linux.
 
 
Apple Music is 256kbit/s AAC, not lossless but pretty close. the resolution is 16bit/44khz you probably mean bitrate, but for AAC 256kbit/s is quite good - but all players/software work just fine with files you purchased elsewhere. iPod/iPhones support out of the box: (AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV) and you can install players that support APE, FLAC, and whatnot, if you so wish. 
 
Whatever makes you happy. You like Microsoft, feel more comfortable with it - stay with them!
 
Cheers.

 

[ctsooner22]

Um, Ok Dude.  
 
I guess I should have been more accurate as you didn't get the gist of my post.  I guess it's just me, but I typically won't buy technology if it's at the end of it's cycle.  MacBooks are older. Before you rip what I say, I know they refresh a bit yearly, but they aren't what they used to be.  As for Microsoft, I said I hate the company.  Always have for many reasons and I've held off hoping they'd eventually get a touch screen possibly or something like some of the lightweight PC's.  To me and many others we feel that it's stupid to have one connection for everything.  Yes there are arguments either way and we are on opposite sides I guess.  
 
Since you know about Apple, I'm sure you understood what I said about them using aptX.  I guess I shouldn't have said it the way I did.  Basically I just posted nearly word for word what I got off a search I did on that.  
 
If you want to get into a discussion on the quality of music, you totally lost me at "Apple Music is 256kbit/s AAC, not lossless but pretty close. the resolution is 16bit/44khz you probably mean bitrate, but for AAC 256kbit/s is quite good".
 
Not even subjective as my kids can hear a difference.  In my home system (even my bedroom Linn Kiko) 256 is unlistenable for me as well as anyone in my family.  Yes, there is a huge difference.  I pay the money I pay for my systems as well as personal audio to listen to what i love and in high quality.  
 
If you read any of this thread you would have seen that I have been Apple nearly my whole life and that I haven't used MS in over ten years when I used it at work.  This doesn't make me happy as you say, it bothers me.  I thought it would be nice to post about what's being talked about and start a discussion.  Your 'stay with them' along with your 'Dude' made me laugh. so thanks.

 

[Koolpep]

 
Um, Ok Dude.  
 
I guess I should have been more accurate as you didn't get the gist of my post.  I guess it's just me, but I typically won't buy technology if it's at the end of it's cycle.  MacBooks are older. Before you rip what I say, I know they refresh a bit yearly, but they aren't what they used to be.  As for Microsoft, I said I hate the company.  Always have for many reasons and I've held off hoping they'd eventually get a touch screen possibly or something like some of the lightweight PC's.  To me and many others we feel that it's stupid to have one connection for everything.  Yes there are arguments either way and we are on opposite sides I guess.  
 
Since you know about Apple, I'm sure you understood what I said about them using aptX.  I guess I shouldn't have said it the way I did.  Basically I just posted nearly word for word what I got off a search I did on that.  
 
If you want to get into a discussion on the quality of music, you totally lost me at "Apple Music is 256kbit/s AAC, not lossless but pretty close. the resolution is 16bit/44khz you probably mean bitrate, but for AAC 256kbit/s is quite good".
 
Not even subjective as my kids can hear a difference.  In my home system (even my bedroom Linn Kiko) 256 is unlistenable for me as well as anyone in my family.  Yes, there is a huge difference.  I pay the money I pay for my systems as well as personal audio to listen to what i love and in high quality.  
 
If you read any of this thread you would have seen that I have been Apple nearly my whole life and that I haven't used MS in over ten years when I used it at work.  This doesn't make me happy as you say, it bothers me.  I thought it would be nice to post about what's being talked about and start a discussion.  Your 'stay with them' along with your 'Dude' made me laugh. so thanks.

Yo dude Apologies for not getting the gist.
 
English is not my first language, so sometimes my posts get a bit misunderstood, which is entirely my fault. I feel your pain then, not liking MS and having to use it, no fun. I don't share though the outlook on current Macs. Just today put Yosemite on a 2009 MBP 15" and compared to my MBPret Mid 2012 15" it really feels old. It's still usable though, created a fusion drive and though not a rocket ship, still usable. Granted not much has happened from 2012 to 2016 in the range except small bumps once or twice a year. But these little changes do make a difference eventually. But it also seems that Moore's Law is not valid anymore. 
 
As for Apple Music, I was just making the case that it's not very low bitrate music. That would be 256kbit/s and lower MP3, for AAC, well encoded 256kbit/s is quite good as far as compressed formats go. Of course it's not lossless. I also listen to my FLACs as much as possible for music that is close to my heart. But when out and about, with my UMPro50, PM-3 or ASG 2.5 etc. I don't mind a well encoded mp3 or AAC as you have plenty of noise around you in any case. 
 
As for Apple loosing their way, to quote old Steve: because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.
IMHO Apple seems to be still doing what they always did, killing off things early, like the disk-drive, optical drive, etc. dealing with the short-lived uproar and moving on.
 
To be clear: removing the 3.5mm jack is not cool. Though, I use DAPs (AK, Hifiman, etc.) to listen to music on the go mostly and not really my iPhone, except in the gym, where I use Jaybirds wireless. But my personal situation aside, I think it's a weird move and better be really worth it. 
 
 Cheerio!

 

[ctsooner22]

Sorry that my post was rude.  I just took it the wrong way, but I did ask a friend his take and he read it the same way I did. No biggie as it's good discussion.  I'm just not seeing folks ready to get rid of a corded headphone.  That's not an optical drive etc...  I bet more folks use corded cans than they ever used a drive on a computer or even a full size USB input.  Why do people care about another speaker?  Honestly, the folks who would even use it as a stereo don't care about sound and one would work and those who care about sound won't use it. I don't know, I just think it's a strange thing to take out of the phone.

 

[ctsooner22]

That's my biggest point.  WHY should we need to remember to carry extra crap just to listen to music on a phone?  It's just ridiculous to me. Sorry, I have also not purchased the Macbook because of it's lack of connectivity.  I'm no longer their target market I guess and that's tough to swallow since I've been so loyal to them.  JMHO