Aja on 21/7/2020 at 22:55
Quote Posted by Azaran
I don't buy that for a second. If they were so concerned, they would have made the batteries replaceable, and included an extra one with the phone. I mean, for the exhorbitant price they charge, that's the least they could do.
They also removed the headphone jack so they could then make more profit off wireless headphones. Behind every such decision, there's financially motivated malfeasance
I can see the reasons on both sides. People want phones that are thin and sleek and made of metal and glass, and having clunky replaceable batteries doesn't really allow for that. Thankfully I've managed to do several battery replacements in my iPhone, and each time you get another year or two out of it.
As for headphone jacks, I was pretty pissed off when Apple first announced its removal, but since I got a set of bluetooth headphones I probably wouldn't want to back even though my 6S still has the jack. Wireless is so much more convenient, so much better for exercising, and you get to avoid the awful feeling of when your earbud cable gets snagged on something and rips out of your ear. I like high-quality sound as much as the next guy, but earbud cables suck, and if you really want to use your giant headphones (which I do sometimes), you can always get the adapter.
For me the bigger deal in not upgrading is just that new phones are getting incredibly expensive, and every time I think "Should I spend a thousand to upgrade?" the answer is always "Why bother?"
Nameless Voice on 21/7/2020 at 23:13
That reminds me of something else that bothers me.
I have a pair of Bose QC25 headphones - high-quality cans with active noise-cancelling. I use them all the time (I don't even have speakers any more), and while they've held up well for years, I'm worried that they're going to break eventually.
Why does that bother me? Because all future models are wireless-only, and have a heavy-duty built-in battery for the extra power requirements.
One of the great things about these headphones is that they run on a single AAA battery, and when it gets flat I can just pop it out and pop in a new one in a matter of seconds, recharging the batteries at some later point.
I have no idea why anyone would ever want a pair of headphones with a built-in battery - that just means that you have a set amount of usage time, and after that you can no longer use them until they are recharged. When using a PC, it presumably wouldn't be that bad, as they can charge off USB while in use, but imagine if you are travelling with them? Especially considering that, while I very rarely use them as such, travelling is one of the main selling points for noise-cancelling headphones.
Azaran on 21/7/2020 at 23:28
Yep. Wireless tech with built-in batteries is another example of planned obsolescence. It's all the more insidious because the 'wireless' part is so emphasized in the adverts, to better hoodwink the unsuspecting customer. A pair of wired headphones could last over a decadeor more. I wonder if wireless ones will make it past a year?
heywood on 22/7/2020 at 00:01
Good one Kolya
Regarding e-books, I wish they were around when I was a student. It could have saved me some money (maybe), and lightened my backpack, but the main reason is that I wouldn't have had stacks and shelves full of textbooks that I've barely used but need to keep around for occasional reference, which had to be dragged around with me whenever I moved. Later, when I was first getting into software engineering, I wouldn't have needed shelves of reference books for every language, tool, OS, API, etc. I used that I would pick up only on occasion. So for textbooks and reference books, I'd rather have an e-book, mainly because they will be infrequently used.
On the other hand, when it comes to reading for pleasure, I'd rather have a paper book. Most of the books I like to read are non-fiction, and many are technical with a fair number of illustrations. I frequently skim, browse, and jump around. I've tried e-book readers but find them tedious to navigate the way I like to. E-book readers seem optimized for reading text in a sequential manner, which is perfect for avid readers of fiction.
heywood on 22/7/2020 at 00:43
Quote Posted by Nameless Voice
That reminds me of something else that bothers me.
I have a pair of Bose QC25 headphones - high-quality cans with active noise-cancelling. I use them all the time (I don't even have speakers any more), and while they've held up well for years, I'm worried that they're going to break eventually.
Why does that bother me? Because all future models are wireless-only, and have a heavy-duty built-in battery for the extra power requirements.
One of the great things about these headphones is that they run on a single AAA battery, and when it gets flat I can just pop it out and pop in a new one in a matter of seconds, recharging the batteries at some later point.
I have no idea why anyone would ever want a pair of headphones with a built-in battery - that just means that you have a set amount of usage time, and after that you can no longer use them until they are recharged. When using a PC, it presumably wouldn't be that bad, as they can charge off USB while in use, but imagine if you are travelling with them? Especially considering that, while I very rarely use them as such, travelling is one of the main selling points for noise-cancelling headphones.
I have a 10 year old pair of Bose QC15 that I originally purchased for air travel and I used to feel the same way.
However, for most people, I can see the appeal of USB charging. Because I have kids with toys, I've accumulated a bag full of rechargeable batteries from AAA to C size. But most people don't have rechargeable AAA batteries, and they won't want to be constantly buying new ones, and they will typically have a USB charging source available where they need one. Even when traveling, it will be easier for most people to charge via USB.
If you plan to keep the product for the long term, replaceable batteries in a standard size are a selling point. But most people don't think long term, it's about what the product can do for me today.
PigLick on 22/7/2020 at 01:00
There is a Cory Doctorow short story called "Unauthorized Bread" about the licensing of appliances and the internet of things. It's quite frightening, well worth finding. In a paper book, if at all possible.
Starker on 22/7/2020 at 01:16
Quote Posted by heywood
Good one Kolya
On the other hand, when it comes to reading for pleasure, I'd rather have a paper book. Most of the books I like to read are non-fiction, and many are technical with a fair number of illustrations. I frequently skim, browse, and jump around. I've tried e-book readers but find them tedious to navigate the way I like to. E-book readers seem optimized for reading text in a sequential manner, which is perfect for avid readers of fiction.
I actually prefer paper books for textbooks and the like too, but not for that reason. It's that it's much easier to take notes when you can just write in the book. But for the purposes of skimming and jumping around, e-books are not that bad actually. You can create bookmarks with just a tap of a finger, you can use search, and there are skimming features that let you flip though the pages relatively fast.
Starker on 22/7/2020 at 01:55
Speaking of old tech, what is this piece of furniture called in English?
Inline Image:
https://i.imgur.com/0fZfEKR.jpgI've seen similar things called wall units, but they seem to be attached to a wall while this thing stands on its own.
bjack on 22/7/2020 at 06:04
That's a wall unit, but it really looks like someone just used cabinets, but did not attach them to anything but themselves. Usually a wall unit (back in th3 1970s and 80s) was a metal and glass, or oak open structure that would hold a turntable, amp, tuner, TV, speakers, tape machine, VCR, and records... If you were really boss, you had a graphic equalizer. Most tuners and amps were in one unit. Some people had reel to reel tape machines a la "Pulp Fiction".
If everything is built in to one unit alone, then it was considered a console.