Weekend Discussion: Would you care if your next laptop had no 3.5 mm audio jack?

[Astar]

If you can't find space for a tiny 3.5mm audio jack costing mere pennies in component/assembly price, when even the slimmest lightest smartphones can have them, you are a pathetic and lousy phone or laptop designer/manufacturer. Period. Find another job and another life.

Are people really so dumb as to believe predatory manufacturers like Apple that want to scrimp & save on pennies to screw consumers for higher profits? They eliminate the 3.5mm jack to AVOID having to include a US$5 handsfree wired ear piece. That's 5 bucks  (or whatever volume pricing they get) of extra pure profit to their bottom line. PLUS US$199 to sell you a f-ugly looking Oral B electric toothbrush to stick in your ear - with lousy quality sound (compared to Sony as an example)!

The volume pricing of free earphones? $1 I bet, if not less.
As for the C port, AFAIK it's slightly thinner than the 3.5, so it could make sense in extremely thin devices, but only then.

I was giving CrApple the benefit of the doubt, and also the fact that bundled wired handsfree sets have to have a minimum quality or they will make the phone brand look bad. Not that CrApple's are any good... they are crap. Its also based on a roughly 3X or 4X multiple based on the purchase price. iPhones typically have a BOM/assembly cost of U$200++ but they retail for about US$800 to $1000. But that is pointless quibbling on your part.

Also, what rubbish about Type-C being slightly thinner than 3.5mm jack? Its the apologists like you that give these predatory manufacturers the excuses to remove them. There is no excuse whatsoever from the point of view of size!

[Astar]

The last 5 years do not use. I have Marshall wireless.

If you work long enough in front of a laptop, which is all day for many people, how often would you have to interrupt your music to charge your wireless headphones? At least 2 or 3 times a day if you include use during commuting. I don't have time to charge yet another device all the time.

Besides, try buying an entry level professional quality wired in-ear from the likes of Shure and you will realise that the quality is much better than your Marshall!

[Astar]

Not really, I use either an external DAC or just wireless headphones depending on where I am.

You're not getting it. Most ultraportable/ultrabook/slim laptops don't even have enough USB ports! I'd never want to waste one on music!

[S.Yu]

If you can't find space for a tiny 3.5mm audio jack costing mere pennies in component/assembly price, when even the slimmest lightest smartphones can have them, you are a pathetic and lousy phone or laptop designer/manufacturer. Period. Find another job and another life.

Are people really so dumb as to believe predatory manufacturers like Apple that want to scrimp & save on pennies to screw consumers for higher profits? They eliminate the 3.5mm jack to AVOID having to include a US$5 handsfree wired ear piece. That's 5 bucks  (or whatever volume pricing they get) of extra pure profit to their bottom line. PLUS US$199 to sell you a f-ugly looking Oral B electric toothbrush to stick in your ear - with lousy quality sound (compared to Sony as an example)!

The volume pricing of free earphones? $1 I bet, if not less.
As for the C port, AFAIK it's slightly thinner than the 3.5, so it could make sense in extremely thin devices, but only then.

I was giving CrApple the benefit of the doubt, and also the fact that bundled wired handsfree sets have to have a minimum quality or they will make the phone brand look bad. Not that CrApple's are any good... they are crap. Its also based on a roughly 3X or 4X multiple based on the purchase price. iPhones typically have a BOM/assembly cost of U$200++ but they retail for about US$800 to $1000. But that is pointless quibbling on your part.

Also, what rubbish about Type-C being slightly thinner than 3.5mm jack? Its the apologists like you that give these predatory manufacturers the excuses to remove them. There is no excuse whatsoever from the point of view of size!

They came up with this themselves, and they don't need a proper excuse anyway, like how Samsung removed it citing 100mah battery increase.