Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Courage is not how you sell iPhones

Stephen Downes

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I was fully prepared dislike Apple's move to eliminate the headphone jack from the iPhone. It replaces a common standard with proprietary technology. It introduces 'smart' technology to earbuds that could be used to enforce rights management, closing the 'analog gap'. But I wasn't prepared for the tone-deaf manner in which they introduced the idea. "The reason to move on. Courage." Yeah. Except the only ones facing any danger is the consumer. The danger of a Google-Glass-like dongle hanging out of your ear. The danger of an adapter you'll lose. The danger of paying $159 for $20 earbuds. The danger of not being able to listen to your phone while its charging. "We're going to move from an open standard to a closed, proprietary, expensive competitor because COURAGE," says Ben Werdmuller. Yeah. More uniformly negative reaction from The Verge, TechCrunch, CNN, Mashable, Tech2, and BBC with even more.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 22, 2024 11:04 p.m.

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