Google Dropping Headphone Jack Doesn't Mean Apple Was Right
I read an article titled basically the opposite of mine. And I have to say, people are dense. If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you? It is totally possible for 2 massive companies to make the same decision and BOTH be wrong. Here is another thing... it is ALSO possible for 2 companies to make the same decision at DIFFERENT times and have only one of them be wrong.
What shocks me about this statement that Google's move somehow validates Apple's is that Apple's roots as a major player basically exploited EXACTLY what I'm saying. Apple got big off the iPod, then the iPhone and then the iPad. The iPod and iPad were two examples where Apple had taken ideas which had failed in the past and simply reintroduced them at the right point in time. Some argue the same is true of the iPhone. I have my reservations on that statement, but, if true it would only further make my point.
MP3 players had been around for years before the iPod. They were already growing in popularity when Apple entered the game. It is worth noting that Apple didn't just take an existing product as is and put it out there and be successful. They did leverage advances and added touches which addressed some areas of concern. But, all of the problems Apple solved either couldn't have been solved or couldn't have been solved affordably when MP3 players first hit the streets.
It isn't a simple equation either. Some of those advancements wouldn't have existed were it not for other companies being in the market and receiving some level of success before that. But, the point is, Apple's success in MP3 players didn't validate the efforts of those who came before. Also, on the timing side of things, Apple still sells a form of iPod today (the iPod Touch) and as far as I can tell it isn't largely purchased as an MP3 player, but more of a cell-less iPhone for kids. The distant past was the wrong time for MP3 players, the present is also the wrong time for MP3 players. The iPod was released in the golden window for that product. Timing is important to whether a decision is right or not.
The iPad is a similar story. Microsoft had tablet like devices YEARS before the iPad. Apple simply waited for the tech to catch up to their minimum viable product and paired it with a simplified OS which made the hardware shine. It was wrong when Microsoft did it. And it was right when Apple did it. Incidentally, when Microsoft did it again with Surface, it was finally the right time for their original vision.
And so, I'll repeat. Google releasing a phone without a 3.5mm jack NOW does not validate Apple's decision a year ago.
I also don't agree that the time is right. I think Google and Apple are paving the way for a time when it will be right. I think a couple years more will see the time being right for this. But, in my opinion the tech still isn't there. The proof is in the ear buds. Both Apple and Google have ear bugs which on their own only supply 4 hours of battery life and require a carry along case to bring them up to a full day.
The situation was even worse when Apple released theirs. They couldn't manufacture them on time, they had pairing problems and they are easy to lose.
Sound quality over Bluetooth is improving, and based on reviews of the new Pixel 2 phones it appears connectivity issues are disappearing. Now we just need ear buds with 8+ hours of battery life at an affordable price.
If you don't get "all day" use (by which I mean roughly an 8 hour work day) you don't have a mainstream product. And, if you can't sell a mainstream product at a mainstream price (say $50 max) you can't say that the market in general is ready. Sound quality on a sub-$50 8+hr life earbud doesn't need to be stellar. Even wired headphones don't offer top quality sound at that price. But price and practicality need to be there.
Apple made iPods mainstream by implementing a rechargeable battery and common interface across the most common source of music, the user's computer. And the price was in the same range of the competition.
The iPhone, thanks to phone subsidies remained affordable, and expanded upon customizability and apps in phones of the day.
The iPad brought a device, which thanks to advances on the iPhone, allowed a light weight computing experience at a price cheaper than the average computer at the time and with a longer battery life to boot.
The value prop for wireless headsets is nowhere near that. Ship the phone with a pair in the box and we'll talk.
As I've said before, I don't disagree that the future is BT headsets. I just don't feel we're ready to commit to that future just yet. In my opinion, on this topic, both Google and Apple are wrong. But, more importantly, Google's decision has absolutely no impact on Apple's. They were made at different times, and the products they chose to embody those decisions are also different.
What shocks me about this statement that Google's move somehow validates Apple's is that Apple's roots as a major player basically exploited EXACTLY what I'm saying. Apple got big off the iPod, then the iPhone and then the iPad. The iPod and iPad were two examples where Apple had taken ideas which had failed in the past and simply reintroduced them at the right point in time. Some argue the same is true of the iPhone. I have my reservations on that statement, but, if true it would only further make my point.
MP3 players had been around for years before the iPod. They were already growing in popularity when Apple entered the game. It is worth noting that Apple didn't just take an existing product as is and put it out there and be successful. They did leverage advances and added touches which addressed some areas of concern. But, all of the problems Apple solved either couldn't have been solved or couldn't have been solved affordably when MP3 players first hit the streets.
It isn't a simple equation either. Some of those advancements wouldn't have existed were it not for other companies being in the market and receiving some level of success before that. But, the point is, Apple's success in MP3 players didn't validate the efforts of those who came before. Also, on the timing side of things, Apple still sells a form of iPod today (the iPod Touch) and as far as I can tell it isn't largely purchased as an MP3 player, but more of a cell-less iPhone for kids. The distant past was the wrong time for MP3 players, the present is also the wrong time for MP3 players. The iPod was released in the golden window for that product. Timing is important to whether a decision is right or not.
The iPad is a similar story. Microsoft had tablet like devices YEARS before the iPad. Apple simply waited for the tech to catch up to their minimum viable product and paired it with a simplified OS which made the hardware shine. It was wrong when Microsoft did it. And it was right when Apple did it. Incidentally, when Microsoft did it again with Surface, it was finally the right time for their original vision.
And so, I'll repeat. Google releasing a phone without a 3.5mm jack NOW does not validate Apple's decision a year ago.
I also don't agree that the time is right. I think Google and Apple are paving the way for a time when it will be right. I think a couple years more will see the time being right for this. But, in my opinion the tech still isn't there. The proof is in the ear buds. Both Apple and Google have ear bugs which on their own only supply 4 hours of battery life and require a carry along case to bring them up to a full day.
The situation was even worse when Apple released theirs. They couldn't manufacture them on time, they had pairing problems and they are easy to lose.
Sound quality over Bluetooth is improving, and based on reviews of the new Pixel 2 phones it appears connectivity issues are disappearing. Now we just need ear buds with 8+ hours of battery life at an affordable price.
If you don't get "all day" use (by which I mean roughly an 8 hour work day) you don't have a mainstream product. And, if you can't sell a mainstream product at a mainstream price (say $50 max) you can't say that the market in general is ready. Sound quality on a sub-$50 8+hr life earbud doesn't need to be stellar. Even wired headphones don't offer top quality sound at that price. But price and practicality need to be there.
Apple made iPods mainstream by implementing a rechargeable battery and common interface across the most common source of music, the user's computer. And the price was in the same range of the competition.
The iPhone, thanks to phone subsidies remained affordable, and expanded upon customizability and apps in phones of the day.
The iPad brought a device, which thanks to advances on the iPhone, allowed a light weight computing experience at a price cheaper than the average computer at the time and with a longer battery life to boot.
The value prop for wireless headsets is nowhere near that. Ship the phone with a pair in the box and we'll talk.
As I've said before, I don't disagree that the future is BT headsets. I just don't feel we're ready to commit to that future just yet. In my opinion, on this topic, both Google and Apple are wrong. But, more importantly, Google's decision has absolutely no impact on Apple's. They were made at different times, and the products they chose to embody those decisions are also different.
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