My first complaint about the otherwise luxurious Ableplanet Noise Canceling Headphones I reviewed this week was the fact that they don't work with my new iPhone. Why? The iPhone has a recessed headphone port and requires an adapter. Sure, the iPhone ships with a regular white Apple iPhone Stereo Headset, but what if you want to take it up a notch and use a more comfortable and sound-focused set? You are in trouble. If you plan on using a third party set you'll have to buy an adapter like this one from Belkin, $10, which lets you plug in to the recessed port. Of course, that means you have to plug one end of the adapter into the audio jack of your iPhone and the other to your existing headset. A tad clunky, no?
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iPhone Gripe: Headphone Issues
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Now thats what I call a bad apple! Doesn't help that every breaking point in the wires is another chance for weakening of the stream.
1yea it seems like another thing you have to buy to use your phone.
2this is my biggest negative re the iphone right now. i read, on engadget, or iphonic (can't remember right now), about removing the ring around the neck of the jack to make it fit into the recessed port. they did, however stress to do this at your own risk. i think i'll stick with the adaptor.
3Every once in a while Apple makes 'mistakes' like these.
Honestly I think it was partially unintentional and partially 'Meh, make 'em use our headphones.' We got some Mac Mini's here at work at there's a weird quirk where the keyboard can ONLY plug into the box, because of the way it's shaped. Sound familiar??
4Anytime you add length or extra connections, the signal deteriorates. That being said, you might STILL get a better sound with high-end adapted earphones than with those uncomfortable monsters that Apple produces.
Apple isn't alone in this kind of proprietary-design behavior, though, to be fair. It's just a very high-profile example.
Still, I'm glad I decided to hold out and wait for a future generation (read: Too poor for iPhone, trying to make myself feel better.)
5I agree with Rachi99, hold out for the next generation if possible, plus as much as I want an iphone, I like my cell provider now and don't want to switch...the exclusive contract with the iphone is (I think) for 2-3 yrs. So hopefully other cell providers will have the iphone then.
6too many things to accomidate with.
7Bless you, Belkin. It's not a perfect solution, but I trust their products.
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