So Alphabet:

• is the developer the most used browser (chrome) and its open source skeleton (chromium) on which most of all of the other browsers are based on (edge, brave etc)

• has the most used video platform online, with no close second (unless you count porn, but i’d still argue its not close)

• has the biggest share of devices relying on its platform worldwide (android)

• has the most used search engine worldwide.

Alphabet has to be split up. Alphabet alone is deciding what shape internet will take in the future.

When i was younger, physical copies pf games and the used market were common things. Now pc games get no physical release, or if they do these are tied to steam or epic games, and consoles are pushing towards going all digital.

All while raising the prices even though there is no logistics involved anymore.

So i should pay more for something that i can’t resell and can get taken away from me for one of several reasons (account gets banned, game gets delisted, service eol…)?

So that’s why if it can get pirated, i will pirate it.

Yet the samsung galaxy s5 existed and had the same ip rating (ip67) as the iphone 8.

All while maintaining both the headphone jack and a removable battery.

All excuses are just that, excuses. They wanted to remove it to profit from the sales of more expensive buds.

You can say that something is obsolete when a superior alternative is created, and is widely available.

E.g. you can say that cassettes are obsolete because cds exist, or that cds are obsolete because of streaming (arguably), but saying that one of the most widespread and reliable connectors is obsolete just because you think it’s old is just an idiotic thing to say.

On one hand i welcome what fairphone and also nokia, motorola and others are doing, making replacement parts available to the general public, but still i think Fairphone are huge hypocrites as of right now because of their choice and lame justifications. I expect this crap from apple, not from the “bastions of repairability and sustainability”

It’s useless to argue with this guy, he’s just going around shouting that the audio jack is obsolete, doesn’t even know what obsolete means and is just throwing a hissy fit.

He can’t name a solution, it’s just everyone’s else problem that we want to use the better option.

Some people will just swallow propaganda, and defend corporations even going against their own interests.

To be clear, i’m not against bluetooth audio, heck i even have a set of high end Jabra earbuds, but those are not a substitute for my AKG k702 or my Audio Technica M40x. Having an audio jack is about having an option, and we know companies are lying through their teeth because somebody managed to add an audio jack to an iPhone without losing any functionality at all.

No, just because you say “it is obsolete” doesn’t make it so.

Yes, i’ll give you my argument. The headphone jack is an industry standard, has been for decades and will be for much more time. Audio equipment, recording interfaces, anything that has a minimum of quality standard uses wires and jacks.

The 3.5mm jack adds 0 latency and allows for much, MUCH, higher audio resolution and don’t have to compress the audio before allowing you to hear it.

The usb plug is just a stupid cop out. It’s not really a standard, is something that was born as an excuse. Why should i have a more fragile connector that has to rely on electronics when i can use a cable that i can fix myself if it breaks? Also, please point me in the directon of some high end headphones with a usb connector. And i mean high end, reference quality, not some brandless crap from amazon.

Because Fairphone are arguing in bad faith. If they were really concerned about repairabilty, they would have kept a reliable and easy to fix jack instead of selling overpriced bluetooth earbuds.

If anything, this whole ordeal is a constant reminder that corporations are not our friends, and that some people will somehow just blindly defend them.

The only ignorant answer i’m seeing is from yourself.

The headphone jack is an inexpensive small connector that offers far better quality than bluetooth does (i.e. lossless audio), is universal and is a really inexpensive feature to add to a device.

The ONLY reason it has been removed is to push the sales of wireless headphones and earbuds. Fairphone got rid of it and soon after started selling bluetooth devices. And you just bought the marketing. As for the usb adapters, those are an extra point of failure and easy to misplace.

For all the good things Fairphone did, this is a really shitty one. If Sony can keep the jack on all their devices, anybody can, and the rest are excuses.

You don’t like the jack? You can just keep using bluetooth.

Yes, but that misses the point. Mine was a criticism against the illusion of property Steam (and other platforms) create. I know i can pirate stuff, but still Valve has the power to delist or remove stuff from their platform at any time, without need to reimburse.

It ain’t digital property, it’s just long term online renting.

Also, here’s our distribution platform where you can buy your games but have no physical medium, so if the game gets pulled you could lose access to it even though you won’t get your money back.

Valve might be better, but they are far from perfect.