My perception of USB-C is that it was an attempt to fight against vendor-specific features that were not cross-compatible, and as a response, vendors have simply decided to ignore the actual...
My perception of USB-C is that it was an attempt to fight against vendor-specific features that were not cross-compatible, and as a response, vendors have simply decided to ignore the actual standards and continue with their vendor-specific incompatibilities. After all, the complaints in the article are essentially all about vendors who ignored standards.
Infuriatingly, these departures from the standard seem primarily to be for business, rather than technical, reasons. Analog audio dongles are simply cheaper to make. Similarly, I suppose it makes business sense to mislead your users and call any standards-compliant device you didn't make "non-certified," as Huawei evidently does. Google is not innocent on this either: one can look to their choice not to implement displayport alternate mode, or any other wired external display method, on Pixels, which might compete with tangentially-related Chromecast sales, even though this crippled devices like the Pixel C.
When USB-C standards are actually followed, they are amazing. I travel with one charger, made by Apple. It can charge my laptop, phone, tablet, and battery pack with no incompatibility, despite none of them being made by Apple. I can also use those devices to charge each other interchangeably. I never have to worry about which particular proprietary fast charging protocol is supported by which combination of devices: they all charge as fast as you'd expect for a given combination. At my office, I have one cable that connects everything on my desk to my laptop, but it can also charge my phone. The dongle that came with my phone works for audio on all the devices where it makes sense, but my hifimediy dongle also works with all of them. If I need a wired connection for transferring files between devices, I can just unplug the cable from my charger, and it will work between any of the devices.
And, I should note, if USB-C standards were actually followed for audio, it would be an improvement over 3.5mm, which was only an amazing utopia of compatibility for the specific case of headphones without microphones or buttons and without active noise-cancelling. Most headsets had buttons that didn't work quite right except on specific phones, and were quite limited. Active noise-cancelling required batteries. USB-C headphones, however, can use power from the phone, and they can have controls that reliably work. (Admittedly, considering I only use passive noise-cancellation IEMs with no buttons and no microphone, however, none of this is that useful to me: the only useful thing is that better support for dongles lets me use DAC/amp combinations that aren't as hideous as those that used to be in some phones, like the Nexus 6P.)
Yet too often, instead, standards seem to be ignored in favor of business advantage, at the expense of the user.
The problem is, dongle is still worse than no dongle. Now it's like back in 2005 Nokias era: needing an extra item which, even if included in the box now, can easily be omitted in the next phone...
The problem is, dongle is still worse than no dongle. Now it's like back in 2005 Nokias era: needing an extra item which, even if included in the box now, can easily be omitted in the next phone model, and also is less reliable and prone to being forgotten or lost. Samsung Note 9 has headphone jack and 4000 mAh battery and even a stylus with its charger inside the phone. Others could keep headphone jack too. Removing it is a "political" decision, not a technical one. It's understandable when inexpensive brands mimic the latest iPhone, but Google could stand its ground and be independent.
That doesn't change the fact that you have one and can get it replaced for free. This isn't a defense for removing the headphone jack, I'm complaining about the author's ignorance.
That doesn't change the fact that you have one and can get it replaced for free. This isn't a defense for removing the headphone jack, I'm complaining about the author's ignorance.
My perception of USB-C is that it was an attempt to fight against vendor-specific features that were not cross-compatible, and as a response, vendors have simply decided to ignore the actual standards and continue with their vendor-specific incompatibilities. After all, the complaints in the article are essentially all about vendors who ignored standards.
Infuriatingly, these departures from the standard seem primarily to be for business, rather than technical, reasons. Analog audio dongles are simply cheaper to make. Similarly, I suppose it makes business sense to mislead your users and call any standards-compliant device you didn't make "non-certified," as Huawei evidently does. Google is not innocent on this either: one can look to their choice not to implement displayport alternate mode, or any other wired external display method, on Pixels, which might compete with tangentially-related Chromecast sales, even though this crippled devices like the Pixel C.
When USB-C standards are actually followed, they are amazing. I travel with one charger, made by Apple. It can charge my laptop, phone, tablet, and battery pack with no incompatibility, despite none of them being made by Apple. I can also use those devices to charge each other interchangeably. I never have to worry about which particular proprietary fast charging protocol is supported by which combination of devices: they all charge as fast as you'd expect for a given combination. At my office, I have one cable that connects everything on my desk to my laptop, but it can also charge my phone. The dongle that came with my phone works for audio on all the devices where it makes sense, but my hifimediy dongle also works with all of them. If I need a wired connection for transferring files between devices, I can just unplug the cable from my charger, and it will work between any of the devices.
And, I should note, if USB-C standards were actually followed for audio, it would be an improvement over 3.5mm, which was only an amazing utopia of compatibility for the specific case of headphones without microphones or buttons and without active noise-cancelling. Most headsets had buttons that didn't work quite right except on specific phones, and were quite limited. Active noise-cancelling required batteries. USB-C headphones, however, can use power from the phone, and they can have controls that reliably work. (Admittedly, considering I only use passive noise-cancellation IEMs with no buttons and no microphone, however, none of this is that useful to me: the only useful thing is that better support for dongles lets me use DAC/amp combinations that aren't as hideous as those that used to be in some phones, like the Nexus 6P.)
Yet too often, instead, standards seem to be ignored in favor of business advantage, at the expense of the user.
Or you could use the dongle that came with the phone? And if it broke, you can just call them and have it replaced.
The problem is, dongle is still worse than no dongle. Now it's like back in 2005 Nokias era: needing an extra item which, even if included in the box now, can easily be omitted in the next phone model, and also is less reliable and prone to being forgotten or lost. Samsung Note 9 has headphone jack and 4000 mAh battery and even a stylus with its charger inside the phone. Others could keep headphone jack too. Removing it is a "political" decision, not a technical one. It's understandable when inexpensive brands mimic the latest iPhone, but Google could stand its ground and be independent.
That doesn't change the fact that you have one and can get it replaced for free. This isn't a defense for removing the headphone jack, I'm complaining about the author's ignorance.