This is why the headphone jack is small:

I can't wear earbud headphones. I get horrible earaches when I do. I can only wear on-the-ear or over-the-ear headphones. I also wanted something that produced good bass, unlike tinny earbuds. I guess I'm just screwed, huh?

I have read 2 pretty good explanations about the headphone issue.

One is what you point out...for the iPhone to be thin...and for the connection not to be physically weak (i.e.--you brush the edge of the iPhone and the connected headphone shifts and damages the iPhone)...they had to do it this way.

A second reliable-seeming site (can't remember where now) said sometimes GSM can cause hiss in earphones and Apple even has a patent for making hiss-cancelling earphones. If you could plug in regular earphones easily they might hiss and then you'd blame the iPhone when it's really the GSM technology weakness.

So far I love everything about my iPhone, with the exception of two things:

1. I like music ringtones from my favorite band, but I can live without that

and

2. I have only found one pair of headphones that actually stay in my ears. I use my iPods and now my iPhone at the gym, and when I'm running the earphones fall out every 10 seconds. I've tried countless types of earphones and I've found one pair by Sony that actually work, but they are the L shape and therefore don't fit properly in the iPhone. If the earphone jack moves at all, the earphones don't work and the iPhone pauses itself. It's fine if I don't touch it at all. I would rather get a free adapter with the iPhone instead of the earphones with the mic. But hopefully something smaller than the Belkin adapter comes out, because that thing is way too big and ugly.

-1 on the headphone jack design. ********. it's the same jack as any other headphone, just recessed so you can't get to it.

I just think it might have been a good idea to put an explanation in the manual for why they decided to use an el-weirdo jack.

The reason they did it is strain relief.

Any adapters we will get will have this strain protection also as will anything that fits in there snuggly (from what I can see)

It's a good idea but one that needs explaining otherwise there's confusion.

It's almost like Apple likes confusion (cuz they create enough)

TImothy,

Please send the $10 to:

Jim
1514 S. HIllrose Lane
Superior, CO 80027

Many, many thanks. I'll let you know how the adapter works.

Jim

The reason Apple did it was purely esthetic. They wanted rounded surfaces. These plugs require flat surfaces for stability. So they recessed the flat surface and kept the curved top.

Design trumps function. It's not the thinness. The iPhone is 0.46 inches thick, the iPod Nano is 0.26 inches thick... and the nano accepts all headphones manufactured in the last 30 years.

I just bought a Belkin adapter. It is dorky. A 3.5 inch iPhone with a 2 inch stem sticking out and an L-plug on top. If I wore this thing while mowing, I would be a likely lightening target 😉

While I will try shaving the connector on my $25 car cassette adapter, I'm not going to shave the connector on my $400 Etymotic earphones.

Oh, and they DO sound better than the $19 Apple earphones. 😉

Jim

I completely understand the DESIGN reason, but not to include a cheap-o adaptor as part of the iPhone is a big mistake.

Fine, if you need to design a special mini plug, but if you're doing something "non-standard", then help the customer out. Apple knows we all have lots of iPod cables and accessories that will no longer work for the iPhone. (which was touted as a replacement for said iPods)

I don't care at all about headphones, since I use Apples on the rare occasions I use them, but what I DO care about is the mini plug for listening to my iPod in the car, and the mini plug for listening to my iPod on speakers at work. Those are the two main places I use my iPod (now supposed to be iPhone), and almost never use the headphones ever. Not everyone jogs, Jobs!

I don't know if I missed this or not, but where can you buy the adapter from? Is this an Apple Store item?

Yes, you can get it from any Apple Store. They are in and out of stock. All in the Boulder/Denver area were out yesterday, but had plenty in stock today.

It's ugly, but it works.

Jim

Jason,

I'm not going to buy that 3rd party source about Apple's "hiss canceling headphones". Then again, I guess you could say that any headphone that is lacking in midrange and highs could be thought of as "hiss canceling".

I picked up one of the Belkin But Ugly Adapters today, the iPhone is 3.5 inches long, this adapter is 2.5 inches long ;-( Finally got to hook up my Etymotic Headphones (without Hiss Canceling" and they sound terrific. I feel much better now. Also hooked it to my car cassette adapter (which generates hiss of its own, no canceling 😉 It even sounded good there.

Maybe somebody will get clever and cut an inch or so out of that Belkin one.

Jim

James,

I don't have a drill press, but I do have a router. Once I get my headphone jack size back to spec, I'll ship it up for you to have a go at yours.

I love the smell of burning plastic in the morning.

Jim

Alex,

True, the Apple headset has the built-in mic. But Apple did do a clever job on the software. If you have normal stereo headphones plugged in and you answer a call, you can hear the person through the stereo headphones while talking back through the mic built into the iPhone! Or, today, I had the cassette adapter plugged in listening to Tunes on the car stereo when I got a call. The person spoke through my car stereo while I talked back through the iPhone mic which was a foot or two away.

Clever software. But I'm still peeved at the headphone jack.

Jim

PS: Rumor is that each generation of iPhone will have a 1mm smaller hole for headphones. 😉 Maybe Apple owns stock in Belkin ;-))

jim

Yes i'm a little peeved about the headphone issue, but the only thing i want now is some smart company (go away belkin) to make some tiny adaptor similar in size to the adaptors from large to small headphone jacks (sorry, i don't know the numbers, but you get the idea).

I saw a nicer looking one out of Griffin ( http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/headphoneadapter/) not quite what i wanted, but MUCH less dorky than that belkin POS.

Macbook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.10)

josh,

I agree. would be nice for someone to come up with a more efficient mechanical design. It should be possible to get it to where there is only 3/4 inch sticking up.... not 2.5 like the Bulk-in.

The griffin is nicer in that it will at least "lay down" instead of sticking up like a periscope.

But that one won't be available until mid-August if I remember correctly.

Jim