從iPhone7說起：為什么耳機(jī)接口必須死？

To the surprise of exactly no one, Apple’s new generation of iPhones will not include a standard 3.5mm headphone input. The decision signals the demise of an audio port that’s been used for more than 100 years—and honestly, it’s about time. The death of the headphone jack is a very good thing. Hear me out.

豪不令人驚訝的是，蘋果的新一代手機(jī)將不再擁有標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的3.5毫米耳機(jī)接口。這一決定宣布已經(jīng)被使用了一百多年的耳機(jī)死亡。說實(shí)話，這是遲早的事。耳機(jī)接口的死亡是一件好事情，聽我慢慢道來。

The headphone jack is an analog connection originally designed for old-fashioned telephone switchboards in the early 20th century. It can’t transfer nearly as much data as a digital connection like a Bluetooth or Lightning connection. Plus, the headphone jack only sends information one way: from power source to speaker. But that’s all beside the point. The most obvious reason why the headphone jack had to die is simply because the new wave of wireless headphones will be more convenient and enjoyable to use for everyone. For most people, wires are obsolete.

耳機(jī)接口這種模擬連接原本是20世紀(jì)初專為老式電話交換機(jī)所設(shè)計的。作為一種數(shù)字鏈接，它無法像藍(lán)牙和閃電連接那樣傳輸那么多的數(shù)據(jù)。另外，耳機(jī)接口只能單向發(fā)送信息：從電源到揚(yáng)聲器。但是這都脫離重點(diǎn)了。耳機(jī)接口死亡最明顯的原因僅僅是新一波無線耳機(jī)將更方便，而且讓人們使用起來更加享受。對于大部分的人來說，有線耳機(jī)早就過時了。

The headphone jack has been outmoded for decades. Built long before the advent of digital audio files—the predominant form of music today—the headphone jack was known for its simplicity andversatility. Historians have traced its origins all the way back to 1878, when primitive versions of the technology were used by telephone operators. The audio port managed to survive a global economic crisis, two World Wars, and even the digital revolution. But enough is enough. New technology has arrived, and it’s undeniably better.

耳機(jī)接口已經(jīng)過時幾十年了。它早在數(shù)字音頻文件之前就出現(xiàn)了——今天音樂的主要形式——耳機(jī)接口以簡單和通用而被人所熟知。它的誕生源自1878年，當(dāng)時電話接線員在使用原始版本的耳機(jī)接口。它成功地在全球經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)中存活了下來，它歷經(jīng)了兩次世界大戰(zhàn)和數(shù)字革命。但這已經(jīng)夠了。新技術(shù)已經(jīng)到來，毫無疑問新技術(shù)更好。

Audeze CEO Sankur was one of the first people to recognize the shortcomings of the 3.5mm headphone jack, and he decided to bet big on the next generations of audio ports. The Audeze EL-8 Titanium headphones were the company’s first to use the lightning connector and contain a digital signal processor, digital-to-analog converter, and amplifier in the headphones, all of which are precisionused to make the music sound better before it hits your ear.

奧蒂茲CEO森克是最先了解到3.5毫米耳機(jī)接口缺點(diǎn)的人之一，他決定在下一代音頻端口上賭一把。奧蒂茲EL-8 Titanium耳機(jī)是該公司第一次使用閃電接口，它包含一個數(shù)字信號處理器、數(shù)字-模擬轉(zhuǎn)換器和擴(kuò)音器，所有這些都能保證音樂在到達(dá)你的耳朵里之前能聽起來更好。

To put it more simply: Everything is digital now. The music players, music files, and the equalizers—every step of the process is handled by computers. It makes absolutely no sense to have a dumb metal 3.5mm cable connected to advanced devices like the iPhone.

簡而言之：一切都數(shù)字化了。音樂播放器，音樂文件和平衡器-程序的每一個步驟都由電腦來處理。它讓像蘋果這樣等一批先進(jìn)設(shè)備上的3.5毫米耳機(jī)接口變得毫無用處。

So the headphone jack is finally dead. And the saddest part? No one is going to miss it.

所以耳機(jī)接口終于死了。最悲傷的地方在哪兒?沒人會想念它。