Apple's new iPhone won't have a headphone jack and several generally respected reviewers, including CNET, say, "get over it" and, "no big deal".
Whoops and hold up there technology cowboys. The Apple headphone jack is far more than a place to plug in headphones that are, so, five years ago.
TechCrunch apple jack story TechCrunch agrees with our team. The headphone jack isn't really a headphone jack, it's the port for nearly every add-on, assistance, productivity, and other non-app tool, that lots and lots of people have built to serve niche markets and user communities, on and with the fabulous iPhone, Apple platform.
Proxima B2B reviews technology companies, trends, and solutions. We rarely wade into the product review space covered so well by the CNET's and TechCrunch and ZDnet's of the world.
So why now? Well, besides CNET and some other media, simply blowing this product announcement by obsessing about the cool camera, more than two of Proxima Sales's employees are people with amazing expertise, experience, and skill, who happen to be deaf or HOH (hard of hearing). We also have an employee who is visually challenged who uses iPhone assistive add-ons for what mere glasses can't provide him.
These employees are core staff and we think they should be able to communicate in whatever fashion makes their jobs and their lives work best for them. Each of these employees uses the headphone jack on their iPhone for a different assistive technology (or five). These are every day tools that cost our company a few hundred dollars a year to reimburse our employees for, when they need a replacement or an upgrade. They are cheap and easy because they use existing mini jack and other built in (usually Bluetooth) technology.
When I asked one of our gadget enabled staff members what it was like before she had her plug in device that makes phone calls easier for her, she said, that, "the old stuff, before all the iPhone accessories, was expensive, big, and really out of date. Also everyone could see it was some weird special 'deaf person' thing." She went on to say that she doesn't have to have as much support from friends or co-workers, ASL interpreters, etc. because there are so many tools, including apps, as well as 3.5mm jack enabled, that allow her to do all of her job and life related tasks on her own. This is small jack is no small thing.
Proxima Sales company reviews a lot of technology roll-outs in a year. We're generally cheering in the front row as sales outsourcing and consulting clients of Proxima Sales debut new solutions, upgrades, and enhancements. Every once in a blue moon we see a roll-out that has the palm slap to face effect -- why did they do this? Why go backward? Why be less customer-centric? Why create even a small storm of user fury over a feature that is well loved, and well understood.
Apple, it's not too late. We know, thinner, yada yada, next generation, blah blah, back down and let us keep our 3.5mm headphone jacks of connectivity. From our seats at the Apple event, it looked like the only cheers for this change were folks clueless about any use beyond old white ear-buds.
Oh, and by the way, Proxima Sales is in the market for a few more great employees. Yep, we're really fierce about offering real opportunities and hiring people who want to work with our team and have skills to bring. Feel free to apply by whatever means works best for you. Email me, Kate Parker, kate@proxima-sales.com, and I'll get you connected to the right people.
Needless to say we're an equal opportunity employer with great benefits, fair salary plus bonus compensation plans, and support for all sorts of diversity.
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