I dont like the audio jack gone

pani_alex · March 30, 2023, 1:52pm

I think is a must to have some basic io, and the audio is one of them, also one usb c for charging sounds reasonable

Also taking one connector out and adding 2 more expansions means adding one expansion

amoun · March 30, 2023, 2:11pm

You are speaking of an analogue audio output, which many people may not want or use, so to have a dedicated port would ‘a waste of space’ for some.

So 6 USB C or 5 USB C + 1 jack ??

reverse_thrust · March 30, 2023, 2:13pm

I think the big issue is having ports part of the chassis means they’re much more difficult to repair. Having all the ports be modular makes them easily repairable, since the wear and tear of connecting and disconnecting will do them in over time.

Look at how shoddy my 1-year-old phone’s USB-C charging port is now, where it won’t charge unless it’s at just the right angle. Having the port be modular ensures an easy fix.

Edit: Granted, I think the port might be repairable as it stands, been a while since I opened up the machine… but having it all be part of the same expansion card system makes more sense to me.

amoun · March 30, 2023, 2:16pm

Ah!

Have you seen the Fairphone 4 where the USB C is a small replaceable module ?

Jonathan_Haas · March 30, 2023, 2:36pm

The advantage with the audio jack in the expansion port is that it’s easily replaceable when either broken or when you want to upgrade. The Framework 13 inch version has relatively bad audio, but you’ll be able to upgrade it through the expansion port. Or if you get the 16 inch version, it’s possible that at some point Framework or someone else will release additional audio modules, maybe a super expensive one with very high quality, or a very cheap one, or one with a separate mic and stereo port.

I only use bluetooth headphones, so I don’t really care about the headphone jack.

pani_alex · March 30, 2023, 2:36pm

I disagree, the usb/jack doesn’t need to be soldered to the motherboard, that is bad, and largely demonstrated, it ever has to be a little board with a connector so in case it brakes it will be easy to change with no soldering needed

I think the exclusion of an analog, wired, error-free device in exchange for a Bluetooth, battery-powered, low quality, that fails just when you really need it, is a step back

Is like getting rid of physical inputs on cars and making it all digital, with a dependency on it, there is energy, if the computer doesn’t crash, and saying is the future, because is digital, is not, having a solid reliable input will ever be better

pani_alex · March 30, 2023, 2:40pm

Must say i don’t like bluetooh or any wireless, don’t like to have to deal with its out of battery, low quality or lag

GhostLegion · March 30, 2023, 2:53pm

This isn’t an iPhone, you can keep that functionality if you want. You define basic I/O as the audio jack and a charging port. Others might say that an HDMI out is essential. Still others would say RJ45/Ethernet. Eventually if we add in all the “basic” I/O ports we have a laptop like any other. FW decided to leave it all up to the users.

Azure · March 31, 2023, 12:55am

As someone who hates that other companies have moved to remove headphone jacks from phones and laptops I actually like the way Framework is going about this. While I love having the audio jack on my laptop I must admit that 90% of the time, I don’t even use it. Having the ability to swap it for a different port unless I need it is great, and I would say that if you NEED a headphone jack all the time, then it should just be an expansion card that you always have installed, just like we’ve already needed to have USB-C installed to charge the 13" laptops. If you need more than 5 other ports besides the headphone jack, then there are always dongles or other laptops on the market that have those, so maybe the Framework Laptop 16 just isn’t the right one for you, and that’s okay.

Danny_Colin · March 31, 2023, 1:22am

You’re in luck. You can now have 6 jacks on the new Framework 16 .

Mapleleaf · March 31, 2023, 1:44am

And the possibility, in the future, to use upgraded/3rd-party higher-end 3.5 jack cards with different DACs, and/or combined optical output!
So I like this greater modularity.

ParticleCannon · March 31, 2023, 2:04am

This is the same conversation as the numpad. There are strong opinions, and you get to choose.

I hope Framework tracks and tells us how many people choose 3.5mm out, and I hope the data favors telling smartphone makers and Apple they are arrogantly wrong. If it’s a combo mic jack as well, I’m probably getting two.

Kelly_Wu · March 31, 2023, 4:55am

5 ports of anything you want is still more than most 16-inch laptops out there.

GhostLegion · March 31, 2023, 5:04am

FTFY. What other laptop lets you customize ports? (for real tho, I’m just having fun, not trying to be mean).

pani_alex · March 31, 2023, 8:03am

but what if you do not have to? it is small enough to fit anywhere, is also in part a gaming device-oriented, I have seen most gamers use wired headsets, and now days home office is getting popular, so using a headset is something that is needed therefor. The office gave me a wireless headset but I myself use wired on my pc and earbuds when I am on the way. Maybe framework should put a vote for that instead of removing it, like Azure already sed, there are too many people to hate that smartphone remove the audio jack, it was so useful

if the usb is that important, why not having at least one build-in?

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the framework, I was waiting for the ryzen one because is the one that makes sense to me, I just don’t want it to go the wrong way. Is so nice when a company listen what customers want, and I was so sad when I read about the fairphone getting rid of the audio jack, and it was so disappointing hearing they excuses

But yes, the company is new and for sure there will grow and will have the ability to offer more options or make even better what they already have. And maybe make a survey before making some changes

Anachron · March 31, 2023, 8:17am

But Framework isn’t going to remove the option for one. It allowed us to have 6 of them!

In all seriousness, this is a non-issue beause it both allows users which need one to have it and those who don’t to have a spare slot. But it also allows those who need it to upgrade in the future. Or remove it when not needed (on the go?).

pani_alex · March 31, 2023, 8:38am

Is removed from the laptop and now is an expansion option, so the 16" has just 1 expansion more than the 13" if you need the jack, what I can imagine will be most of the cases. I get the beauty of upgrading the sound, but I don’t believe that for the people that want better audio than what is onboard, that will fit in the card size

amoun · March 31, 2023, 8:54am

So there is less strain on the main board, this way if the port goes you can replace it.

Regarding the jack, the same arguments arose around the FP4 when they removed the jack.

In an office where people may want to move a little away from the laptop wireless has the advantage.

Sure if you are glued to the chair playing an important game or on the stock market, yes a wired headset is preferable, but then you have an expansion card and I doubt the other 5 ports are busy

Adrian_Joachim · March 31, 2023, 9:26am

If you could just plug an expansion card into the fair-phone it would not be a problem but you can’t so that’s not really comparable.

amoun · March 31, 2023, 10:00am

The issue is more that there is now only a single USB C port on the phone, which of course can be used to add an expansion card or dongle.

In the Fairphone case that means one less port as before the jack was dedicated, here there is one more port if you still want a 3.5 Jack.

So people complain either way, whether there’s one more or one less port.