I'm wondering if, at some point, they'll ditch the headphone jack for a second USB-C port. But that would require having USB-C headphones, which Apple might not be willing to make.
I'm fairly sure the reason we don't have a second USB C jack is because it would necessitate a second thunderbolt chipset (as I imagine they would want one on either side of the machine) and that is a problem on several fronts?
Although I use Bluetooth headphones on a phone or tablet, I would be disappointed if I was required to use them on a laptop I'm using all day long.
Normal usage time is about 4 hours on the cheaper units I use, and that's just playback without any microphone use. Maybe longer on more expensive units, while they are new, but I doubt many would get you through a whole work day of continuous activity.
Also, pairing is still fiddly and would probably put off a lot of casual users. (Especially when you have a N-to-N mapping between devices and headphones.)
USB-C could still work if there are enough ports. While it's been great having a common standard for headphones across devices (partly thanks to the original iPhone not requiring a custom dongle), it does start to feel a bit of an anomaly in an era where everything is converging on the new USB standard(s).
You definitely pay for what you get in the battery department. I personally have a pair from Sony claimed to get 20 hours of battery life on a charge. I've never fully tested the claim, but they are more than enough to make it through a couple workdays without charging.
I use an LG Tone headset (I'm a consultant, on the phone almost all day). I usually charge mine once a week or maybe slightly more often. Maybe two or three hours of usage per day. The battery is really good, the quality is pretty good, but like you said, pairing can be a nightmare sometimes. I actually had to reboot my computer yesterday to get the Bluetooth driver to work properly. It's early days for Bluetooth headphones yet, but they're making really good progress.
Apple owns Beats, so technically, yes, Apple makes the Beats Solo2 Wireless, the Beats Studio Wireless, and the PowerBeats Wireless. I have a pair of Sony BT headphones and they are fine. Audiophiles will complain because of the compression, but they are great for everyday use for the regular folks.
Certainly not on os x, which can't keep a Bluetooth audio stream going to a device less than a foot away. Apple's wireless implementations, especially Bluetooth, on os x is such shit it might as well not exist. Even keyboards and track pads don't work properly, including the track pad they make which skips. This has been my experience with every single Apple laptop and I can recreate it now with ease. But anything to make my laptop one nano meter thinner, am I right?
Would you refuse to buy headphones that have an integrated amplifier and dac and a USB connector, or would you refuse to buy a dedicated amp/dac with which you could use any headphones?
>Would you refuse to buy headphones that have an integrated amplifier and dac and a USB connector.
If those headphones don't unplug from the amp to allow me to use a 3.5mm stereo jack. Yes.
>or would you refuse to buy a dedicated amp/dac with which you could use any headphones?
I would not refuse that.
I try to avoid buying products which have non-standard connectors that limit connectivity with other devices.
I only buy headphones with a standard 3.5mm stereo jack because I have a ton of different devices and I don't want to limit myself to audio devices which only have a USB port or Bluetooth chip. That's just silly in my eyes.
If the headphones have a stereo jack then my opinion of them might be different, but still dependent on their quality.
