從iPhone7說起：爲什麼耳機接口必須死？
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，蘋果的新一代手機將不再擁有標準的3.5毫米耳機接口。這一決定宣佈已經被使用了一百多年的耳機死亡。說實話，這是遲早的事。耳機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.
耳機接口這種模擬連接原本是20世紀初專爲老式電話交換機所設計的。作爲一種數字鏈接，它無法像藍牙和閃電連接那樣傳輸那麼多的數據。另外，耳機接口只能單向發送信息：從電源到揚聲器。但是這都脫離重點了。耳機接口死亡最明顯的原因僅僅是新一波無線耳機將更方便，而且讓人們使用起來更加享受。對於大部分的人來說，有線耳機早就過時了。
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 and versatility. 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.
耳機接口已經過時幾十年了。它早在數字音頻文件之前就出現了——今天音樂的主要形式——耳機接口以簡單和通用而被人所熟知。它的誕生源自1878年，當時電話接線員在使用原始版本的耳機接口。它成功地在全球經濟危機中存活了下來，它歷經了兩次世界大戰和數字革命。但這已經夠了。新技術已經到來，毫無疑問新技術更好。
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毫米耳機接口缺點的人之一，他決定在下一代音頻端口上賭一把。奧蒂茲EL-8 Titanium耳機是該公司第一次使用閃電接口，它包含一個數字信號處理器、數字-模擬轉換器和擴音器，所有這些都能保證音樂在到達你的耳朵裏之前能聽起來更好。
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設備上的3.5毫米耳機接口變得毫無用處。
So the headphone jack is finally dead. And the saddest part? No one is going to miss it.
所以耳機接口終於死了。最悲傷的地方在哪兒？沒人會想念它。
