Apple’s purchase of Beats was big news obviously, but just off the radar is how the Cupertino company may radically change how we connect and use headphones in the future – and it all comes down to the plug, or connector, or jack, or whatever you want to call it.
9 to 5 Mac says Apple may wire up future headphones with the lightning connector anyone who has an iPhone or iPad is familiar with. Why? With the rise of hi-definition audio, a dedicated tech connector can better accommodate a fat data stream for better sound while also improving features like noise cancellation and microphone performance. It can also transmit power – both ways. So is Apple trying to kill the 3.5mm headphone plug?
Consider the fact that the headphone industry and the 3.5 mm plug have been around a whole lot longer than Apple, AND, there are thousands of headphone makers, and just one Apple. BUT, Apple has ditched old tech in the past, and others have followed. Remember, they helped kill the floppy drive, SCSI connectors and now, many of their computers have no optical drive. So offing an analog headphone plug may seem like no big deal to them.
“Vaping” with those techy ecigarettes has become big business; it seems the only thing missing was a connection with your smartphone. Well, check that off the list, since you can now use Smokio to see just how you’re harming – or helping – your health by vaping.
Smokio tracks your e-cig use, projects how much bad stuff you’re ingesting and even equates that to real cigarettes. It also tracks how much money you save by not buying real cancer sticks.
On the scary side, it also shows your life expectancy going up or down according to your smoking habits. That should help motivate quitters! Smokio costs about 80 bucks but that includes a nice-looking Bluetooth-linked e-cigarette.
So, who exactly has the free time to do something like this, because we certainly don’t. YouTube citizen SuckerPinch has uploaded what must be the craziest Star Wars remix ever conceived. The entire movie has been recut according to the dialog, with all the words in alphabetical order. That’s right – every single word in the film, over 11,000 of them. In order. There’s even a handy word counter in the corner to help you keep track. The mind boggles!
So if you’ve ever wondered how many time the words “lightsaber” and “porkins” were used in the seminal sci-fi film (once!), well, now you can find out. Just be warned that prolonged viewing may cause any number of mental maladies, including an uncontrollable urge to watch Sesame Street reruns.
Your host today is Caleb Denison.
