Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does anyone else feel like technology - specifically consumer tech - kinda peaked over a decade ago? I’m 37, and I remember being awed between like 2011 and 2014 with phones, voice assistants, smart home devices, and what websites were capable of. Now it seems like much of this stuff either hasn’t improved all that much, or is straight up worse than it used to be. Am I crazy? Have I just been out of the market for this stuff for too long?
You’re not crazy. I feel that even when the tech is slightly better the trade offs make the overall deal worse.
More RAM but its soldered in on laptops. More storage on phones but no micro sd slot. No headphone jacks, the overall obsession with inferior wireless audio. Streaming services suck for anything that is not a live event and I think eventually more people will realize that. Especially as they keep hiking prices. Clearnet internet has been destroyed. The gaming industry is a joke nowadays. Charging full price to play betas.
What’s wrong with wireless audio? I’ve often had the problem that my audio jack was full of dirt so the jackplug couldn’t properly connect anymore. I don’t have that problem with wireless. Worst problem is that the connection sometimes stutters when I’m walking through the train station during rush hour
Depending on the surroundings you might have a spotty connection if using Bluetooth to stream your audio from let’s say your phone to a plugged in wireless speaker. I’ve personally had to pair and unpair failed connections and replace several wireless headphones because their batteries don’t last longer than 4 or 5 months from unboxing. I’d much rather rely on a high quality pair of headphones that don’t need charging and last me years at a time with no issue so long as I keep the headphone jack clear of debris.
I have never had that issue with a jackplug. Stuttering connection and one more thing with batteries that you need to manage. Also, most of the wireless headphones that I’ve tried have much smaller cups than the wired variety. I haven’t found a pair of wireless in-ears that are as comfortable as my preferred IEMs. In general, they might be okay for movies but not for music with an overemphasis on bass that I hate. The few options that don’t sound bad are wildly overpriced.
I imagine wireless headphones are more expensive by definition. So cheap wireless headphones (say 10€) are by definition worse that cheap wired headphones of the same price. I’m willing to pay 50 to 80€ for decent quality, I’m sure that’s not the most expensive, but it might be too expensive for some. I’ve had philips in ear headphones that were just a perfect fit. I sadly lost them recently and now have cheap ones that suck. I’m not much of a sound snob, but these cheap ones have bad sound quality and don’t cancel out any outside noise.
I haven’t purchased any cheap wireless headphones, certainly not that cheap but the wireless headphones that cost $300 sound significantly worse than a pair of wired headphones that cost half that much, sometimes even less. Same for the earbuds that sound bad and aren’t as comfortable.