_________ On Wire
Reading this review of iPhone headphones today reminded me of something that I’ve been wondering about for a while: what’s up with the different lengths of cord on the iPhone headphones? I was slow to adopt at first, but I eventually became a big user of the headphones that come with the iPhone. While they never really fit my ears right, they were cheap, and easy to throw in my pocket when I needed to make a call on the run, or listen to a podcast when I was waiting somewhere unexpectedly.
When the iPhone 3G came out, it seemed like the headphones that came with it were sightly longer. The only reason I noticed is that when I would have them in my ears, with the phone in my pocket, they didn’t seem to pull taut like the first gen ones did. It was a subtle difference, but was noticeable enough that I paid attention. Sure enough, when I finally compared them side by side, the 3G headphones were maybe an inch longer. I chalked it up to one of those little changes that Apple makes that are never really highlighted—or probably even noticed by most—but that continues to improve the product.
This post from a while back on Daring Fireball always sticks out in my head, especially when thinking about included accessories like headphones. There’s almost certainly a reason why changes, no matter how minor, are made, but the public may never hear it. It’s easy to see how shortening the length of something could add up to a savings when you’re talking about the bulk in which Apple products are produced, but going in the other direction seemed like a silent treat.
By the time the new and improved (and sold-separately) Apple in-ear headphones were announced, I was pretty hooked on the functionality, and excited to give them a spin. The fact that they were the most comfortable in-head headphones I’ve ever worn, and that the sound was greatly improved over the included headphones, was enough to sell me.
The first time I put them on and put the iPhone in my pocket however, I realized that they were shorter. I measured them side by side with the original and 3G iPhones headphones and, disappointingly, they were the shortest of the bunch. They’re almost three inches shorter than the 3G ones.
I’ll likely never find out why these minute decisions were made, but the fact that somewhere, someone is making decisions like that is fascinating to me.
