Thought: Apple’s iMac rear-access ports
I think the little game or feel-around that one must play in order to plug a pair of headphones into their iMac is Apple’s cruel little joke on its loving customers.
Well, not really, but every time I need to plug something into that 3.5mm jack on the back of my iMac at the office, I can’t help but think about why it’s so difficult. I’ve pondered putting that port on the side, on the bottom, anything that helps access – but really, repositioning offers no ideal or substantially improved alternative.
While the same issue is present with the USB ports in the same area, they’re much more defined and can be felt out with relative ease. the issue with the 3.5mm port is that it’s so small, so challenging to accurately locate with your index finger, blindly. So I propose a simple solution (the best kind!). Recess it in a small (approx 1cm in diameter) dimple . Around the size of the tip of an average finger. This does two things: Makes the port easier to find blindly, and provides a very small targeting assist – the plug would slide in with relative ease even if aimed a little bit off.
How’s that, Steve?
Mar 17, 2011 @ 09:21:12
I’ve thought the same thing many a time while searching for that tiny jack. Why oh why apple! The answer is form over function. Sometimes they go too far and the designers win out over the usability people. oh well. I was thinking of getting a tiny extension cord so I can plugin it in and see what I’m doing.
Mar 17, 2011 @ 09:25:05
Apple does that sometimes.. as we all know. That’s why I’m happy with the proposed solution, though, it doesn’t sacrifice form at all in my opinion. Perfect!
Mar 23, 2011 @ 18:16:51
Hi Gavin, stopped by your site to say thanks for the Stack Overflow help (accepted)! I agree with you on this iMac thing…II had one at work and I just turn it around to plug the headphones in…unideal. I have bigger gripes with the iTunes interface though. FOr instance, why is there not a “clear all songs” button for the iPod when you sync the iPhone? Or is there, and I can’t find it? Either way, not the best design.
Mar 23, 2011 @ 23:44:01
Thanks drr – totally agreed regarding iTunes, and glad you found my other post after this one! Sometimes Apple makes silly decisions, other times it misses simple solutions to annoying problems, and other times still it completely ignores serious issues common throughout its customer base. The company confuses me immensely, sometimes. That said, they also do brilliant things and make awesome decisions the majority of the time.