Is this BS? Apple reverses polarity on audio ports/accessories?

[dugost]

I was looking to buy a headset or mic for voice chat and mentioned to the store clerk that I was on a Mac. I didn't want some device that came with PC drivers or some other nonsense.

The clerk told me that the mic I chose should work but he couldn't be sure because Apple always does stuff to force you to use as many of their products as possible. While that's true in some cases where they've changed designs on iDevices that made old headphones or headsets useless, for example, what he said specifically seemed like total BS. He claims that Apple "reverses the polarity" on their audio ports and devices just to force people to upgrade to new accessories or Apple-specific products.

I have no idea how to confirm that. Does anyone know if there's any truth to what he said?

 

[ucfgrad93]

I wouldn't trust what a sales drone told you. Buy the mic, try it out, and if it doesn't work return it.

 

[dugost]

Believe me, I don't trust anything the sales drones tell me at the chain technology huts. I mostly played along just to see what other anti-Apple things he might say. I was just wondering if there was even a nugget of truth in what he was saying about the "reversal of polarity".

I've gone there so many times and gotten misinformation or outright lies told directly to my face that I view it as a game now. Years ago I asked about the S-VHS tapes they carried and was told that no such thing exists. Then I showed the dude the S-VHS sale on the front page of their flyer right next to him and he changed his tune pretty quickly.

Drives me nuts that they a) never seem to know what they're talking about, b) seem to not know anything at all, or c) make stuff up to make themselves sound knowledgeable.

Edit:
Found some info in (this post) that talks about Apple changing the audio input from a mic-in to a line-in where the signal strength can muck things up. Perhaps this is what the clerk was trying to explain but had the details wrong…and probably explains why the damn mic I bought works on a digital recorder but I can't get a signal into my 3.06 GHz iMac with it.

This Apple support article supports that as well, mentioning mics and instruments benefit from a pre-amp boost. As does this Apple discussion thread. Really missing the mic-in jacks Apple used to install…

 

[APlotdevice]

Modern Macs do still have a mic-in. It's just built into the headphone jack (similar to a smartphone). I believe they make adapters to split this into a regular headphone and microphone jack.

 

[roadbloc]

It is BS.

 

[416049]

Complete BS.

 

[Heilage]

I have seen nothing to support that claim.

 

[dugost]

Modern Macs do still have a mic-in. It's just built into the headphone jack (similar to a smartphone). I believe they make adapters to split this into a regular headphone and microphone jack.

Oh, ok. Thanks. I'll see if I can find an adapter. If not, may look into getting a pre-amp since I plan to do some audio tape transfers. Might pick up a USB mic too.

My love for Apple wanes when it comes to ports, jacks and adapters.

 

[monokakata]

Consider something like this:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrack.html

and use it for every audio task. The line in/out on my Mac Pro got all wonky and using USB for everything has made my life easier. For example, I have mikes with XLR connectors.

There are other manufacturers and other models -- but you might look into something like this.

 

[rhett7660]

It is BS.

Complete BS.

Utter BS!

 

[interrobang]

First they reverse the polarity, they re-routed power through the main deflector dish.

Next thing you know, they'll flush the tachyons through the phlebtonium emitter, and everyone will be totally at their mercy.

 

[monokakata]

I suppose you know that when tachyons pass through the phlebtonium emitter they are converted into bradyons.

This helps explain why there's no new Mac Pro yet -- the bradyons are circulating in the engineering departments.

 

[snberk103]

First they reverse the polarity, they re-routed power through the main deflector dish.

Next thing you know, they'll flush the tachyons through the phlebtonium emitter, and everyone will be totally at their mercy.

I suppose you know that when tachyons pass through the phlebtonium emitter they are converted into bradyons.

This helps explain why there's no new Mac Pro yet -- the bradyons are circulating in the engineering departments.

That's bad news then. I was hoping the Mac Pros were merely delayed due to a rift in the space-time continuum, which would have eventually sorted itself out.

 

[Bonch]

Sales people are full of misinformation.

 

[joshaarons]

total bs

wow that's the ******** they are selling these days...

the microphones in the machines are stereo mic's, however there is a switch internally that determines input/output as well as analog/digital

headphone jacks are a standard and I would be willing to put money down that almost every set pulled from the shelf would work on the mac 100% just by plugging in. PC's need freakin drivers, mac's already come with all of them.

the only time I have had to install a driver for the mac is when adding an audio/video device that needs specific drivers to function properly with the core audio driver

 

[thejadedmonkey]

He claims that Apple "reverses the polarity" on their audio ports and devices just to force people to upgrade to new accessories or Apple-specific products.

They may not "reverse the polarity", but just plugging in any old mic won't work on a mac, at least it doesn't on mine. It needs a pre-amp if I want to use a regular old mic. I need to use a USB mic (or maybe an iPhone mic headset) if I don't want to use the internal one.