Please don’t leave us port-less

Calling all laptop manufacturers – please don’t less us port-less. Like mobile phones phasing out the audio jack port, it would appear there are fewer and fewer laptops around with an audio jack port for your headphones/headset and with an Ethernet port, for a wired-in network connection.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love technology, and I like to move on with the times. The whole reason I work in this industry is that there is always something new, and the speed at which things evolve, keeps me on my toes.

Things like old versions of Microsoft Windows, big/heavy laptops and terrible battery life are all things that needed to move on, and we needed to move away from them.

But, having said all that, I just can’t get away from an audio jack port on both my phone and laptop and from an Ethernet port on my laptop.

Why do I need an audio jack port on my phone and laptop? Don’t you use Bluetooth? The answer is actually yes, I do own and use Bluetooth headphones… however I still find them a little unreliable. There’s the scenario where I’m all fired up, ready to go running, grab my headphones to pump my 2000’s dance playlist through, only to find they’re dead and need charging. This is where my more comfortable and reliable wired headphones come in. They never need charging. They never let me down. I never suffer ‘Bluetooth stuttering’ or find they stop working halfway into a long run. They just work.

When it comes to an Ethernet port, I appreciate I’m a little biased because I’m a techie, who uses one for networking troubleshooting more than anything else. However, there’s no getting away from that a wired in network connection is still generally quicker and more reliable than Wifi. If I’m going to be spending long periods of time using my laptop at the office, or if I know I’m going to be using Teams/Zoom – I always seek out a wired in network connection. 

Generally, with a wired-in connection, any small drops in the Internet connection, just don’t happen, giving me a much quicker and reliable experience.

When I was seeking out a new work laptop, I did have a number of requirements, but right up there towards the top of my list was having an audio port for headphones, and a built-in Ethernet network connection.

Straight away, this reduced my possibilities from hundreds of laptops, to just a small handful, as the manufacturers are more and more geared around laptops having no connectivity options build into them, other than Wifi and Bluetooth.

So come on manufacturers, please cater for those that appreciate things which “just work”. My work laptop is still small and light and has plenty of connectivity built into it, but I had to really go out of my way to find it (if you’re interested, it’s a Dell 5415).

I’m all for moving with the times, but not at the expense of productivity.

Gavin Moorhouse is the owner of Lucid Computer Solutions, a Worcestershire based Business IT Support business. He produced this using an Ethernet cable, whilst listening to music via his wired headphones.