ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hi,
Today I wrote to Bang & Olufsen support in order to ask them for what I should do to make my Beoplay A3 to work with the new iPad with Ligthning contact. I was really surprised by the answer.... A new product that will not support the coming apple products.
Dear Mr Svedberg,We are pleased to see that you are the owner of BeoPlay A3. However, we must inform you that you cannot use the new iPad 4 with BeoPlay A3, and we have no plans of supporting the use of the new iPad or the lightening connector in the future. Kind regards,Bang & Olufsen a/sHelle PramanikCustomer Service (Denmark)
I get the impression that each department at B&O have ZERO communication with other departments.
I think if TUE saw that letter, that entire department would be fired! Writing something like that is simply throwing thousands of pounds, maybe millions down the drain in lost sales! These people are absolute idiots. Do they live in their little on world or something. I can't believe their arrogance or simple suppidity. Either that or maybe the A3 is a poor seller? I must admit that it didn't impress me when my B&O dealer tried to force one on me and i told him to back off!
I wonder if Tue visit these forums!
Beosound 8, Beotime, Beocom 4, Beo 5, Lutron Rania, MacBook 15" (Mid 2015), iPad Pro, iPhone 6S, B&O Play H3, Beolit 12, Form 2, A8 Headphones, B&O Play A1, B&O Essence
I hope it is an example of business Danish being translated to formal English ... with the result common to Beoworld = miscommunication !
BeoNut since '75
It may not make sense for them to do that. I am not sure if the A3 is a huge seller like the A8 is. Note that most existent user still should get a few years out of their product.
http://uncrate.com/stuff/ora-ipad-sound-system/
Interestlingly these guys copy the idea of the A3 and ehile its not even out you ony get 30 pin .....
jk1002: It may not make sense for them to do that. I am not sure if the A3 is a huge seller like the A8 is. Note that most existent user still should get a few years out of their product. http://uncrate.com/stuff/ora-ipad-sound-system/ Interestlingly these guys copy the idea of the A3 and ehile its not even out you ony get 30 pin .....
Thanks for the link ... nice looking unit but I don't think it would have as much bass as the A3 does, nor all the versatile positions ...
I have been wondering whether to quickly by an iPad 2 (damn, maybe I should have bought it on Black Friday) since already Apple have stopped issuing software updates for my iPad 1 ... and I would get video Airplay ...
But the more I have thought about it, I think I am happy for the iPad 1 + A3 to survive as a unit for years to come. It sits on the breakfast table, we can browse the news, or use it to settle debates, play music / internet radio into the kitchen, and also use it for morning or evening TV news.
So I am not personally fussed -- I have a reasonable investment that will work out at less than $1/day over the next two years, and hopefully beyond that.
And for now I can think about the role of an iPad Mini as the coffee table remote ... and I will probably stall on that - I'll wait for Christmas or next year's TV/iPad cycle ... delayed gratification is wonderful
In any case I think the PlayMaker is the next logical choice for me ... I keep rereading this thread http://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/p/2426/20915.aspx, trying to decide what integration strategy to use: multiple playmakers versus a single playmaker with a BeoSound 4 AUX-IN.
After another contact with BEO in order to figure out if their is any missunderstandings I received the following answer;
Dear Mr Svedberg, I am afraid we must confirm that we have no present plans of making BeoPlay A3 compatible with iPad with the lightening connector. It is not possible to fit an adapter between the iPad and BeoPlay A3, as there is not enough room for that. Technically it is difficult to "just" replace the connector in BeoPlay A3 with the new lightening connector. When Apple changes their products we are not informed beforehand about such changes, and for this reason it is not always possible to make our products fully compatible with such changes. Whether we shall make a successor for BeoPlay 3 with the lightening connector, we cannot say today. Kind regards,Bang & Olufsen a/sHelle PramanikCustomer Service (Denmark)
frippe: After another contact with BEO in order to figure out if their is any missunderstandings I received the following answer; Dear Mr Svedberg, I am afraid we must confirm that we have no present plans of making BeoPlay A3 compatible with iPad with the lightening connector. It is not possible to fit an adapter between the iPad and BeoPlay A3, as there is not enough room for that. Technically it is difficult to "just" replace the connector in BeoPlay A3 with the new lightening connector. When Apple changes their products we are not informed beforehand about such changes, and for this reason it is not always possible to make our products fully compatible with such changes. Whether we shall make a successor for BeoPlay 3 with the lightening connector, we cannot say today. Kind regards,Bang & Olufsen a/sHelle PramanikCustomer Service (Denmark)
There is a lot of truth in that letter -- I would say most 3rd party manufacturers are having the same problem: no early disclosure, technically more challenging, tighter Apple controls = not many implementations to date !
This is the most recent update I have seen about manufacturers in general ...http://www.macrumors.com/2012/11/15/jbl-launches-first-lightning-compatible-speaker-docks/
And as you know, the iPad / A3 fit is very snug ! no wriggle room at all -- not like with the A8 or Beolit -- so the adapter solution won't work.
And market demand is what will drive them to produce a successor to the A3 -- which may be a completely different form factor to set it apart, and also allow for iPad Minis -- who knows ? I certainly don't !
I am encouraged that there are now three A3 colours - this seems to indicate that there is market demand for the concept.
So I appreciate your frustration, however I recognise that all manufactures are struggling with the impact of this change by Apple.
I'm sure it would be close to impossible to change the A3 to work with the new lightning adaptor...
BUT, on the other hand there will surely be a new A3 for the Lightning connector soon. (If the old one sold reasonably well) I didn't like the A3 from the start, but it's not all about me (strangely ) So if theres a need for it, hopefully that need will be fullfilled.
And the new lightning dock will surely be future proof for a good 10 years or so.
Too long to list....
Putting the iPad in and removing it from the A3 is by far as easy as connecting it to the BS8.
I find it reasonable that the as-is-A3 cannot be modified.
Maybe we will see a similar device for the lightning-connector some time in the future.
But I am sure they (Struer) won't tell us that today.
My recommendation: if you have an "old" iPad, get an A3 before they are sold out soon - maybe even buy an iPad2 for it.
Let it stay docked as a seperate audiodevice or mobile-internettv.
Be happy
Greetings Millemissen
There is a tv - and there is a BV
Millemissen: My recommendation: if you have an "old" iPad, get an A3 before they are sold out soon - maybe even buy an iPad2 for it. Let it stay docked as a seperate audiodevice or mobile-internettv. Be happy Greetings Millemissen
exactly my recommendation
especially the "Be Happy" bit
so much for bno's new apple centric approach
i give up i really do
Flappo: so much for bno's new apple centric approach i give up i really do
...... and exactly why B&0 shouldn't put all their eggs (or even many) in apples basket. In their limited time as an apple supplier their relatively new products (BS8 and A3) have been rendered obsolete within a few weeks or months of introduction. Why try to run a business at the mercy of another?
Ban boring signatures!
i guess bno need apple a lot more than vice versa
face it , tech companies are jumping on apple for attention while nobody outside this forum gives a **** about bno
they had their chance and they blew it
i wish bno luck , but if they don't react quicker to the demands of modern tech they are finished
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_(connector)
why's it so hard to redesign a connection port for the a3 ??
since the new one's smaller it should fit in with bno's design ideas surely ??
maybe this time they can design one that doesn't fall over all the time ???
Chris Harrison:Re flappos comment. B&O have had to react this way because most people do not play records, tapes, CDs anymore. I think it is just bad luck that apple changed the dock connector when they did and B&O just in the wrong place sadly. I think the lightening connector will be here for a while now.
Im not so sure - even without the connector change, for a product like the A3 whats to say the next ipad will be the same size or even the same form factor? Laying down new mould tools for high quality, low volume product only to find them obsolete every six months isnt a good way to make money!
Flappo: i guess bno need apple a lot more than vice versa they had their chance and they blew it i wish bno luck , but if they don't react quicker to the demands of modern tech they are finished
I've said many times that B&O's main competence should be speakers and speaker systems, large and small. Try to ensure they will interface with the maximum of kit, both B&O and third party by including a broad range of interface standards (analogue, spdif, wireless, network etc). Include Airplay, or whatever else gives added value from software but stop short of basing product entirely on one manufacturers (ie apple's) hardware.
Puncher: Chris Harrison:Re flappos comment. B&O have had to react this way because most people do not play records, tapes, CDs anymore. I think it is just bad luck that apple changed the dock connector when they did and B&O just in the wrong place sadly. I think the lightening connector will be here for a while now. Im not so sure - even without the connector change, for a product like the A3 whats to say the next ipad will be the same size or even the same form factor? Laying down new mould tools for high quality, low volume product only to find them obsolete every six months isnt a good way to make money!
Exactly right!
And why I can't see the idea B&O had with the A3 from the beginning... Surely a product that made them a loss. Why it's being sold out for 50% off.
Agree with the above - I should also say that I found Helle Pramanik's responses perfectly reasonable - not sure why they were cited as being anything else. Mrs Pramanik has been with B&O for a good few years and i have had dealings with her in the past. I have always found her to be informative and helpful. I am sure that there is nothing she would like more than to say that the A3 will imediately be updated to Thunderbolt specs but clearly she can only say what is the truth. I think the A3 was a toe in the water for B&O - it has little about it that makes me think mainstream product and I imagine it won't be readily repeated. It seems one up from a Beosound 6 - but only just! Clearly Ed finds it useful though and I can understand why.
Peter
bayerische:Why it's being sold out for 50% off.
Linky?
In the UK, customers have been sent a special sale letter detailing this.
I don`t think the problem is that the A3 doesn`t support lightning plug. The main problem is, that the new ipad 4 doesn`t upport the Beoplay A3....
That`s why we won`t buy an ipad 4! We "need" a second ipad, and we will buy an ipad 3 in addition to our ipad 2, that works great in our A3 purchased for 1890.- DKr before Christmas. There are a lot of chargers for ipads, iphones, ipods in our house we couldn`t use anymore for the ipad 4 !!
Agree with Peter: Helle from Beocare is a very friendly, helpful and competent person. She helped me answering my questions since years.:)
Thanks for that !!
Stefan