Let's go one step back: What is the point of posting an image of an L-shaped Lightning cable? If used with an iPhone that doesn't have a 3.5mm jack, it does nothing to solve the problem of not being able to use existing 3.5mm audio cables.
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Intel Wants to Replace 3.5mm Headphone Jack With USB-C Audio
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Let's go one step back: What is the point of posting an image of an L-shaped Lightning cable? If used with an iPhone that doesn't have a 3.5mm jack, it does nothing to solve the problem of not being able to use existing 3.5mm audio cables.
It's a pass-through connector. You plug your charging cable into the flat bottom side.
You stated your problem was that you would not be able to listen to music and charge your phone at the same time. The presumption being that you would be using a set of Lightning headphones, or a Lightning adapter with your existing 3.5mm audio cables.
If your problem is with having an adapter at all to use your existing headphones, then why are we even discussing your charging options?
Ah. In that case, it would've been nice to have a caption with that image as it wasn't obvious that the plug had a Lightning port of its own at the bottom.
The problems are being able to use existing headphones, and being able to charge and listen at the same time through a single Lightning port with a Lightning to Lightning + 3.5mm adapter / converter.
I thought of another two adapters to buy:
- Male 3.5mm to female lightning. For all those people that buy lightning headphones, and still have other playing devices they would like to use with them, like an iPod Classic (or could they just get the 30-pin to lightning adapter/dongle?) ... Or one of the other untold numbers of devices with 3.5mm ports on them that have been released for the last several decades. There's a decent chance that this dongle (and its cost) could be bundled in with the headphones. If not, then $29.00 USD.
- Male 1/4" stereo plug to female lightning. For all those people that have home stereos and lightning headphones in places where they like loud music, but for some reason can't disturb the neighbors or other home dwellers. This one probably won't be bundled in with the headphones. $29.00.
- Male 3.5mm to female lightning. For all those people that buy lightning headphones, and still have other playing devices they would like to use with them, like an iPod Classic (or could they just get the 30-pin to lightning adapter/dongle?) ... Or one of the other untold numbers of devices with 3.5mm ports on them that have been released for the last several decades. There's a decent chance that this dongle (and its cost) could be bundled in with the headphones. If not, then $29.00 USD.
- Male 1/4" stereo plug to female lightning. For all those people that have home stereos and lightning headphones in places where they like loud music, but for some reason can't disturb the neighbors or other home dwellers. This one probably won't be bundled in with the headphones. $29.00.
Well the former problem I can't really help you with if you are opposed to an adapter of any kind. The 3.5mm adapters are likely going to be quite slim and not much bigger than the phone controls on the earbuds. But there's no reason for charging and listening at the same time to be a problem at all, especially if the Smart Connector turns out to be reality. Regardless, a simple Lightning passthrough connector solves that problem easily enough.
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1) There's no doubt that legacy equipment would require adapters. Alternatively, for those buying new Lightning headphones, I can imagine a very clever way to build in a fold-away 3.5mm plug into the Lightning connector allowing both digital and analogue via the same hybrid plug and cable. For someone that had such a need, that would be an excellent solution. Of course, there will be Lightning to 3.5mm adapters with both a DAC and ADC to allow for mic inputs from phone headsets as well. which means such an adapter could have both male and female Lightning, and male and female 3.5mm. I'd also expect to pay more for that, maybe $29, which is the same cost as the 30-pin to Lightning adapter with built-in DAC & ADC. I'd expect a simple adapter in one direction to be around $19 from Apple, and less than $10 from the Chinese vendors. I can also imagine an extremely simple passive adapter for under $5 from third parties that allows passthrough of analogue from 3.5mm to Lightning. Something I hadn't thought of before that Lightning headphones won't need all 9 pins, thus freeing three pins for use with analogue audio passthrough on the headphone side, even though no Lightning device will likely ever pass through analogue audio. Not sure if Apple's Lightning audio specs support this. And of course, let's not forget, any Lightning headphones are likely to have a single port that accommodates a USB-C type connector that delivers analogue, or digital signals for whatever device you need. So it's a matter of what cable you plug into it, and what kind of connector it has, if not all 3 (3.5mm/Lightning/USB-C).
2) I don't know anyone outside of professional audio that still use 1/4" headphone jacks. Anybody plugging a modern set of headphones into such equipment would already have a 1/4 to 3.5mm adapter, thus eliminating the need for a specialized adapter like this.
This sounds like the most intelligent solution to the problem if they really do end up doing away with the 3.5mm socket on the iPhone itself. Even though I'm one of the people opposed to the idea of iPhones no longer having their own 3.5mm audio port, I must admit, your solution solves it better than anything else I've seen so far. I guess the only thing that still troubles me is the fact that we need to use adapters at all when the standard audio jack just works so perfectly with nearly every audio device on the planet. So sorta feels like going the long way around the houses to re-achieve something that they could already do in the fist place, in a much simpler way. (Kinda reminds me of one Beavis and Butthead episode from back in the day where Beavis has the idea of inventing a tree, and suggests that "if people didn't want to cut down their own tree then they could just buy our tree, which which we could build out of lumbers and two-by-fours... tape some leaves to it and stuff... and then they could just cut down OUR tree..." lol. (was very funny if you hadn't seen it) but for some reason pops into my head whenever I see people going the long and unnecessary way to "fix" something that isn't even broken, and in fact already works in the best way possible, only to replace it with something that does the same but actually makes the whole process much more complicated and inconvenient. So this rather stupid beavis & butthead analogy seemed quite fitting in this context.
lol. Totally hear what you're saying on this. We all sneered at the idea of a microwave too when they first came out, and now most of us can't imagine life without one. So getting used to new standards is definitely a factor. That being said, at least with the floppy drive the thing that they replaced it with was better, so the benefits far outweighed the getting used to it factor. This also applies to the microwave example. With the audio jack though, it seems there are more disadvantages than there are advantages, so while I could indeed go to great lengths just to arrive back at square one, the fact that I had to do so would be a reason why I would probably still skip the next iteration of iPhone if they removed what I (and it seems many others) feel is a more restrictive method of doing something that works better as it is. Nothing wrong with allowing audio communication capability through the already existing lighting socket for all those who need pure digital, but to remove the 3.5mm audio jack personally is a step backwards rather than forwards.
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Bluetooth is better than a headphone jack and is a standard interface. I think that's worth pushing more than audio over lightning or USB-C, though that will no doubt be an OPTION in the future. But Bluetooth already works today.
i'd take bluetooth headphones that will recharge over lightning or USB any day of the week over some with wires.
The jack should go because wired headphones (as a concept - not any specific type or brand) just suck. The wires snag on things, get in the way, have limited range, etc. The technology to use bluetooth or some other wireless capability for this has been around for over a decade. It's time to push it.
Yes you may have good wired headphones, and if so then i'm sure there will be some sort of adapter. But on a device that is limited for space that wants to push the envelope of what's possible, i fully believe the 3.5" jack should go.
i'd take bluetooth headphones that will recharge over lightning or USB any day of the week over some with wires.
The jack should go because wired headphones (as a concept - not any specific type or brand) just suck. The wires snag on things, get in the way, have limited range, etc. The technology to use bluetooth or some other wireless capability for this has been around for over a decade. It's time to push it.
Yes you may have good wired headphones, and if so then i'm sure there will be some sort of adapter. But on a device that is limited for space that wants to push the envelope of what's possible, i fully believe the 3.5" jack should go.
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Yeah, Bluetooth is the most logical replacement. Though even Bluetooth has its drawbacks. (namely, you have to charge a Bluetooth device, and the power tends to drain quite quickly, plus drains your iPhone battery more quickly too via this method). So the benefits gained by not having wires are lost again by the fact you need to start bringing portable power bank battery packs around with you (which need cables to connect anyway), so you're effectively back to square one, and wind up having to carry more around with you than you started with. So our wonderful portable device suddenly starts getting less and less portable the more additional add-ons and doo-dads you now have to account for just to support it. (and then we eventually get back to having to bring laptop bags with us anyway just to carry it all). Thankfully, current versions of iPhones don't have this issue, because the iPhone and the headphones fit nicely in a jeans pocket, no additional baggage required. We get to travel light, whilst still being able to do all the things they still do when using all the extra equipment.
But I hear what you're saying though. Wires do get annoying. So when we get to the point where wireless charging becomes the norm, then maybe we can solve both problems.
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I'll just get Bluetooth implants in my ears.
Screw headphones and wires.
The future is now ... Or at least it was ... Three years ago.
Screw headphones and wires.
The future is now ... Or at least it was ... Three years ago.
lol. You never know, it may actually come to that someday. (Mind you, I saw a really morbid episode on Nextflix the other day that might kinda put you off the idea (Season 1 Episode 3 of Black Mirror, in case you were interested). Don't bother watching it though unless you wanna feel uneasy.
But on a lighter note though, you also reminded me of a joke I heard years ago...
(I heard this back in the 80's, so this was long before the AppleWatch came out, but kinda funny looking at it now to see that the first part is now possible) but anyways...
Three Businessmen at a golf course, all boasting at how important they are.
First guy starts talking into his watch and says "I'm so important to my company that they built me a watch that lets me make phone calls, just so that they can get hold of me wherever I am"
Second guy trying to show off says "That's nothing! My company invented telephone implants, check this out..." (and he extends his finger and thumb into a telephone shape, and starts talking into it).
Third guy suddenly runs off unexpectedly.
Worried about him, the other two go look for him, and hear strange grunting noises behind one of the bushes, and find the third businessman there crouching down with his trousers and underpants round his ankles.
"Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't realize." Said the first businessman.
Second businessman says "Was it something you ate?"
The third businessman replies "No, it's not what you think... It's alright, I'm just expecting a fax!!"