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iPhone 7 Predicted to Adopt Lightning Headphones Without Noise-Canceling Capabilities

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Apple is likely to wait until 2017 and the "iPhone 7s" to introduce noise-canceling headphones, according to a Barclays analyst report posted today. In the report, analysts Blayne Curtis and Christopher Hemmelgarn believe that 2016's iPhone 7 will include a Lightning-equipped headphone accessory, with the "potential" for a dynamic noise-canceling system to be introduced next year.

The analysts believe Apple will use a basic digital codec in 2016, allowing the company to introduce Lightning-connected headphones later in the year. This move will prepare Apple for the possibility of including Cirrus Logic's (an Apple audio supplier) more advanced noise-cancellation smart codec in 2017, which requires a digital codec to be installed in the first place.
We still believe there is potential for AAPL to add ANC in the IP7S but believe AAPL is including just the digital headphone in the IP7 this year. Recent speculation surrounding the elimination of the headphone jack in the IP7 is consistent with this move as AAPL will need to provide a digital headset inbox but likely was not willing to spend the extra cost for the ANC functionality.
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Rumors surrounding the exclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7 began earlier in the year, although it was unclear whether the accessory would ship in the box or be sold as a separate purchase under the Beats by Dre brand. According to the analysts in today's report, the 3.5mm headphone jack will be replaced by another speaker thanks to an additional amp also provided by Cirrus Logic.

Other rumors have suggested that Apple is preparing a Bluetooth solution for an upcoming iPhone line, similar in vein to the Bragi Dash headphones, which are finally beginning to ship out to early pre-order customers after over a year of waiting. The headphones would be completely wireless, with two separate pods that require regular charging.

Article Link: iPhone 7 Predicted to Adopt Lightning Headphones Without Noise-Canceling Capabilities
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/02/12/iphone-7-lightning-headphones-noise-canceling/
Anyone ever notice that "Analyst" sounds a whole lot like "Random List"? As in a random list of guesses.

Lol...although this rumor of the death to the 3.5 mm jack is starting to gather some steam. If this turns out true, I wouldn't mind it being replaced with another speaker.
 
Well, Barclays does handle Apple's no interest financing, at least when you buy direct from Apple. It's not too far gone to think that over the years some contacts have been made and some info may exchange hands from one entity to the other.
 
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I want noise cancellation but I use my apple headphones for everything... my work pcs/tvs/ps4 controller do not accept and will never accept lightning...
 
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The second speaker rumor would be nice if it came in stereo. The current on-phone offerings are a bit lacking. I won't mind the removal of the jack if and only if they make their bluetooth high-quality audio compatibility better.

Edit: Another nice option would be to make actual lossless wireless audio a (portable) reality like AirPlay. I know that I can get better audio that way as I wouldn't have to rely on the iPhone's lackluster DAC. It sounds good - but it's not as good as the MacBook Pros. It can't support the full dynamic range and full-sounding bass in the way that a bigger amp can, and once that sound has been flattened, you can't get it back.
 
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I know that this problem has been discussed for a few months now, but seriously, the 3.5mm jack is one of the most important and universal pieces of hardware that was ever made. You can find it on 20-year old computers even. Why remove it? Is there a problem? Is it really so thick that you need to remove it to make the phone even thinner? Because the iPod Nano is as thin as the headphone jack, so I don't see the problem. And even then, making an existing phone thinner, even though it has bending and camera protrusion problems, is like the stupidest idea ever.

These people at Apple are out of their mind. Removing one of the most universal pieces of technology for the sake of making their phones thinner and such. I feel that we're lucky that it stayed alive for so long, and then remove it for the worst reason? Lightning nor Bluetooth will even come CLOSE to replacing 3.5mm. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Now we have to shove that sentence up the Apple executives' ass before they understand.
 
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If they go bluetooth only (because, c'mon, the lightning connector is fragile, it can't be used as a stereo headphone replacement), they better begin to support APT-X. Standard bluetooth A2DP w/SBC codec sucks balls, and nobody support AAC as a codec in their bluetooth headphones.
 
TheRemix18 said:
That's what people said for 6 and then 6s.
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And the fact that Apple kept a pathetic 16GB as the base storage was ridiculous two years ago. In the year 2016 though, it would be absolutely jaw-droppingly stupid. NAND prices have taken an incredible dive over the past 5 years, and there's simply no excuse for Apple to still be selling a $650 16GB device.
 
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Passive noise canceling is the way to go since Apple do not allow you to turn active off on their headphones. Seriously Beats Studio Wireless are THE worst headphones I've ever had, not only is their bluetooth performance bad, but they just hiss constantly and you cannot turn it off, meaning they're useless for quiet places.
 
Schnort said:
If they go bluetooth only (because, c'mon, the lightning connector is fragile, it can't be used as a stereo headphone replacement), they better begin to support APT-X. Standard bluetooth A2DP w/SBC codec sucks balls, and nobody support AAC as a codec in their bluetooth headphones.
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I agree with you, but I wouldn't say that support for AAC is non-existent. I have a pair of Sony headphones that support it, and My Plantronics also support AAC as a format. Many recent releases for Bluetooth headphones do support the format. Oddly enough though, they don't seem to advertise that fact on their Amazon product pages - just on the box when you get it.

My biggest problem with the way that modern bluetooth headphones work is the audio quality when the microphone is enabled. They always seem to drop down to the lowest possible quality when that happens, so Bluetooth headphones for gaming while talking to people always sound like complete crap.
 
I will gladly give up the headphone jack for stereo speakers. All of my speakers/headphones are Bluetooth.
 
samxv said:
I want noise cancellation but I use my apple headphones for everything... my work pcs/tvs/ps4 controller do not accept and will never accept lightning...
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Exactly...now you'll have your "iPhone headphones". They can't even connect to your Mac.

If Apple is hell-bent on looking to remove dated tech, they should remove mechanical harddrives from all their Macs and use SSDs.
 
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