If they really are removing the headphone jack, I wonder if it is possible that they would add analog audio output to the Lightning port. If so that would only require a small passive adapter which could be acceptable.
Yes, t's possible as Lightning can dynamically allocate signals. But I don't see them doing that in order to maintain backward compatibility with accessories already designed to work with the 9 pin design, and it will conflict with new accessories that will use the expanded 17 pin plugs of Lightning 2. It also doesn't do them any favors as they will have to keep the same DAC, or upgrade it, and make another adapter that does nothing more than change from one hole to another (since they will offer DAC adapters as well for HQ audio). If I have to buy an adapter to use my existing headphones, I'd rather it actually do something to improve the audio.
I'm still not sure why people keep assuming that these DAC adapters will be huge. There's no reason they have to be to offer similar quality to the iPhone, and ultimately that's what most people are concerned about anyway.
They have a finalized design at the very least 6 months in advance, because it takes nearly that long to set up the manufacturing process for these phones. There are hundreds of millions of them.
Not necessarily. Not for something as minor as including a headphone jack/2nd speaker or not. The case itself simply requires new instructions for the milling machines, and they simply swap out the PCBs. All the components are otherwise the same. What changes are software to the machines assembling them. It's not like the old days when they would have to fabricate molds, and tool up for each minor design change.
Past reviews have stated that there were no stereo speakers available on the iPhone and they claimed that to be a bad thing. Some people use them, some don't. It isn't a feature I care about but some will. If they are removing the headphone jack then why not put them in there since they can. I also added it in to making the iPhone 7 sell because it is just another feature to differentiate it from the 6. They are removing the headphone jack regardless if they add stereo speakers or not but adding them to the phone seems like they are adding yet another feature to the "new" phone.
I don't really use the headphone jack or the speakers myself. I understand there are those who do. And I would suggest that there are likely a lot more people who use the headphone jack than use the built-in speaker.
If they are adding a second speaker, which is no small thing space-wise, then they are removing the headphone jack to do it, particularly if the quality is as good as what's already in the iPhone. I can't imagine why they would otherwise remove the headphone jack which is so widely used by so many -- the alternative paints the worst picture of Apple, and jeopardizes them against their competition who is then under no pressure to remove theirs. If Apple removes the headphone jack, it has to be in order to free up more internal space to improve and/or add new features, or increase the battery capacity. Doing so to add a second speaker, is sort of pointless given the minimal stereo separation between the rumored placement, and the quality of sound such small speakers are capable of producing -- and now the rumor is that the case is getting even slimmer which means even worse sounding speakers.
An acceptable answer here might be that whatever new technology they are adding means that they had to change the speaker design, making the existing speaker smaller, and therefore quieter. In which case, they may have to double up the speakers to maintain the performance they currently have, and eliminate the headphone jack. Which means most likely dual mono and not stereo (especially considering their placement) Now I would still contend that most customers would rather have a quieter speaker than lose their headphone jack, but that's a really subjective argument. I know I value the ability to hear my iPhone ring in certain situations, but then again, I don't use the headphone jack either.
One thing is sure, if they remove the headphone jack there had better be a good reason, and I just don't think stereo speakers is enough. And if the latter explanation comes to pass, having two speakers is not really going to be a selling point, either, that's just to keep the status quo -- in fact, I would expect them to state the reason the headphone jack was removed was to accommodate this new technology, because without explanation, the teardown will show something every different.
