Am I the only one happy that they will remove the headphone jack in iPhone 7? (possibly, just rumor)

[zhenya]

Every $$$ count.
I been in business of evaluating HW design and cost for years after years after years. Even with large margin % of product, every penny saving still count.
1 penny with 10million qty sell still is $100,000 dollar saving.

I understand that this will save apple money and make them additional money through the sales of adapters and wireless and lightning headphones. However that kind of aggressively anti-user business attitude is expressly what Apple was not in the past. Putting the user experience at the core of every decision is what made them one of the most successful companies in the history of the world. Pinching pennies may make them a bunch of money in the short-term, but it also has the potential to undermine their empire badly in the long-run.

 

[Tsuchiya]

Not sure why anyone would be happy about losing functionality.

You could make adjustments, and carry adapter etc, but it's inconvenient. My iPhone is a convenience device. I use it instead of a bunch of other stuff because it's versatile and fits in my pockets. The 3.5mm jack isn't something we hardly use any more and won't mind losing, unlike optical drives.

Will it put me off buying an iPhone 7? Probably not entirely, but it'll make me look closer at the alternatives.

 

[jasie02]

I understand that this will save apple money and make them additional money through the sales of adapters and wireless and lightning headphones. However that kind of aggressively anti-user business attitude is expressly what Apple was not in the past. Putting the user experience at the core of every decision is what made them one of the most successful companies in the history of the world. Pinching pennies may make them a bunch of money in the short-term, but it also has the potential to undermine their empire badly in the long-run.

We will know after 1st weekend of 7, this is "aggressively anti-user" or "aggressively anti-techy".

Like I said, most of buyer has no problem follow Apple's lead, specially new iPhone with something new they could see or hear, before their brain kick in. If most buyer is tech savvy like most of us, and come to MacRumor, it will slow the site down to a crawl in second, or millisecond.

We are minority, trust me.

 

[Black Magic]

This rumor actually has been going on for a couple years now. When I first heard about this a year or two back, the story behind the change was to improve the quality of sound. Basically going HD. I assume that this is still the case just not as publicized these days.

Ultimately, this is just a rumor. Folks are getting bent out of shape and we don't even have all the facts or know if there is any truth to this. At the end of the day, you are not forced to buy an iPhone 7 and you can hold on to your older phone for an extra year or two until you are ready. We do have choices as consumers.

 

[zhenya]

This rumor actually has been going on for a couple years now. When I first heard about this a year or two back, the story behind the change was to improve the quality of sound. Basically going HD. I assume that this is still the case just not as publicized these days.

Ultimately, this is just a rumor. Folks are getting bent out of shape and we don't even have all the facts or know if there is any truth to this. At the end of the day, you are not forced to buy an iPhone 7 and you can hold on to your older phone for an extra year or two until you are ready. We do have choices as consumers.

Quality of sound is just a smokescreen I'm sure Apple would enjoy if it convinced the average user this was done for them. In reality it has absolutely nothing to do with it and nothing they can do by removing the jack can't be done by keeping it.

 

[jasie02]

Quality of sound is just a smokescreen I'm sure Apple would enjoy if it convinced the average user this was done for them. In reality it has absolutely nothing to do with it and nothing they can do by removing the jack can't be done by keeping it.

They will enjoy anyway they could to bring in more revenue.
If it means make some techy angry, but attract all non-techy who has no problem buying more iPhone by blindly following Apple, because Apple gave them something new they could see and hear, not something never change, they will do that.

Apple, like all profit company, are in the business of $$$, not pleasuring any one person, you or I, or any minority.
Go stand in front of Apple store at 7 launch day, and ask anyone why they want to buy iPhone, I will be surprised the most answered is not "because it is an Apple".

 

[Tycho24]

I stand by my words. We can't all be so discriminating like you

Fair enough! Obviously you can say whatever you wish. I do encourage you to buy an actual nice set of headphones at some point... it's a life changing experience (in my opinion*). <---- *please note that part of my statement!!! ;0)
I'd suggest pretty much anything other than Beats or Bose. If you're already impressed by a lower end mediocre sound; you're in for a treat if you get a pair of Sennheiser, Grado, Audio-Technica, Beyerdynamic, Etymotic, or the like.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

Actually you could have better experience if Apple open up lightning port digital audio certification, so we could see lightning input D/A headphone amp or D/A convertor for home audio, and of course lightning port input digital headphone, with D/A converter right next to each headphone speaker for minimum power requirement and minimum noise in D/A conversion circuitry.
With elimination of D/A convertor inside iPhone, Apple could create a cleaner digital audio output with less power use from battery.

1. All of that already exists today, even the headphones.

2. The internal DAC is needed if you want speakers.

 

[boomhower]

As long as they do something useful with it I am fine. If they say hey, we are getting rid of the headphone jack for a larger battery and improved water resistance then that's fine. If they remove just to make the phone even thinner then I am against it. The phone is thin enough, we need more battery life.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

Remove internal DAC will allow Apple to design a cleaner digital output with less jitter. It will also get new iPhone user interested on external DAC, hence more company develop external DAC because market just become bigger.

How will there be less jitter moving it external? Jitter is in the digital domain and adding a bunch of cable over a few mm of circuit trace can't help. Besides, the capability is already there if you want it.
[doublepost=1452372591][/doublepost]

I'm thankful that all the people against this decision don't work for Apple. It's people like YOU that stop technology from moving forward.

Wah ****in wah, cry me a damn river because you'll have to change your habits in favour of new technology.

I don't own Bluetooth headphones but I have been looking into it lately mainly because the cable gets tangled up at the gym.. I can't wait. I hope there's some good wireless earphones that Apple includes with the iPhone 7.

How is existing technology new? What are you waiting for? What you're asking for has been around for years. Embrace it.

 

[eyeseeyou]

Depends on what they replace it with. If it's just for the sake of being different without making improvements in other areas than it it's a loss for the customer.

If it's to maybe make room for a bigger battery then maybe.

I'm slowly using my wired head less and less.

 

[CTHarrryH]

I don't want to buy another device like another earphones. Even if it comes with one - I have existing headsets all over the place -upstairs, downstairs, in car, at work. I use when making phone calls - yes the phone still does that believe it or not.
People hear me better on headset than without.
I don't want a thinner phone and I don't want to buy more earphones. I want earphones that work on my iPhone, my iPad, my MBP, etc.

 

[decafjava]

I *DO NOT* want yet another device to charge.

Plain and simple.

Exactly this, plus I'm pretty sure battery is used up quicker with bluetooth.

 

[jasie02]

How will there be less jitter moving it external? Jitter is in the digital domain and adding a bunch of cable over a few mm of circuit trace can't help. Besides, the capability is already there if you want it.

Keyword is "will allow" not "will". Apple able to execute or not is different story.
Do you know how hard is it to isolated digital audio signal when there is analog preamp/amp around the circuirty design?
Take a lot of attention and effort to execute correctly.
But, I realize internal DAC is still needed without 3.5mm out, since it will be needed for speakers.

 

[dannyyankou]

If they include lightning EarPods, as well as companies like Sony and Bose adopting lightning, and the phone has wireless charging, I won't mind.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

Keyword is "will allow" not "will". Apple able to execute or not is different story.
Do you know how hard is it to isolated digital audio signal when there is analog preamp/amp around the circuirty design?
Take a lot of attention and effort to execute correctly.
But, I realize internal DAC is still needed without 3.5mm out, since it will be needed for speakers.

But your design problem exists with the DAC / amp either in the cord or the headphones. What is your ideal solution?

 

[jasie02]

If they include lightning EarPods, as well as companies like Sony and Bose adopting lightning, and the phone has wireless charging, I won't mind.

Knowing Apple, wireless charging will NOT be the only way to charge iPhone due to reliability (not necessary product error but potential high user error, not place phone on charger correctly), hence it could be as optional feature required user to buy a pod/dock. That's additional $$$ for us, or potential more revenue income for Apple from their point of view.

Philips already has lightning headset:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop
[doublepost=1452378494][/doublepost]

But your design problem exists with the DAC / amp either in the cord or the headphones. What is your ideal solution?

There is different between analog interference in the cord vs inside headset. If it is pure digital between iPhone and headset, then there won't be antenna effect on the wires itself with analog signal inside wire.
Placing DAC right next to headphone speaker will create "controllable" shortest path, less possible interference (if any could be addressed during design), between DAC/Amp to speaker. And if it is design correctly, there will not be any pre-amp stage required, DAC could drive amp directly, since signal path between DAC and amp, and noise in between, is predicable/controllable.

That is beauty of digital speakers, Meridian had developed digital speaker DSP8000 since early 2000, not necessary same technology as what Apple might introduce, but with same concept of digital everywhere until right before speaker cones.
It has great review by Stereophile, and I was able to listen to it in the audio store. Incredible sound stage and imaging.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

Knowing Apple, wireless charging will NOT be the only way to charge iPhone due to reliability (not necessary product error but potential high user error, not place phone on charger correctly), hence it could be as optional feature required user to buy a pod/dock. That's additional $$$ for us, or potential more revenue income for Apple from their point of view.

Philips already has lightning headset:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop
[doublepost=1452378494][/doublepost]

There is different between analog interference in the cord vs inside headset. If it is pure digital between iPhone and headset, then there won't be antenna effect on the wires itself with analog signal inside wire.
Placing DAC right next to headphone speaker will create "controllable" shortest path, less possible interference (if any could be addressed during design), between DAC/Amp to speaker. And if it is design correctly, there will not be any pre-amp stage required, DAC could drive amp directly, since signal path between DAC and amp, and noise in between, is predicable/controllable.

That is beauty of digital speakers, Meridian had developed digital speaker DSP8000 since early 2000, not necessary same technology as what Apple might introduce, but with same concept of digital everywhere until right before speaker cones.
It has great review by Stereophile, and I was able to listen to it in the audio store. Incredible sound stage and imaging.

Not sure I agree. The cable remains fairly important even with digital, maybe even more so than an already amplified speaker output.

But we're talking about portable audio and headphones here. This sort of conversation seems a bit silly given the context.

 

[jasie02]

Not sure I agree. The cable remains fairly important even with digital, maybe even more so than an already amplified speaker output.

But we're talking about portable audio and headphones here. This sort of conversation seems a bit silly given the context.

Everything is important in audio world, but with different scale.

In my audio system, I use power cable thick as snake, silver added in analog RCA cable, speaker cable thick as power cable, hence snake like thickness.
For power, which is also part of analog signal, I generate my own AC signal for audio equipment use PS audio power generator to convert from AC to DC to AC, so it could generate clean AC power with selectable AC shape I like, even though power efficiency is only around 50%.
I have boxes of different analog/power cable in garage I tried, and also boxes of NOS tubes for my tube pre-amp and amps.
But in digital signal, I still use only limited qty of special digital cable, because I never could hear significant different in digital signal vs cable differences in analog or power world. There is different, not enough to justify differences compared with changing cable in analog or power.

The point is, everything matter, but in totally different scale when carrying analog vs digital signal.

 

[blairh]

I'm not happy per se but I have zero issue with the move. I use Bluebuds X's 90% of the time.

 

[goudok]

I'm not happy per se but I have zero issue with the move. I use Bluebuds X's 90% of the time.

It is only an issue for people who paid a lot fo over ear massive headphones and don't want an adapter. I have bluetooth headphones that sound way better than majority of wired headphones and on an iPhone once you go wireless you will never go back. You don't need studio sounding headphones when walking around.
I am all for it if it we get features that couldn't be achieved with leaving the port ie(waterproof)

 

[dukebound85]

For me the hassle is worth it. I can get on the big diesel lawn mower and the Studio Wireless block out all the noise and listen to any music I want to like I am in a concert hall and all for once a week charging for an hour. Makes mowing over two acres something to look forward too. Quite relaxing.

If you consider plugging in to charge once a week a big hassle, you must have someone help you daily to plug in your phone.

The hassle is that it is just one more thing to have to remember to do to get functionality out of that historically didn't require it...

Between the two, I prefer the less hassle option.

 

[HoiPiet]

Yeah, no. First, the lightning port is already open. Other than a limited subset of us geeks, nobody is interested in an external DAC. Apple can't get rid of the DAC in the phone unless they also plan on removing all the speakers. Modern, well implemented DAC's are already so low in noise and jitter that nobody who is listening on a phone is going to notice any change in that regard.

Finally, do you really think that moving the headphone and amplifier to an adapter or set of headphones that generally cost less than $50, made by who knows who out of China, is going to sound better than the DAC and amplifier Apple puts inside the phone which is consistently very good? Really??

There are lots of people interested in external DACs. Its a significant market filled with choices and innovation.

They will get rid of the DAC they have in the phone. They will just substitute one that's smaller and lower quality.

 

[tongefactor40]

What if you could have the same experience with the Lightning port as the 3.5mm jack? Meaning when plugged in no power required. My beats wireless can be plugged in via 3.5mm. My guess is they'll change that to lightning.

is there a chance that the bluetooth headphones, while plugged into lightning, could be charged at the same time you listened to audio?

 

[jasie02]

There are lots of people interested in external DACs. Its a significant market filled with choices and innovation.

They will get rid of the DAC they have in the phone. They will just substitute one that's smaller and lower quality.

+1, love to be able to use a iPhone dock with wired source level digital out from iPhone to drive external DAC of my audio system for best audio sound from iPhone library, or world wide radio streaming.
It is just more convenient, easier to use, any body could use it, and wife acceptable than a PC based system in family room.