Apple May Replace 3.5mm Headphone Jack on iPhone 7 With All-in-One Lightning Connector

[DCJ001]

All of you who are panicking about reduced battery life should read this article:

http://learnbonds.com/125285/apple-inc-has-patented-an-existential-threat-to-tesla-motors-inc/

 

[Nalmond92]

Would make sense if the iPhone 7 will charge wirelessly. It's also one less port for water and dust to get into. Saw one rumour website about a patent for a retractable door for the lightening connector, could the iPhone 7 be fully waterproof and dust proof...

Either way this thread will get exciting soon enough. Any recommendations for wireless headphones?

 

[bgraham]

A proprietary connector... for EARPHONES. What about if I wanted to use my earphones on another device or a non-Apple device?

Utter stupidity.

 

[manu chao]

Not according to the article, which states the new connector "have a DAC, or digital-to-audio converter, for backwards compatibility with wired headphones using standard 3.5mm stereo jacks."

It might not need an active adaptor but it will still need a mechanical adaptor or do you think you can jam a 3.5 mm stereo jack into a Lightning port?

 

[sychox51]

Reminder that it's the 3.5 mm headphone jack that's the sole reason the iPhone is so thick.

they should just bulge it out like they did the camera..

 

[diddl14]

They might as well add a USB-C like on the MacBook and AppleTV...

 

[iosuser]

Raise your hand if you are asking for even thinner phones with smaller battery. Seriously, what is with the obsession with thinness, even at the cost of removing the headphone jack?

 

[GadgetDon]

If the new iPhone is too thin for the most basic universal connector that all of your products support and all of your competitors support and all your customers use - it's too thin. Lightning was thinner than the 30 pin connector but had other advantages too. When used as a mobile device (as opposed to docked into a stereo or similar), there is no upside to using a lightning port for audio and LOTS of downside.

Thin is only good for the advantages it gives you (mostly weight). It was stupid to focus on making iMacs thin and giving up user accessible RAM, and this would be remarkable stupid. That doesn't mean that they won't do it, but I hope they aren't that stupid.

 

[Glassed Silver]

I was going to post "in before complaining" but I guess I'm too late.

Don't worry, in any case you'd have lost as you can't shoot faster than your own shadow.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[Bubba Satori]

MOAR ADAPTER AND BEATS SALES!!!

 

[stanman64]

I'm not one for staying in the past when it comes to technology - things should always be changing and getting better. But... the thinning of phones needs to stop. They used to be bricks in the 80s and 90s, and now I can slip it into a tight pair of jeans. Companies, stop. Just stop. You won. You beat it. Congratulations. Now stop making it thinner.

Any thinner, and I'll need one of those sticky thumbs that secretaries use just to get it off the table. I already struggle sometimes getting my 6s off a flat surface when it's out of its case.

They need retain current thickness and concentrate on improving battery life. Design changes are welcome, just don't make stupid changes like making 3.5mm obsolete just for the sake of making it thinner.

 

[mbh]

Reminder that it's the 3.5 mm headphone jack that's the sole reason the iPhone is so thick.

The iPod nano is even thinner (5.4mm) than the iPod Touch mentioned in the article and it still has the 3.5mm headphone jack.

This same rumor made the rounds for the iPhone 6.

 

[aacealo]

I hope they include a splitter to allow charging and listening at the same time. Either that or a battery that is 2-3 times bigger. I use my GPS and listen to Audible books on the way home most days. This change would be very annoying. It would actually my like downgrading the phone.

 

[XTheLancerX]

Holy crap, in what way does this seem like even a remotely good idea?? They'd better have an adapter that at least has another female lightning port (for charging) and then a second part going alongside the bottom of the phone (parallel) where headphones would plug in.

I already have to go like this before traveling anywhere for a good amount of time: "iPhone - check. External battery pack - check. Lightning cables - check. iPad - check. iPhone wall charger - check. iPad wall charger - check. EarPods - check. Etc etc etc" I would much rather not have to keep track of something else (which will be super easy to lose) just so I can use headphones.

 

[AustinIllini]

Okay, this is actually stupid

 

[dilbert99]

not going to happen...

 

[Jakexb]

This seems crazy. They're really going to make everyone's headphones obsolete to make something that's already too thin even thinner?

The camera already sticks out because there isn't enough room.

 

[Mark Booth]

Make it thinner??? Reminds me of this:

Mark

 

[OnlyGerman]

stupid

 

[ghost187]

So does this mean the macbooks will get a lighting port as well? Lately, Apple has been going all out with the lightning connector (wireless keyboard, tracpad, magic mouse, apple tv remote, apple pencil, etc...).

 

[kdarling]

Wikipedia article from the near future:

1977 - business incorporated as "Apple Computer", to reflect its objective to make computers.

2007 - name changed to "Apple Inc", to reflect new focus on other devices.

2017 - proudly becomes "Apple Adapters Unlimited", to reflect ... well, you know.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Bluetooth will need to perform better than on iPhone 6, even with MFi it is lousy for connectivity. I hope that apple's taking a seat at the Bluetooth board will result in a big performance improvement in Bluetooth.

And although I like the idea of dumping the 3.5 for a lightning adaptor for 3.5 or larger, and I currently use Bluetooth, I wonder: why does the phone have get thinner?

Sent from my carefully send but still slightly bent iPhone 6.

 

[bushido]

that obsession with thinness while selling cases that add another few mm anyway. make it stooooooop. mute switch gone as well?

instead of cutting off another mm gimme water resistant, saphireglas, quick charging or anything above

 

[driceman]

Okay... There are times to remove outdated technology. Yeah, they needed to remove floppy drives with the iMac, and the MacBook Air was overall the right direction in regards to removing the disc drive. But this seems like a cash grab to make the "thinnest iPhone yet," which I'm sure will be a whopping millimeter thinner. I mean, who cares? There was a time when thinner mattered. It's just not that big a deal anymore.

In fairness, I use Bluetooth earphones for running anyway so this doesn't really impact me. And I guess in the long run we MAY see a bigger turn toward Bluetooth (probably when audiophiles consider Bluetooth sound quality acceptable). But this seems unnecessary.

How about a phone a millimeter thicker with a camera that's flush to the back of the phone (better design, if you ask me) that has twice the battery life?

 

[nostaws]

I vote no.

However, the headphones I use most often are wireless/bluetooth.