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

[ksuyen]

This is very exciting! I am in favor of minimalist design - the less holes/ports/buttons iPhone gets, the better. I don't understand all the whining posts though, I think if at all, people should appreciate the technology that Apple is going to build on this one.

But on the second note, did everyone miss the word "rumor"?

 

[d0nK]

First it was the 5.25 floppy, now this. When will Apple ever learn?!?!?

First there were Fusion Drive's containing a 128GB SSD, and now they contain a 24GB SSD.
First there were iMac's with desktop 7200rpm hard drives, then there were iMac's with laptop 5400rpm hard drives so it could be a bit thinner!?
When will you learn?

 

[dan110]

This is not good for so many reasons. I don't want to have to not use ALL the audio equipment I've purchased through the years so that it can work with my iPhone. Knowing Apple, they'll force someone like me to buy a $50 adaptor while offering schnitty earbuds like the ones that come standard with the phone.

 

[grayskyz]

Brilliant comment, show a picture of you making a call on paper. Paper lies flat on a desk, I put a big case on my iphone as it IS hard to hold with big hands.

I would absolutely love to watch you fumble picking up a 3x5 card and freak out. Your life must be hard.

 

[grayskyz]

So you prefer the leaf style paper used in mini bibles and such that rips when you try to turn a page? Yes, even paper can be too thin.

I would never try to turn the page of a bible so I don't know what you're talking about.

 

[Toltepeceno]

I would absolutely love to watch you fumble picking up a 3x5 card and freak out. Your life must be hard.

Yours must be pathetic to come up with such ridiculous comparisons, a sheet of paper to a phone, I absolutely love watching you fumble with reality.

No more seeing your childish posts.

 

[Cyrax]

This is a terrible idea. Wireless headphones don't sound as good as wired ones. And whatever gains in elegance you get from eliminating this port you lose by having to carry around some lightning-to-3.5mm dingus everywhere you go. And I presume I wouldn't be able to charge while also using headphones, so it's also a loss in functionality. I want this functionality a lot more than I want a phone that is slightly thinner than my already ridiculously thin iPhone 6.

I think Apple desperately wants to do this - we've seen these rumors before. I just hope now is not the time.

 

[bobob]

I know this is just a rumour but if it does come to fruition. I am so done with iPhone for good.

...he says, sitting in front of his vintage 1996 Power Mac 7200 because he said he was done with Mac for good when the iMac came out with no floppy drive.

Suddenly the all 6S and older iPhones will be sought after like old vinyl records.

So my local thrift store will have endless stacks of old iPhones for sale now?

whatever gains in elegance you get from eliminating this port you lose by having to carry around some lightning-to-3.5mm dingus everywhere you go.

This "dingus" would just be permanently attached to the cord of your headphones which you already have to carry everywhere.

 

[J.Dillinger]

I really hope not but I will
never forget the recessed stereo jack in the iPhone 1. I loathed using an adapter just to use headphones and it ruined the experience for me.

 

[Mac 128]

This is a terrible idea. Wireless headphones don't sound as good as wired ones.

Well that's your opinion. Moreover it's subjective based on use.

And whatever gains in elegance you get from eliminating this port you lose by having to carry around some lightning-to-3.5mm dingus everywhere you go.

Some audiophile headphones come with a 1/4" adapter that fits over the 1/8" plug. There's no reason an outboard DAC has to be any more cumbersome. Moreover you're assuming quite a lot that whatever gains are merely cosmetic, as well as whether said gains are worth having an adapter.

And I presume I wouldn't be able to charge while also using headphones, so it's also a loss in functionality. I want this functionality a lot more than I want a phone that is slightly thinner than my already ridiculously thin iPhone 6.

Why would you assume that? I can imagine an inline charging plug with Lightning male on one end, Lightning female on the other with the headphone cable connecting in the middle of the plug -- and that's just what I immediately came up with off the top of my head. Moreover, in order to use headphones and charge now while my iPhone is on it's dock, i have to plug them through the dock -- which is so awkward, I never do it. So if that's important to you, you just buy an adapter that lives on the end of your Lightning charging cable that allows you to plug into it while you're charging.

Apple already does this with the HDMI connector. That may not be important to you, but for people who use this feature a lot, their problem has been solved, just as it will be for you. Or maybe you'll just switch to Android as they cling to 19th century single function technology invented for the first telephone.

 

[Mac 128]

I really hope not but I will
never forget the recessed stereo jack in the iPhone 1. I loathed using an adapter just to use headphones and it ruined the experience for me.

I would argue part of the problem was the fact you had to buy an adapter that didn't adapt anything other than the shape of the hole that the plug could fit into, but was otherwise just extending your 1/8" plug. I never bought an adapter for mine. I used the included Apple earbuds, and when I did need to insert another larger 1/8" plug, I actually carved the plastic away on the connector so it would fit into the hole.

Really you can either let something like that "ruin the experience" for you, or you can stop using Apple products, or you can buy a new set of headphones with the proper connector so you don't have to have your experience ruined by an adapter.

 

[grayskyz]

Well that's your opinion. Moreover it's subjective based on use.



Some audiophile headphones come with a 1/4" adapter that fits over the 1/8" plug. There's no reason an outboard DAC has to be any more cumbersome. Moreover you're assuming quite a lot that whatever gains are merely cosmetic, as well as whether said gains are worth having an adapter.



Why would you assume that? I can imagine an inline charging plug with Lightning male on one end, Lightning female on the other with the headphone cable connecting in the middle of the plug -- and that's just what I immediately came up with off the top of my head. Moreover, in order to use headphones and charge now while my iPhone is on it's dock, i have to plug them through the dock -- which is so awkward, I never do it. So if that's important to you, you just buy an adapter that lives on the end of your Lightning charging cable that allows you to plug into it while you're charging.

Apple already does this with the HDMI connector. That may not be important to you, but for people who use this feature a lot, their problem has been solved, just as it will be for you. Or maybe you'll just switch to Android as they cling to 19th century single function technology invented for the first telephone.

Yes, that! All that....nicely put.

 

[Toltepeceno]

This "dingus" would just be permanently attached to the cord of your headphones which you already have to carry everywhere.

Which do you think is more likely, there will be adapters or the companies will make two different headphones exactly alike but with different connectors?

The report claims that Apple will bundle Lightning connector-equipped EarPods with the next iPhone, incorporating a tiny DA (Digital to Analog) converter into the connector. To insure iPhone 7 compatibility, third-party wired headphone makers will need to include either Lightning cables or 3.5mm to Lightning adapters with their headphones. Bluetooth headphone makers will have no such issues.

Sounds to me like you are making it up. Apple will have their proprietary earbuds and everyone else wills sell adapters.

 

[zhenya]

Forget the usual knee jerk critics.

This actually makes sense. A slim lightning-to-3.5mm adaptor will cover the cases where Bluetooth won't do.

(Apple's adapter will be $20 or maybe even more, but soon there will be small ones you can just leave on your 3.5mm devices for < $10.

Nope, it's not going to be slim because it needs to include a DAC. Again, look at the current lightning to 30-pin adapter. It's not slim, it's not cheap, and it doesn't even sound that good, all because it has to have a DAC in the smallest cheapest possible external adapter.

 

[bobob]

whatever gains in elegance you get from eliminating this port you lose by having to carry around some lightning-to-3.5mm dingus everywhere you go.

This "dingus" would just be permanently attached to the cord of your headphones which you already have to carry everywhere.

Which do you think is more likely, there will be adapters or the companies will make two different headphones exactly alike but with different connectors?

Whichever wired headphones you happen to own, you will just keep the 3.5mm-to-lightning dingus/adapter attached to the end of it's wire. You plug it in one time and it will be as simple as plugging in your headphones is now.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

I would never try to turn the page of a bible so I don't know what you're talking about.

OT but whether you believe it or not, it's a worthwhile read. And you'll automatically be more educated in it than most religious.

 

[Toltepeceno]

Whichever wired headphones you happen to own, you will just keep the 3.5mm-to-lightning dingus/adapter attached to the end of it's wire. You plug it in one time and it will be as simple as plugging in your headphones is now.

You said permanently attached, it is NOT permanently attached. Permanently attached is non removable. You will have to carry around earbuds with 2 plugs, especially if you own devices with 3.5mm sockets. They are not going away, it's apple that may be doing away with them. A lot of people have different brands of stuff.

It's a way for apple to sell a ton of adapters and proprietary stuff, period.

 

[tywebb13]

If this is true, will they eventually do this with ipads and ipods ?
I'm guessing they would.

Well I hope not.

Over the years I had accumulated many 30-pin cables and so never had to buy one seperately. But when they replaced the 30-pin with lightening, I found I had to buy another 4 seperately.

I don't have an iphone so don't really care what they do with that.

But I have always found that Sony earphones are much better than apple's. They just sound better.

Will sony be allowed to make a lightening earphone? Maybe not. Then I'd have to get an adapter.

Or worse, would apple replace both lightening and audio ports with a single usb-c? Then I'd have to buy another 4 usb-c cables.

I already got 1 usb-c to usb-a cable for my apple tv 4 when I discovered they replaced the micro-usb with usb-c.

But I sympathize with everyone here fearing they have to get more adapters and cables for iphone 7. I remember having to get more cables when they changes from 30-pin to lightening. I wasn't impressed then and won't be impressed if they do it to ipads and ipods with either getting rid of the 3.5mm port and/or moving to usb-c.

 

[Scottgfx]

Suddenly nothing I have will work.

It's just like when they removed the floppy drive from the iPhone!

 

[trifid]

I was just thinking how ridiculous it's getting that Apple's obsession with thinness and delicacy forces users to get stuff like battery cases which completely destroy the aesthetics apple is so obsessed with. It makes one wonder, why not make iphone 1mm thicker but give it 1.5-2 days worth of battery rather than making iPhone 7 1mm thinner and forcing users to destroy aesthetics with cases. Plus the headphone issue would be non-existent

 

[Scottgfx]

Something to think about...

The Phone jack is a miniaturization of the jack used in old phone switching equipment. It's probably more than 100 years old and a vector for problems like dirt intrusion and damage from excessive force. I wouldn't miss it if it went away because I know there will be adaptors and other ways to connect the phone.

It's not the end of the world people! If you abandon an entire platform just because of a phone jack... Ugh.

 

[5105973]

I don't know why but I find it impossible to work myself into a state of caring about this. I think I'm just too curious to see how much thinner they're going to try and make this thing and how much more the camera is going to stick out from the body. Or do they have a plan for that as well? At any rate it's an interesting rumor...but...whatever.

 

[2IS]

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

So you're saying the 3.5mm jack in the iPhone 6s is thicker than the 3.5mm jack in the iPhone 6?

 

[2IS]

Something to think about...

The Phone jack is a miniaturization of the jack used in old phone switching equipment. It's probably more than 100 years old and a vector for problems like dirt intrusion and damage from excessive force. I wouldn't miss it if it went away because I know there will be adaptors and other ways to connect the phone.

It's not the end of the world people! If you abandon an entire platform just because of a phone jack... Ugh.

Apple is abandoning an entire ecosystem for what? Worse battery life and protruding lenses? Why no "ugh" there? Because it's Apple?

 

[igorsky]

Seriously. I'll switch if Apple arrives at their own lightning jack. Ridiculous.

Have a good one. Let us know how Andoid is going for you.