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

[igorsky]

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

If Apple made me carry around a dingus I'd also be upset. A dongle, on the other hand, wouldn't bother me at all since it would probably always be attached to my headphone cord, adding a few inches at most. Maybe someone could explain to me how this is a problem.

Also l'll never understand people who buy $800 phones and complian about having to spend $20 for an accessory...that's like buying a Ferrari and complaining about gas prices.

 

[flux73]

Gotta love how people are freaking out about a rumor. Even if it turns out to be true, shouldn't we all reserve judgement to see why they would go to a Lightning port? Maybe the audio quality is better. Maybe it improves the iPhones battery life. Maybe it allows them to go thinner. Maybe it's easier to make it water resistant. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think Apple makes design decisions just to piss people off and force them to buy more things from them.

Maybe it's simply to further trim away anything that's not absolutely necessary. I realize that a lot of people disagree, but I like fewer ports and buttons on my devices. Simplify, simplify, simplify. I believe that Apple's success has been built pretty much on this foundation. This is why none of the Macs have optical drives anymore. This is why their mice don't have multiple buttons. This is why they keep eliminating wires and ports. This is why they shrank the 30 pin port to the Lightning port. People protest. They always protest. But there's usually a good longer term reason, and more often than not, it works out for the better. (Granted, I still miss the Apple Extended Keyboard II)

 

[bretm]

Thats a bummer considering I regularly use both the charger and headphones at the same time. Though, higher quality audio output and thinner phone (or same thickness with a bigger battery - but like that's going to happen) are pretty nice too.

How would you get higher quality audio? Are your ears digital? Speakers are analog. Either you have the DA converter inside the iPhone or inside the adapter. But in the end it's an analog wire connected to the speaker. You can pay $10 for your phones or $200. You decide.

 

[flux73]

How would you get higher quality audio? Are your ears digital? Speakers are analog. Either you have the DA converter inside the iPhone or inside the adapter. But in the end it's an analog wire connected to the speaker. You can pay $10 for your phones or $200. You decide.

It is well known among audiophiles that a good quality external DAC is superior to the ones built into Macs and iDevices. Check out the reviews for the FiiO Q1 just as an example: http://amzn.com/B0157DKAU4

Also since the battery would be external to the iPhone 7, it would save battery life from the conversion process. If anyone can design a form factor to integrate a battery well, it would be Apple. Regardless, let's wait to see what they come up with.

 

[0000757]

So no connection to the car stereo because driving a car is so last decade...

I mean to be fair, literally every new car on the market offers Bluetooth, and you can get a bluetooth kit that just plugs into your accessories port and aux jack off of Amazon for $20-30.

 

[dba415]

If Apple made me carry around a dingus I'd also be upset. A dongle, on the other hand, wouldn't bother me at all since it would probably always be attached to my headphone cord, adding a few inches at most. Maybe someone could explain to me how this is a problem.

Also l'll never understand people who buy $800 phones and complian about having to spend $20 for an accessory...that's like buying a Ferrari and complaining about gas prices.

Millions of people use the aux port for different purposes. I have a pair of earbuds for the gym, a pair of expensive headphones I listen to at home, use the aux port on my car, and have a pair of headphones in my office. That's 4 of these dongles that I would have to purchase. I also may go over to someone's house and maybe I want to plug my iPhone into one of his speakers.

Your lack of comprehension about this issue is evident by your bad analogy about Ferraris.

 

[scjc]

while i wouldn't mind an update to the antique 3.5mm headphone connector, i'd like it to be universal. not apple's proprietary lightning connector.

 

[anomie]

As if they need to be thinner.

Yeah they really need to become thinner.
Not for the nerds but in business suits you need light and thin phones.

 

[anomie]

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

Utter stupidity.

Adapter.

 

[2IS]

Yeah they really need to become thinner.
Not for the nerds but in business suits you need light and thin phones.

I see people in suits daily with current and past phones, carrying them without issue. You make it seem like if you wear a suit you need to leave your phone at home. Sounds like you're making up your own version of reality.

 

[draugminaion]

Does the Lightning port carry analog signals? I recall seeing a post that said it didn't. Would a DAC be that cheap? Wouldn't it also have to be MFi?

I'm using lightning for audio today in my car. The 30 pin predecessor of the iTrip AUX with a lightning adapter. Charge and listen at the same time. I suppose the DAC is in the lightning adapter, because the old iTrip doesn't have it because the 30pin already has analog.

 

[DCIFRTHS]

It is analog signal connector from 19th century. Analog signal, well, has an analog quality, just think of usual S D television.

With lightning, you can have digital signal and better quality, or HD. There is higher density signal or Hi-Res signal which has higher sampling rate than CDs, 24bit/96kHz or even 192kHz.
The standard for Hi-Res is
"Lossless audio that is capable of reproducing the full range of sound from recordings that have been mastered from better than CD-quality music sources."
Read more at http://www.stuff.tv/features/why-yo...it-sceptical-hi-res-audio#IXvRUbVqzux6CIuP.99

Therefore, move to Lightning for headphones means Apple moves to Hi-Res audio.

No point in me responding with an explanation because several people have already addressed what you wrote.

 

[hpd71]

Seriously!!!!

I don't need a thinner phone.. I need a phone that has a battery that lasts longer then 3/4 of a day...

I don't know anybody that has ever complained about their phone being to thick.. but everybody i know complains about the battery... or lack of ...

Do us all a favour Apple... Making it thinner is showing no real innovation... making it last a few days on a single charge (of real world use) will be the greatest thing you'll do for most people....

 

[miknos]

I'm confused. You already have wireless options with Bluetooth and AirPlay. No new wireless options are being proposed. How are you interpreting this rumor?

I only knew about Bluetooth options. And for what I know, they suck.

 

[flux73]

Seriously!!!!

I don't need a thinner phone.. I need a phone that has a battery that lasts longer then 3/4 of a day...

I don't know anybody that has ever complained about their phone being to thick.. but everybody i know complains about the battery... or lack of ...

Do us all a favour Apple... Making it thinner is showing no real innovation... making it last a few days on a single charge (of real world use) will be the greatest thing you'll do for most people....

Speak for yourself. A thinner phone would be awesome. I have no problems with battery ever. Why? Because I have a charge cable in my car, a charge cable at work, and 3 charge cables at home in every spot I spend the most time in - my kitchen, next to my sofa, and right by my bed. I am rarely far away from a charge cable. At least not long enough that I would ever run out of power. It's not that difficult or expensive a problem to fix.

 

[roeiz]

what are you people on?
this is wonderful, finally a step to abolish that has been primitive phone jack!
whether it's Apple or any other brand.
any obstacles on the way, will be solved in time.

 

[iPadCary]

So now I gotta hang an awkward pass-through dongle (God knows what it'll cost) off of my iDevice
if I'm plugged in while using?!? Get BENT, Apple.

 

[mikesilv]

The amount of grumbling on this thread guarantees:

1) That it will happen. Apple throws out the old, to make bold steps forward. Steps lots of people get hysterically hyperbolically derisive about. (e.g. 'Argh, I will have to buy multiple dongles!' Ignoring the existence of Airplay, Bluetooth, and other types of passthrough Apple has/could enable.)

2) In 10 years, this thread will be linked to by blogs for retrospective LOLs, when Apple takes another step forward. Some of us will see it as evidence that the world didn't end after the previous step, and things got better/simpler/cheaper. Others, more resilient to logic and data will persist in the hysterical hyperbole.

Goodbye 3.5mm stereo cable. You had a good 105 year run.

 

[djgamble]

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.

And the whole people getting electrocuted because they buy negligently designed cheapo knock-offs will continue.

 

[attila]

So how is the iPod touch already much thinner and still gives us NORMAL headphone plugs?

 

[beanbaguk]

If Apple made me carry around a dingus I'd also be upset. A dongle, on the other hand, wouldn't bother me at all since it would probably always be attached to my headphone cord, adding a few inches at most. Maybe someone could explain to me how this is a problem.

Also l'll never understand people who buy $800 phones and complian about having to spend $20 for an accessory...that's like buying a Ferrari and complaining about gas prices.

If it's a $20 accessory, it's going to be a terrible DAC and that will reduce the sound quality we have.

So your argument is massively flawed. The real reply should be, "that's like buying a Ferrari and installing 14" steel rims with retreads on them".

The amount of grumbling on this thread guarantees:

1) That it will happen. Apple throws out the old, to make bold steps forward. Steps lots of people get hysterically hyperbolically derisive about. (e.g. 'Argh, I will have to buy multiple dongles!' Ignoring the existence of Airplay, Bluetooth, and other types of passthrough Apple has/could enable.)

2) In 10 years, this thread will be linked to by blogs for retrospective LOLs, when Apple takes another step forward. Some of us will see it as evidence that the world didn't end after the previous step, and things got better/simpler/cheaper. Others, more resilient to logic and data will persist in the hysterical hyperbole.

Goodbye 3.5mm stereo cable. You had a good 105 year run.

I challenge you to tell me what's wrong with the 3.5mm stereo jack.

what are you people on?
this is wonderful, finally a step to abolish that has been primitive phone jack!
whether it's Apple or any other brand.
any obstacles on the way, will be solved in time.

By that comment, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

 

[roeiz]

By that comment, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

oh yea? why is that? maybe it's YOU who have no idea what are the future plans and just
pretending to be knowledgeable?

 

[beanbaguk]

I keep replying to so many ignorant comments it's unbelievable.

It's clear 95% of iPhone users have absolutely no idea as to how this technology will affect us negatively.

The same group of people have no idea as to how audio works and how we hear audio.

I know that Steve Jobs was a huge proponent of high quality audio. It's why he brought out the original iPod and it's why he included a lossless compressed format. Additionally, the original iPod was famed for it's incredibly high quality DAC and even today, many audiophiles continue to use their iPods to store large quantities of lossless music.

I somehow feel the Apple today doesn't care much about that and I assure you this would never have happened under the guidance of Jobs.

iPhone's nowadays have very good but not excellent DAC's. It means you get a very satisfactory audio output which is very acceptable to 99.9% of the population.

Moving to a lightning digital audio output will not increase the audio quality as the DAC will be entirely dependent on the headphones you use and guess where manufacturers will save. And as some have suggested, Apple will charge $20-30 for a lightning to 3.5mm converter and this will have to contain a DAC, but it'll be cheap and pretty nasty for that price.

Here are some examples of good quality portable DAC's:

http://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/best-dacs

You begin to get an idea as to how this will impact users from a quality perspective.

oh yea? why is that? maybe it's YOU who have no idea what are the future plans and just
pretending to be knowledgeable?

I know you have no idea by your references to a 3.5mm being "primitive" and by your assumptions but because something is "digital" it must be better.

You haven't got a clue. Read up on this topic more before you assert yourself.

 

[draugminaion]

... why not make iphone 1mm thicker but give it 1.5-2 days worth of battery rather than making iPhone 7 1mm thinner...

Because that is less versatile. People that already have 1.5-2 days of battery without a case, like me, would have to put up with a fatter phone, with no options to change that. Apple's naked robotic core is thin so that it can be customized and still have a reasonable size. With cases in crazy colors and designs, or stodgy boring leather. Bottle openers, credit card holders, small, medium or large batteries, extra memory. I have a waterproof battery case with solar charging that I use when traveling, for example. Different people want different things, Apple cannot please them all.

Having all these add-ons strengthens the iPhone ecosystem, lots of people buy iPhones because there are options to customize, lots of third parties make add-ons because lots of people buy iPhones.

That's why.

 

[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.

You said permanently attached, it is NOT permanently attached. Permanently attached is non removable.

My apologies, I didn't realize you were trolling.