I figure anybody who needs this already has one, and there are still third party options too.
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Apple Seemingly Discontinuing Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter Introduced Alongside iPhone 7
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...but the cable is so thin on them that they're prone to break.
People act like this is the end of the world. There are 3rd party ones that are probably better and cheaper.
Yes. The Mac Mini M4 has a 3.5mm jack even. So even Apple realized this. In terms of sound quality/price, wired earphones are still miles better than Bluetooth earphones. Years ago, spending more than 100 dollars was raising eye brows, and more for the audiophiles. Now, even my aunt buys AirPods (decent, but not spectacular sound) that cost this much. And end up on a land fill in 3 years because of the dead battery…
I have earphones in which I can replace the wire easily (point of breakdown). Have them already 5 years or more. Replaced wire once. Still good. Final e4000.
Apple just put a 3.5mm jack on the front of the all new Mac mini
Still holding out on an iPhone 6S Plus, purely for the headphone jack. Software still works great and I don't care for AI, hope I can hold on for a couple more years.
And that's why Apple is going to discontinue any lightning going forward!
The issue isn't just wired, Bluetooth. It also involves Apple gradually discontinuing Lightning accessories.
For anyone in the United States who needs help getting one of these... Amazon is totally out of stock but Best Buy still has them in stock for $7.50 and you can get it shipped for free. Micro Center also has them plentifully for $9.99 if you live close to one (every store I checked online has 25+). I recommend anyone who still uses Lightning devices to get a spare adapter or two to avoid playing the dodge-the-counterfeit-adapter game on eBay later on.
I also hope Apple reconsiders and starts producing more of these. It's well-established in audiophile communities that the DAC inside this adapter blows everything else at the $10 price point out of the water, and you basically have to spend $100 for a serious audiophile DAC to get something that sounds on par or better than the Apple dongle (and at that point, the difference will be negligible for most people). I want people who still use Lightning devices to be able to get an adapter that's not complete junk. It's not the same situation as the SuperDrive where you can still get any other decent disk drive for 1/3 the price -- the Apple dongle is really the best that's out there right now.
Edit: A well-informed user on Reddit told me about generic CX31993 Lightning dongles which cost about the same and sound almost the same as the Apple dongle (I see about ~$10 on Aliexpress for Lightning, ~$5 for USB-C). I haven't tried it myself but if lots of generics already exist that use the same good CX31993 DAC then I think they would continue to be decent alternatives for both Lightning and USB-C.
I also hope Apple reconsiders and starts producing more of these. It's well-established in audiophile communities that the DAC inside this adapter blows everything else at the $10 price point out of the water, and you basically have to spend $100 for a serious audiophile DAC to get something that sounds on par or better than the Apple dongle (and at that point, the difference will be negligible for most people). I want people who still use Lightning devices to be able to get an adapter that's not complete junk. It's not the same situation as the SuperDrive where you can still get any other decent disk drive for 1/3 the price -- the Apple dongle is really the best that's out there right now.
Edit: A well-informed user on Reddit told me about generic CX31993 Lightning dongles which cost about the same and sound almost the same as the Apple dongle (I see about ~$10 on Aliexpress for Lightning, ~$5 for USB-C). I haven't tried it myself but if lots of generics already exist that use the same good CX31993 DAC then I think they would continue to be decent alternatives for both Lightning and USB-C.
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Yep, I own both the Lightning and USB-C adapters that allow me to use my wired headphones with my iPhone 13 or my iPad Pro. Having noted from an adapter tear-down years ago that the DAC is in the adapter and not on-board the device, I've always opted to use Apple's adapters, and whether or not the DAC thing is still true, if the cable or adapter has chips in it, I always opt for one made by and purchased from Apple or in-store at an authorized reseller.
Still using my wired headphone going on ten years. Keep in my gym bag, no worry about forgetting to take them out to recharge. Try using AirPods for ten years.
Courage aka money.
Lifelong Musician and an Audiophile on a budget here. I have quite a few use cases for the headphone jack. For critical listening or as a reliable audio signal transport, a physical wire cannot be beaten. The motive for removing the headphone jack was pure profit.
Lifelong Musician and an Audiophile on a budget here. I have quite a few use cases for the headphone jack. For critical listening or as a reliable audio signal transport, a physical wire cannot be beaten. The motive for removing the headphone jack was pure profit.
my God, really?
I use these all the time to connect to older stereo systems
I use these all the time to connect to older stereo systems
Lots of “i am apple” folks caught in the trap of pretending the era of analog audio is past. (Hint: All digital audio MUST be converted to analog before you can hear it)
Whatever it was that led to the headphone/audio jack appearing on the front of the 2024 Mac mini, it was one of the reasons I couldn't resist it, and bought one.
Yeah, I don’t even get it.
The just released Mac mini has a 3.5 mm jack on the front
Like… They are useful folks
Analog audio isn’t going away unless humans are going away
Absolutely. This was the computer industry attempting to dictate connectivity standards to the pro audio industry, and failed.
I'm not sure - or if there are, they may be hard to find.
Apple's adapter has been very well reviewed among audio enthusiast, especially given its (low) price point.
It compared well against competing products at (often) higher prices.
Maybe there's a new model with improved DAC and amp. The dongle was a marvel when it came out, but that was a long time ago, I bet Apple could make USB C and Lightning dongles today with better audio chips built in.
They are remarkably strong. In my experience, when I put too much force, the EarPods disconnect from the adapter but the adapter stays connected to the phone. It reminds me of my old xbox controllers with breakaway wires.
In my experience, these are barely acceptable and third party options are incredibly bad.
Audiophiles would just love to get the jack back. Non audiophiles should want it too, there are great wired earbuds for the price of the cheapest bluetooth ones.
Audiophiles would just love to get the jack back. Non audiophiles should want it too, there are great wired earbuds for the price of the cheapest bluetooth ones.
Rhythm game:
Rhythm game - Wikipedia
With Bluetooth headphones, there is a latency that makes it essentially impossible to sync the timing of the music and the action required from the player.
Therefore, a hard wired headphone is almost a required equipment so that the sound does not disturb others around.
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Apple has already (effectively) discontinued Lightning. It is not present on the iPhone 15 and later, and not present on at least the iPad Pros (probably the other models also but I don't own them).
The third-party market will continue to support Lightning-device owners for quite a while yet, and then the dollar stores will, and then it will be gone completely sometime around 2030. No need to panic.
I find it amusing that this story garnered so much alarm, and yet the mourning for the death of USB-A hasn't even begun, a couple of years after Apple discontinued putting it in new models. God I hated that stupid connector, USB-C is a huge improvement in every respect.