Apple Supplier Cirrus Logic Releases Kit for Creating Lightning-Based Headphones Ahead of iPhone 7

[sudo1996]

Been an Mac user since 1985, but this ***** is getting old - restricting expansion and upgrades, specifically. There shouldn't be a bunch of customers sitting around hoping Apple doesn't kill platforms without replacing them. Aperture vs Photos, etc.

Same here. Anything you buy from Apple, you wonder when it's going to get completely ignored and dumped. How many proprietary or open but Apple-specific connectors have they put in their products by now? How long before Thunderbolt and Lightning get abandoned?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

So, what happens when I want to listen and charge at the same time?

You need 2 separate devices.

OR

You need to own an adapter (and have it with you) that might let you do both.

 

[EricTheHalfBee]

Wouldn't that have an adverse affect on battery life of the iPhone unless Apple would put in a bigger battery? Verge wrote an overwhelmingly positive set of arguments for this change a few weeks ago but they did make the passing reference of the "greater draw on battery" (of the phone).

Not in the slightest. I believe the current output limit for Lightning is 20ma. Even if they increased it to 50ma, it would still take 60 hours or more (at max continuous volume) to drain your battery. Your iPhone will be dead from other uses long before the headphones will kill your battery.

 

[Thunderhawks]

e.g. using an older iPhone or an iPhone SE.

Yes, I keep my phones for a long time, as there are no more MUST have features. Came from a 4S to a 6Splus.
7 , I will skip entirely and 7S I'll check and see.

Still on ATT contract,so nothing enticing to stop that.

By iPhone 8S they better have projection capability built in. Enough lenses already possible to put in to do so.

In the meantime some dongles to buy to keep using 3.5.

 

[s15119]

It's great to see Apple always in the forefront of pushing technology forward. Excellent news.

 

[The Game 161]

Please, tell me more about this world you live in? I love internet logic... "We will do this! MILLIONS FEWER!"


It won't happen.

yeah good luck with this

this is the future going forward for all companies..time for people to get used to it now. Either that or keep your current phone for a long time.

 

[LordVic]

The MFi Headset Development Kit demonstrates the advantages of Lightning-connected headsets over conventional analog headsets. For example, digital connectivity with an integrated, high-performance DAC and headphone driver delivers high-fidelity audio to the headphone speakers. In addition, Lightning-connected headphones can interact with an iOS app to create a more custom audio experience, such as personalized EQ settings.

this quote is hilarious. because it's selling something, that is already possible, and attempting to convince you that you need to use lightning headphones for this capability

its completely nonsense

There's no advantage to lightning headphones over 3.5mm. A DAC is a DAC. regardless if it's in the cable of the headphones, or the phone itself. in this case, just because you're using lightning instead of pre-converted audio inside the device, doesn't suddenly make the headphones over lightning better.

in fact: Lightning headphones will likely be more expensive for the same general audio quality, since now lightning headphones makers will need to include a DAC inline. Power to the DAC (batteries or from the phone). The DAC in the iPhone is already pretty decent. So to get better quality audio out of a lightning headset, you need a DAC in the headphones that is better (and likely more expensive).

 

[Bluestrike2]

When Apple dumped the CD drive everyone screamed. Looking back, it was a good call. Apple saw that physical media was not where the future was. With the headphone it is a bit trickier. I think one could argue that wireless headsets are the future just like with speakers. Cut the cords we all say about everything. Except that it means there is now one more thing to charge which not a good thing. The idea of removing one connector but still having another connector is not intuitive to me. About the only scenario that would make some sense is if Apple sell the iphone with no earpods (and maybe just with an adapter). Then the consumer is left to choose what to do. Then apple can create a separate product to replace the earpods through their Beats line that can be wireless or 3.5 (through the adapter) or lightning. For the wireless option Beats should then ensure that the charging is done wirelessly so to make that less painful. Again these are my musing of how Apple may be thinking. Overall, just switching out the 3.5 for the lightning does not make sense, but as I have mused, there may be a large strategy at work.

CD drives and the 3.5mm jack aren't really equivalent. There was a clear alternative to CD drives, market research showed that their use was trending significantly downwards, and ditching them gave Apple a lot of extra room to play with. Not just to make things smaller, but to give them flexibility with battery placement, etc.

Ditching the 3.5mm jack doesn't come with those advantages. At best, there may be negligible space savings at the bottom of the case that they might be able to take some minor advantage of. That's it. Cheap headphones with cheap built-in DACs that are--at best--equivalent to the iPhone's built-in unit aren't going to mean a massive increase in quality, either.

The 3.5mm jack, for all its issues (ever bent one?), is simple and standardized. Every pair of headphones with such a jack just works. The better analogy would be Apple ditching the CD drive in favor of a proprietary alternative that requires people replace their existing disc collections. It does the same thing, without any major benefits for the consumer, but isn't compatible with what's already standardized. And once Apple does this, other manufacturers are going to do the same with USB-C and fracturing the market.

 

[Jakexb]

if it happens. There has to be more to this than we've talked about.

"You can use lightning audio with higher quality"
You can do this now if you want. Almost nobody wants to.

"Waterproofing"
Lots of waterproof devices with 3.5in

"Thinner"
iPod touch is thinner, has 3.5 in.

"Two speakers, don't need those small bluetooth speakers anymore"
Ok, maybe this is legit.

"More space for battery"
Okay, maybe this is legit, it we're talking about a significant increase

"We put microphones all the way around the device like the Amazon Echo for better Hey Siri activation"
Interesting

 

[bobborries]

I'm all in for better audio, but I ran into a huge potential problem. My lightning connector failed recently and won't charge my iPhone, that means this problem would have more occurrences if you constantly using the port for headphones.

 

[LordVic]

if it happens. There has to be more to this than we've talked about.

"You can use lightning audio with higher quality"
You can do this now if you want. Almost nobody wants to.

"Waterproofing"
Lots of waterproof devices with 3.5in

"Thinner"
iPod touch is thinner, has 3.5 in.

"Two speakers, don't need those small bluetooth speakers anymore"
Ok, maybe this is legit.

"More space for battery"
Okay, maybe this is legit, it we're talking about a significant increase

"We put microphones all the way around the device like the Amazon Echo for better Hey Siri activation"
Interesting

this is kind of how i look at it.

I'm not 100% against dropping 3.5mm port. if there's a legit, universally accepted standard to provide analogue audio in a new form factor that allows for the current wired ambquity of 3.5mm, than yes. Lets all agree to move forward with that new standard.

But thats not at all what Apple is doing. they're dropping a universal standard in favour of a proprietary, license based connector that isn't analogue and will require the components to convert audio to analogue to be included in the headset.

And yet, I have yet to hear a single, GOOD argument why they're doing this.

the only ones that make sense

1. So they can sell more adapters
2. so they can sell more MFI headphones and help push beats by dre


all the other arguments you've raised above are thoroughly easy to debunk. its not going to be to make it thinner because they could do that already (iPod). it wont be for waterproofing cause the 3.5mm jack is able to be waterproofed as is (many have done it). two bottom facing speakers make no sense. in such a small seperation, you're not going to really hear the stereo sound.

so what does it come down to? Apple wants to drop the .5c cost of adding the 3.5mm jack while able to collect more on selling MFI headphones.

thats as user hostile as it comes.

 

[EricTheHalfBee]

this quote is hilarious. because it's selling something, that is already possible, and attempting to convince you that you need to use lightning headphones for this capability

its completely nonsense

There's no advantage to lightning headphones over 3.5mm. A DAC is a DAC. regardless if it's in the cable of the headphones, or the phone itself. in this case, just because you're using lightning instead of pre-converted audio inside the device, doesn't suddenly make the headphones over lightning better.

in fact: Lightning headphones will likely be more expensive for the same general audio quality, since now lightning headphones makers will need to include a DAC inline. Power to the DAC (batteries or from the phone). The DAC in the iPhone is already pretty decent. So to get better quality audio out of a lightning headset, you need a DAC in the headphones that is better (and likely more expensive).

Yeah, too bad you missed the most important part: "high-performance DAC and headphone driver". In this quote they are referring the the amplifier (and called it a headphone driver).

Way back in the other Lightning headphone thread I already explained this. The DAC is only one component. The amplifier that drives your headphones is also very important. Not all amps can properly drive all headphones, especially ones that use unconventional drivers (like planars). By having your own custom amplifier you can choose to use whatever headphone drivers you like, regardless of their impedance of other qualities. This will have a significant effect on audio quality and output levels.

 

[GenesisST]

At this point, I don't care whether they remove 3.5mm or not. I just wished they'd announce it so that I can plan which headphones to buy.

For the gym, I prefer very cheap wired in-ear headphones. Why cheap? Because I forget them in my gym shorts on a regular basis and find them in the dryer...

 

[LordVic]

Yeah, too bad you missed the most important part: "high-performance DAC and headphone driver". In this quote they are referring the the amplifier (and called it a headphone driver).

Way back in the other Lightning headphone thread I already explained this. The DAC is only one component. The amplifier that drives your headphones is also very important. Not all amps can properly drive all headphones, especially ones that use unconventional drivers (like planars). By having your own custom amplifier you can choose to use whatever headphone drivers you like, regardless of their impedance of other qualities. This will have a significant effect on audio quality and output levels.

except you don't need to drop the 3.5MM Audio jack in order to take advantage of using an external DAC and Amplifier. in fact, you can continue to use 3.5mm jack while providing better amplification. so the requirement of MFI based lightning headphones and removing the 3.5mm jack is a red herring and the two aren't mutually exclusive.

you can do this today. already, using existing technologies.

 

[arkmannj]

If Apple ditches the 3.5mm... then they NEED to make part of the MFI certification process for any lightning headphones and adapters to include a requirement for lightning pass through.

with 3.5mm I can have headphones hooked up, and the phone attached to a video adapter (which has pass through) and have the device hooked up to a power source. I expect to still be able to do that.

 

[sudo1996]

I'm all in for better audio, but I ran into a huge potential problem. My lightning connector failed recently and won't charge my iPhone, that means this problem would have more occurrences if you constantly using the port for headphones.

My phone has fallen out of my pocket while biking with headphones in, and I sometimes also get the wire caught on something by accident. If I was using Lightning headphones, both the connector and the cable would surely have been totally wrecked by now.

BTW, did you check if there's crud in your connector? I used to have problems charging my phone, and I solved them by poking around in there with a needle to pull out lint and scape off caked-on dust.

 

[arkmannj]

It's great to see Apple always in the forefront of pushing technology forward. Excellent news.

In fairness, removing "old" technology and advancing technology are not necessarily the same thing.

In my opinion, there is very little to be gained at this point by removing the 3.5mm that will outweigh having to buy & carry around adapters, buy new headphones, etc.

If removing the 3.5mm can give a tangible benefit, like adding several hrs to my battery life or something then I could go with it. It's just that so far we haven't seen any real indication of what would actually be gained by ditching the port, and what is actually held back by keeping it. For consumers or technology (since we can already buy lightning headphones, or Bluetooth headphones if we want)

 

[riffcat]

uhg... The real way to do this would be to replace the lightning port with USB C on the Phone. Make USB C headphones and chargers and have USB C on all Mac products.

 

[ZZ9pluralZalpha]

This is a disaster in the making…. as if people only use headphones/earbuds with Apple products! Anyone with a half-decent stereo system and home-theatre receiver uses the regular headphone jacks. Not to mention the headphones that DJs around the world (!) use. And the recording industry…. What are we supposed to do, always carry around the Apple-brand "just in case"? Time for a certain knighted hardware designer to retire.

Wouldn't any owners of "half-decent" stereo systems who cared about audio quality use Airplay/an external DAC that's better than the one packed into a phone?...

 

[Drzed]

You buy an adaptor. Have you not yet seen how this is supposed to work? I assure you Tim Cook and his bank manager have discussed it at length.

EXACTLY!!!!!! That's how Tim Cook operates. They could include an adapter in the iPhone box and keep most people happy BUT no way they will as its not the Apple way. Instead millions of consumers will have to buy a $29.99 8.5mm to lightning adapter to use the same headphones they already own and ALSO another $29.99 lightning to 8.5mm adapter to plug into their macs.

Hundreds of millions of accessory sales for Apple and its third party supplies.

Those that think this change is for 'audio fidelity' are massively drunk on the Kool Aid.

 

[Mac 128]

So, what happens when I want to listen and charge at the same time?

Really!? You can't think of a single way in which this can be easily accomplished without buy anything extra?

I'm all in for better audio, but I ran into a huge potential problem. My lightning connector failed recently and won't charge my iPhone, that means this problem would have more occurrences if you constantly using the port for headphones.

Do you know how many 3.5mm cables I've had fail in my lifetime? Well I don't either, but it's far more than any Lightning cable I've ever used fail -- which is zero. And I must plug and unplug my Lightning cable that came with my first 5s, several dozen times a day. Still works perfectly as the day it was new.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I'm all in for better audio, but I ran into a huge potential problem. My lightning connector failed recently and won't charge my iPhone, that means this problem would have more occurrences if you constantly using the port for headphones.

This is the first thing that came to my mind when I first heard about it. The " this accessory is not supported" error might be a major problem. And it's not just cheap accessories or cheap dollar store lighting cables that have this issue. Even offical Apple lighting cables, and Apple sold/certified 3rd party cables/accessories have the same issue.

Users will be pretty pissed off if they have to replace expensive adapters every x amount of months.

 

[redkamel]

So are they adding lightning ports to all other devices? I have been quite unimpressed with apples cable management lately. For a while there was the 30 pin, USB, VGA, Headphone port, FW. Then they moved towards Minidisplay, then HDMI and thunderbolt, then lightning, then USB-C....

What Apple should do is ship male-male lighting cables with female wall chargers, headphones with female plugs on the earpiece, and keyboards/mice with female plugs. Thus, you can use one cable to charge/use all devices, and you just take as many as you need. The Apple pen can have a male port, so it can be plugged directly into ipads/iphones/laptops

On the iPhone/ipad, put a female lightning port only
On the MacBooks put 2x Lightning port, 2x USB 3, 2x USB-C for charging or data, 1xThunderbolt, 1xHDMI port and a SD card reader.

IMO thats all the connectivity you need.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

If Apple had started with a lightning connector headphone and then the industry came along with a headphone jack, everyone would be singing praises along the lines of

• No external DAC or amp required - it's built into the phone!
• No external battery or charging - it works off the phone!
• Uses a small, inexpensive standardized plug/jack, requiring only a small round hole in cases, etc.
• So cheap that earplugs can be disposable - especially handy around wet or sweaty environments
• So cheap that if you lose your device, this isn't a factor
• No dongles!
• Can charge my phone and use external headphones or speakers at the same time!

Sigh.

Design will always be about trade offs. One man's cheap is another man's cheap! Lightning allows for improved audio quality. Lightning streamlines the phone hardware. Lightning doesn't require an external battery, re: wired lighting in-ears are available. No dongles are required either, same example.

 

[Since1987]

I'm sure joggers are going to love the more expensive, thicker, wider, bulkier cable. Hooray "progress" !!!

Apple no longer cares about stupid "users". If they make things easier for developers but worse for users, that's the CORRECT call for the idiots running Apple today. If they make it much harder for users, but more profitable for Beats... THAT is the correct call.

Essentially, the exact OPPOSITE of what Apple used to stand for. They've "gained the world, but lost their soul"

On a scale of 1 to 10... Apple cares about phones, watches and cars(wtf?) at a 10 level. Computers are less than 1.
On a scale of 1 to 10... Apple cares about Apple, Beats, and Wall Street projections at a 10 level. They care about users at a level of 2.

If Apple could make an iPhone with ZERO connectors.... they absolutely would. This stems from Mr. Ives insane desire to remove EVERYTHING to accommodate his clean lines and aesthetic concerns. From a software and hardware standpoint... Ives believes that the best feature is one that has been REMOVED. He keeps talking about it, but the sooner Ives retires the better.

Personally, i think this is the line in the sand. "User Hostile" doesn't go far enough. People are NOT going to go for this. It's just laughable to think that average Joe users are going to think this is "better" or an "improvement". In every possible way it's a step in the wrong direction.

They are already losing phone market share, this will accelerate this at a level that Ives, Ferengi and Cook aren't ready for. They are going to face actual "backlash" that will make the Final Cut X fiasco look like a warm hug. They could wave that away by blaming those bastard "power users" ( you know.... those bastards that kept Apple afloat during 1990-2007 ). Average persons are going to view this ( correctly ) as a huge middle finger and buy a Samsung. And only a massive sales decline in PHONES will get Apple's attention.... maybe.

Watches are not a success, iPhones are losing market share, and they barely make computers anymore. Well played Apple. Big raises for everybody !!!

Apple WITH Steve Jobs... insanely great!!
Apple withOUT Steve Jobs... just insane