Apple Will Still Include a Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter With This Year's iPhones, Says Barclays

[bluespark]

"But, unlike when the iPhone launched last year, Apple's wireless AirPods and BeatsXearphones are now available.”

That’s nice, but we don’t all want wireless headphones. I prefer wired headphones because they have better price/performance and reliability. You don’t have to worry if your wired headphones need to be charged or how long their batteries will last. Apple’s AirPods are nice, but are overpriced for how they sound; they sound the same as $30 EarPods, while costing $160 - a 530% markup just for wireless!

Exactly. Wireless headphones serve a purpose, but plenty of us prefer wired headphones and always will. I wish Apple would reverse course on the headphone jack.

 

[Abazigal]

And this one's easy. Those who completely believe that Lightning and/or Bluetooth is "the future" or better or "where things are heading" ALREADY HAD both options when iPhones had a 3.5mm jack too. In other words, if your posts are really your own thoughts on this topic, this decision did nothing for you, nor hindered your own choice with regards to how you listen to audio on iPhone.

Yet here you are taking a side that aligns with Apple's choice against fellow consumers who are not happy with the choice because it did affect their favored use of their iPhones. And how do you do that? The usual ways such as implying that most consumers have gone wireless because you increasingly notice a lack of wired connections in your own travels... and/or spinning these same old points about this issue...

People are lazy and myopic by nature and sometimes, you need a company with the influence and the mentality like Apple to help effect meaningful changes and push the industry forward.

It's the same logic as when Apple blocked flash on ios. If it were up to people to choose, they would have simply stuck with a crappy existing standard, and HTML 5 would never have gotten the big break they needed to take off.

Apple drew their line in the sand and forced consumers and content makers to make a choice. And the rest as we know it is history.

Sometimes, you cannot have a new world order without first doing away with the current one.

Again, I agree. But until the replacement options deliver the same or better quality of sound, don't have latency issues, are even modestly as ubiquitous and are a non-proprietary standard, what's the problem in keeping the thoroughly ubiquitous, global standard that "just works" too? All consumers could get what they want between now and when the market gets to that "the future," then the superiority of "the future" can make it natural to deprecate such a feature with hardly anyone missing it... or being hassled with having to carry extra stuff in a bag to approximate the same level of utility we used to have built in.

The problem then comes when the popularity of one standard inhibits the adoption of the alternative. Refer to the "flash vs HTML 5" point I raised earlier.

You want to promote wireless tech, and its biggest competition is wired tech, so the next obvious move is to make wired headphones more cumbersome to use while simultaneously making wireless headphones more accessible and seamless to use.

Sometimes, the tides of change must be forced.

Personally for me, I am fine with the sound quality my Airpods deliver and am okay that they don't sound as good as larger, dedicated wired headphones. For me, I prize the portability, ease of use and convenience the Airpods bring, even moreso than sound quality. And I believe that eventually, consumers will come to appreciate and opt for the same tradeoffs as well.

Of course, if that's true they could have also created that space by backing off the "thinner" stance and making the new one only a fractionally bit thicker to create space AND keep the jack. And if they spun that as the reason for making it modestly thicker, how many of us would have bashed them for it (the same number who clamor for "must be thinner" with every new iDevice launch). If one looks around at objective posters, we consistently see people saying how they think iPhone has become too thin and/or how they would welcome some added thickness for tangible benefits like "more battery." Given the choice of same "thinness" or fractionally thicker but keep the headphone jack, I wonder what consumers would have chosen?

I would not have voted for a thicker iphone, that's for sure.

Bottom line: what we got instead was a free "tail" for our iPhones which seems like an uglier, non-Apple-type option than just keeping the jack inside the phone. Of course, we can keep that tail attached to the headphones so it's not always visible but that's just one more chunk of bulk for the bag. Or we can do what you do and lug along more than one set of headphones but that's just more bulk for the bag too. If there was a tangible consumer benefit to the decision, it would be much easier to swallow. Instead, it's just a hassle for those that are not completely content rolling with anything Apple decides is best for ALL of us. We may roll anyway for "the rest" but there's nothing wrong with not being completely happy about it.

As with any platform, what benefits you hope to get out of the Apple ecosystem depends on how far you are willing to embrace it in its entirety, quirks and all.

Apple has already clearly telegraphed their vision of a wireless future. You have no headphone jack in your iPhone 7. That much is fact. A fact you cannot change. What you do have a say in, however, is how you opt to view this change and deal with the situation.

For me, I approach this whole issue with a "min-max" mindset, developed back when I played dungeons and dragons. Maximise your strengths, and minimise your weaknesses so they are less of an issue or not even a problem to start with.

For me, I have been using Airpods with my 6S+ and I can't really recall the last time I plugged a set of headphones in.

 

[B4U]

Considering Tim Cook’s decisions of the last few years, I think Steve was wrong when he told Apple employees (Cook included) to not ask “What would Steve do?”.

The sad truth is, the first step of solving a problem is to be able to recognize there is a problem.
Apple is still acting like an ostrich.

 

[bigpoppamac31]

Is it not possible to improve the BT standard or use something like Airplay for hi-res audio quality? What kind of DAC is used in this adapter?

 

[2010mini]

OK but in my experience, everything I see you post always aligns with Apple. I never see you take a side against some Apple decision and/or with someone taking such a side. If you recall any such post by you, I'd welcome being pointed toward it.

And this one's easy. Those who completely believe that Lightning and/or Bluetooth is "the future" or better or "where things are heading" ALREADY HAD both options when iPhones had a 3.5mm jack too. In other words, if your posts are really your own thoughts on this topic, this decision did nothing for you, nor hindered your own choice with regards to how you listen to audio on iPhone.

Yet here you are taking a side that aligns with Apple's choice against fellow consumers who are not happy with the choice because it did affect their favored use of their iPhones. And how do you do that? The usual ways such as implying that most consumers have gone wireless because you increasingly notice a lack of wired connections in your own travels... and/or spinning these same old points about this issue...



I agree and didn't write that it was. It's not a make or break- just a hassle for those of us who prefer to have that benefit than have it removed. Most of us bought iPhone anyway not because we endorsed the change but because "the rest" made just rolling with that hassle somewhat tolerable.



Again, I agree. But until the replacement options deliver the same or better quality of sound, don't have latency issues, are even modestly as ubiquitous and are a non-proprietary standard, what's the problem in keeping the thoroughly ubiquitous, global standard that "just works" too? All consumers could get what they want between now and when the market gets to that "the future," then the superiority of "the future" can make it natural to deprecate such a feature with hardly anyone missing it... or being hassled with having to carry extra stuff in a bag to approximate the same level of utility we used to have built in.



So that makes it right? Almost all of the other manufacturers have embraced Android, so should Apple go with that flow too? OR none of the other manufacturers will embrace Lightning, so Apple's choice to do so fragments the replacement hardware. Personally, I could be more content with jumping this gun if Apple had gone with a non-proprietary USB3C- like everyone else will including Apple's own computers- instead of proprietary Lightning that none of the others will embrace.

As a result, to cover all bases, we need ways to link whatever kind of headphones we favor to a variety of connection options... which is fragmentation by choice... not consumer choice, but a corporate one.



I don't think people predicted sales crashing through the floor. But apparently for some people, this was their straw. And that's what happens when decisions are made that go against consumer wants. Some opt out. Apple has massive momentum on their side right now, so record sales can be spun to imply that this kind of thing is a non-issue because the dollars say so. But that same argument could be applied to Blackberry year after year as the "crackberry" gained more and more ground. And then what happened?



Correct. A corporation can always spin any decision that they make- good or bad. Look at what United Airlines did right after the recent incident... then went to a strategy of trying to make the Doctor look bad because of some past legal issues... and then finally begun trying to do the right thing after a lot of damage to their brand has been done. Have you seen the consumer proclamations of never flying United again? That could be all hot air but maybe some United loyalists saw that as their last straw with United.

One thing Apple said was they needed to "create space" for some other things. That sounds good and logical... but corporate spin almost always sounds good & logical. I recall Apple making good & logical arguments for 3.5" and 4" as perfect screen sizes for phones and ridiculing larger screen sizes. That's marketing spin to sell what you have or what you want a market to accept.

Of course, if that's true they could have also created that space by backing off the "thinner" stance and making the new one only a fractionally bit thicker to create space AND keep the jack. And if they spun that as the reason for making it modestly thicker, how many of us would have bashed them for it (the same number who clamor for "must be thinner" with every new iDevice launch). If one looks around at objective posters, we consistently see people saying how they think iPhone has become too thin and/or how they would welcome some added thickness for tangible benefits like "more battery." Given the choice of same "thinness" or fractionally thicker but keep the headphone jack, I wonder what consumers would have chosen?

Bottom line: what we got instead was a free "tail" for our iPhones which seems like an uglier, non-Apple-type option than just keeping the jack inside the phone. Of course, we can keep that tail attached to the headphones so it's not always visible but that's just one more chunk of bulk for the bag. Or we can do what you do and lug along more than one set of headphones but that's just more bulk for the bag too. If there was a tangible consumer benefit to the decision, it would be much easier to swallow. Instead, it's just a hassle for those that are not completely content rolling with anything Apple decides is best for ALL of us. We may roll anyway for "the rest" but there's nothing wrong with not being completely happy about it.

Lightning is not the future. Apple needs to switch to USB-C. It has way more potential than lightning.

One cable across all their devices.

Things that I don't agree with Apple?

-No multi users on Apple TV
-Stupid App Store review policies
-No incentives for devs to make money with apps through upgrade fees
-keeping lightning around
-no monitor to match Mac Pro/mini (seriously...WTF?!?)
-no new version of MagSafe (USB-C version.. hello?)
- ridiculous OS X cycle... lay off the new version every year gimmick. Get back to creating and updating a solid OS. THEN bring out a newer version.
-iOS on iPads.... where do I even start.... let's see... after all these years it's still a blown up version of the iPhone.

 

[mi7chy]

I wonder what Steve Jobs would have to say about adding a dongle into the mix if he were still alive today...

"If you see a dongle, they blew it!"
Steve Jobs

Samsung S8 has universal USB-C, new improved Bluetooth 5.0 and still kept 3.5mm jack along with better IP68 certification. No excuses Apple.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

People are lazy and myopic by nature and sometimes, you need a company with the influence and the mentality like Apple to help effect meaningful changes and push the industry forward.

You shouldn't stereotype all people that way. Apple is run by people. Are they lazy & myopic people? Are you a lazy & myopic person? Or are the lazy & myopic only those outside of Apple HQ and/or those who don't always readily swallow everything Apple rolls out as the one and only perfect way forward for all?

It's the same logic as when Apple blocked flash on ios. If it were up to people to choose, they would have simply stuck with a crappy existing standard, and HTML 5 would never have gotten the big break they needed to take off.

No it's not. 3.5mm provides a higher quality of audio than Bluetooth and "just works" with pretty much any audio device vs. Lightning being limited to only a subset of Apple's own products and not even able to direct jack into new Macs that have been rolled out since their debut. This decision fragments "just works" audio connections even with the narrow line of products that Apple makes themselves!

The problem then comes when the popularity of one standard inhibits the adoption of the alternative.

No. If the new replacement option is obviously better, even the dumbest of those "lazy, myopic" people can see obviously better. Was the adoption of iPhone inhibited because the popularity of Blackberry or Palm, etc existed at the time? Was iPad inhibited by the non-iOS tablets available at the time? Was iPod adoption inhibited by the availability of many other MP3 players already available to the public? AAC vs. MP3? OS X vs. Windows? Macs vs. Wintels? And on and on. Obviously better is easy to see or hear and the dumbest of the dumb can usually recognize it without having to have it forced upon them. When force is necessary, whatever is being pushed is probably not obviously better enough... thus requiring the push.

3.5mm did not inhibit adoption of either alternative. Both already existed and worked fine WITH 3.5mm available in the iPhone. If either was as obviously superior to 3.5mm, the better option would win customer migration on it's own.

You want to promote wireless tech, and its biggest competition is wired tech, so the next obvious move is to make wired headphones more cumbersome to use while simultaneously making wireless headphones more accessible and seamless to use.

That's just marketing spin words to fit the choice. Take a moment and imagine that the sequence of events worked in reverse. First we had wireless and then Apple did this crazy thing to introduce wired headphones in 2017. Marketing spin might go: "a richer, more detailed sound where you will obviously hear the difference," "you can watch video without the audio falling behind the video," "the battery will never run out because it needs no battery," "it has no bandwidth limitations," "the breadth & depth & warmth of analog sound," "if one falls out of your ear, the wire will catch it so it doesn't get lost," etc. Spin is easy. Just slug in a few phrases to support what you want to sell and let the loyal fans build on that.

Recall when Apple spun 3.5" and then 4" screens were the perfect size. Apple and Apple fans ridiculed bigger screen phones with "one handed use" and "pants with bigger pockets" and a multitude of related jabs. And then Apple shifted to bigger-screen iPhones and all that anti-big-screen sentiment just evaporated as if it was never slung.

Personally for me, I am fine with the sound quality my Airpods deliver and am okay that they don't sound as good as larger, dedicated wired headphones. For me, I prize the portability, ease of use and convenience the Airpods bring, even moreso than sound quality. And I believe that eventually, consumers will come to appreciate and opt for the same tradeoffs as well.

And that's all great. But consider you could have had every bit of those same benefits with a 3.5mm jack too. It didn't have to be ejected for AirPods to be created or to function as they do. So all that personal joy you get reads and sounds fine but it didn't require jettisoning 3.5mm to be realized.

Now take your AirPods on the plane trip and see that you can watch the NBA or NHL playoffs for free on the in-flight video system. Can you use those AirPods to hear the game? Notice that 3.5mm jack that is right there because that is a long-term ubiquitous standard but Lightning and Bluetooth is almost certainly not an option (does any major airline support either option yet?). Do you just watch that game in silence? Do you have to spend money to buy those cheap headphones sold by the airlines?

Now take your Airpods into a business meeting or demonstration where you need to link into an audio system to hear the presentation. 3.5mm will be right there. If bluetooth is not, do you just happily NOT listen?

Etc. The point is that those completely happy within the narrow world of just iDevices or maybe even iDevices and Macs could still get every bit of those joys you just referenced if the 3.5mm jack was still in iPhone. Some of us have needs that reach beyond the narrowness of iPhone and even all of Apple's products. And dongles or various wires or separate sets of headphones are just hassles to lug along to cover all such bases.

For me, I have been using Airpods with my 6S+ and I can't really recall the last time I plugged a set of headphones in.

That's great. And I just used my wired headphones with my Mac yesterday & today, and then was able to jack into the plane's system to listen to the NBA playoff audio without needing any adapter or separate set of headphones etc. So it appears that we cancel each other out. Is your own experience common to everyone? No. Is mine? No. But I make no such arguments to try to force 3.5mm listening on you. Instead, keeping 3.5mm would have meant you could have your cake & eat it and I could have my cake and eat it... and everyone else- whether more like you or me- could have their cake and eat it too. Nobody loses with good options... but somebody(s) does lose when the most-popular, most-established option is jettisoned in favor of proprietary or limited use options spun as "the future."

Your (and others) passionate support for a corporate decision against your fellow consumers simply tries to rationalize the hassles for those that would rather have the non-proprietary, just works with everything, higher quality sound, no latency, no adapters required, universally ubiquitous standard just jettisoned from this ONE product from Apple... in the name of "forcing change for the better" or some distant "the future."

I'm glad Apple provides you with exactly what you want, exactly how you want it. I'm glad you don't seem to even notice or miss other audio devices to which you can't readily connect, nor care about the lower quality... or latency... or having to carry extra stuff in your bag to be able to overcome such issues. Too bad we are not all you.
[doublepost=1492577755][/doublepost]

Lightning is not the future. Apple needs to switch to USB-C. It has way more potential than lightning.

One cable across all their devices.

Things that I don't agree with Apple?

-No multi users on Apple TV
-Stupid App Store review policies
-No incentives for devs to make money with apps through upgrade fees
-keeping lightning around
-no monitor to match Mac Pro/mini (seriously...WTF?!?)
-no new version of MagSafe (USB-C version.. hello?)
- ridiculous OS X cycle... lay off the new version every year gimmick. Get back to creating and updating a solid OS. THEN bring out a newer version.
-iOS on iPads.... where do I even start.... let's see... after all these years it's still a blown up version of the iPhone.

Very well. Then I apologize for believing you to be among the "Apple is always right" crowd... and hope that crowd doesn't now get after you for daring to post a bullet list of issues that do not support Apple's "always right" decisions regarding those matters.

 

[Abazigal]

Considering Tim Cook’s decisions of the last few years, I think Steve was wrong when he told Apple employees (Cook included) to not ask “What would Steve do?”.

There's a very simple reason behind this.

None of us is Steve Jobs. We have no way of knowing what he would have thought or done in any particular situation. Rather than trying to be a poor imitation (and likely failing spectacularly), wouldn't it be better to be your own man and continue to do what you feel is right and best for Apple, using your own unique strengths and talents?

 

[ventricle]

And I just used my wired headphones with my Mac yesterday & today, and then was able to jack into the plane’s system to listen to...

I’ve always thought that when it comes to keyboard, mouse and headphones, The Best Wireless is Wired. Batteries run out, need exotic materials, and aren’t always recycled. Bluetooth can interfere with other wireless devices, and are laggy.

 

[ellsworth]

I would be ok with this if apple simply provided a earphone jack and charging combo cable. C'mon Apple. It's not rocket science. Or is it?

 

[44267547]

There's a very simple reason behind this.

None of us is Steve Jobs. We have no way of knowing what he would have thought or done in any particular situation. Rather than trying to be a poor imitation (and likely failing spectacularly), wouldn't it be better to be your own man and continue to do what you feel is right and best for Apple, using your own unique strengths and talents?

I think what really baffles me the most reading on this forum of passionate iPhone users or Apple fanatics in general, is the quote that I read the most is "Steve Jobs would have never done this." When I read quotes like that, it really does proclaim the sheer amount of ignorance that follows suit.

No one and I mean no one, could ever speak for Steve Jobs of where Apple would be today and they're following, let alone Steve Jobs trajectory of what he did and how he did it.

 

[Abazigal]

I would be ok with this if apple simply provided a earphone jack and charging combo cable. C'mon Apple. It's not rocket science. Or is it?

Third party options exist. Is it such a huge deal that it isn't Apple-branded?

 

[recoil80]

they should put AirPods instead in the box and add a 100 dollar more price tag since you want us to go wireless

I'd rather have no headphones in the box and be free to buy the model that fits my needs, maybe with a discount on Apple/Beats products, like buy an iPhone and get $50 discount on AirPods.
Less packaging would be better for the environment and they'd make more money since people would end up buying more expensive headphones

 

[Bacillus]

Why not include 2 lightning ports. One for charging and another for media usage with the dongle.

Or at least a Y-dongle - despite the $ 0.00045 cost increase
(excl. $100k on Board commissioning)
[doublepost=1492584332][/doublepost]

Many people here are missing the larger picture

Most use the 3.5 jack more often than the underwater features, oversized haptic engines and other marketing blah

 

[Abazigal]

Stuff

Your points are not invalid, so instead of answering each point individually, let me put forth my rationale for why I choose to see things the way I do.

To put it succinctly, I am a sucker for controversial trade-offs. Companies that have the courage or audacity to say to my face “this one thing is more important than this entire set of other things people usually consider must-haves” take a shortcut to my wallet.

That's what I love about Apple products. Apple forces you to make weird tradeoffs at times, but in the right situations, they are an absolute dream to use. For example, when I see the MacBook with its one USB C port, my first thought isn't that it's a crippled device or that Apple should have squeezed on a second port. Rather, I will start thinking about how I can maximise its advantages like that sweet Retina display while minimising the drawbacks and even turn them into non-issues. Cloud storage. Use a hub. Install an Apple TV. Turn to wireless solutions and peripherals where possible. The works.

And there's a certain allure and sexiness in thriving under such constraints.

That's the same mentality I have at work - not to make knee-jerk complaints, but instead to challenge myself and see how I can change myself to suit my environment, change the environment to suit me, or some compromise of the two.

So where you see arbitrary limitations and unnecessary compromises, I see courage and conviction. And I admire this conviction and I am willing help make that vision a reality in my own limited way.

 

[Bacillus]

So where you see arbitrary limitations and unnecessary compromises, I see courage and conviction. And I admire this conviction and I am willing help make that vision a reality in my own limited way.

Sadly, that greater vision translates into a complete focus on "Find and Pair my Airpods" technology, and all kinds of tech that may or may not approach the sound quality/latency we already had.
To me, the Next Big Thing in a dental floss box rather seems clever marketing than the new tech revolution.
Better set priorities straight and get rid of bezels, stubs, dongles, secondary cases and boring retro casings.
Looking out for the amazingly clever 2021 iPhone to MacBook reconnect kit ($150, in a stylish candy box...)

 

[Sefstah]

So no headphone jack for the iPhone but iPad, iPod, iMac and MacBook's do have them? iMac and MacBooks have usb-c but everything else has a lightning port? Am I missing something or am I just lacking "curage"? Quit being dumb and make a standard across all devices already.

 

[Bacillus]

Third party options exist. Is it such a huge deal that it isn't Apple-branded?

Is it such a big deal for Apple to include a splitter?
What idiot would put millions and millions in Lightnings' multiple function development, patenting & advertising and then subsequently impair it..?

Sigh..do they ever use their own stuff themselves ?

 

[Abazigal]

Is it such a big deal for Apple to include a splitter?
What idiot would put millions and millions in Lightnings' multiple function development, patenting & advertising and then subsequently impair it..?

Sigh..do they ever use their own stuff themselves ?

What the hell does this even mean?

 

[Bacillus]

What the hell does this even mean?

They should have spent a few dimes more for simultaneous charging & jacky music
(and maybe start thinking a millisecond longer)

 

[8692574]

I wonder what Steve Jobs would have to say about adding a dongle into the mix if he were still alive today...

Like we never had dongles before..... the Mac Mini under Jobs could not even connect to a monitor without one....

We had dongles and adapters bundled before!!!


Now what would Brian Boitano do?

 

[Abazigal]

They should have spent a few dimes more for simultaneous charging & jacky music
(and maybe start thinking a millisecond longer)

Which completely defeats the whole point of removing the headphone jack in the first place.

 

[Tech198]

I always wonder why these cable lengths are so short. compared to regular cables... It can't be that short of a distance due to technical reasons... It must be just Apple.

 

[MacBH928]

Honestly, this did not bother me 1 bit. The adapter is always on my earpods and its seamless. If I need to use them with something that doesn't have headphone jack, i just take them off

 

[shaunp]

Or even better: Build in more ports so those adapters aren’t necessary.

USB-A, Ethernet, Magsafe, SD card adapter.

Indeed. Just stop making stuff thinner just because it can be thinner. Make it thicker and more useful...