Apple's Phil Schiller Recommends Lightning Dock for Charging an iPhone 7 While Listening to Music

[CFreymarc]

Upselling at its best - Phil for President.

It's a work-around NOT a solution.

For most users, it is a solution. They moved the 3.5-mm audio port to an accessory instead of built in. That is how the CD drives and other ports were phased out to placate the minority users that still wanted them.

Good move on Apple's part. Now time for someone to bitch about this not working when an iPhone 7 is in their favorite case.

 

[maxsix]

At the end of the day, most of you complaining will still buy the iPhone 7

Not a chance.

There's nothing exciting or fun about iPhone 7, no reason to buy.

It's too easy to sit back _ not _ spend the money, sending a message to Apple.

 

[mariodrumblue]

So let me get this straight - we now have to carry around an adaptor AND a dock with us, just in case we might want to charge and listen to our iPhone at the same time. What about in car use?

But if you don't like the iPhone7 lack of headphone jack, then you do not have to buy the iPhone.
Apple decided to go this way. It's their product which they spent years to develop. Then customers decide whether it is for them or not. Some of the comments here sound like you are obliged to buy the iPhone even if you do not like it. There are other phones and/or you can always make your own.

 

[EdT]

Just read elsewhere: "my biggest fear is that this will make people play their ****** music loudly in public through the speakers".

 

[Justino_Asturias]

I reccomend that Phil Schiller put some lightening in his fat rear end and do some God damned exercise for once in his coccooned life ! #iMuffinTop #iHippo

 

[s1m]

I have gone over this thread a couple of times and am really struggling to see a problem. There seem to be three situations where people need to charge and listen at the same time. At all other times you can't charge and listen as you are on the move.

So the cases I see are:

At a desk/table/sitting - how is the dock or the griffin not a simple solution? The phone is sat on the desk so any cables or adapters will just be sat on your desk.

In flight - similar to the desk - if you are listening to music then you just leave your phone with the adapter/griffin charging whilst you listen.

In car - this is where I am struggling. Assuming no bluetooth people must be connecting the power lead to some form of 12V DC cigarette lighter point and currently plugging in another audio cable to play music through the car's stereo system. This already seems like a pretty cluttered set up. Now with the griffin you plug one adapter into the phone then your two cables into the adapter including the audio/lightning connector. This doesnt seem like an any more difficult than our existing set up - in fact if you leave those connectors and adapters together you now are just getting into your car and plugging one lighting cable into your phone - which seems easier in fact...

 

[cmanbrazil]

Here's a solution for you. Don't buy an iPhone 7. Seriously. Skip a generation and wait until you acquired updated tech to live without a 3.5mm port. Apple is making a stand for progress. And they've decided where the future of audio technology is going to go. It is going to be a lot better. But with any shake up there is going to be some pain.

The iPhone 7 is at the bleeding edge of tech. And it seems that a lot of people need to take a step back from that edge.

Every new high end smartphone is at the bleeding edge of tech in one way or another. Some have better screens, others battery life, etc. I think apple has a clear ecosystem advantage, and once many of us get accustomed to its advantages, we learn to tolerate its disadvantages. Apple phones, overall, have a much more stable user experience, way better support and control over the ENTIRE user experience, including application development.

Not the same situation.

When they ditched the disc drive, about 98% of customers were coming from a computer that had one; not too difficult to copy any disc-based files using your old computer and then migrate to the new computer. Music CDs could be ripped into the old computer too before migration. After migration, you could just throw away your old discs, which were no longer convenient or cost-effect as a storage medium when apple got rid of disc drives anyways.

In the current case, you have a product that is in no way obsolete (headphones and earphones) and superior to Apple's proprietary "solution" in most ways : sound quality, universality, price, repairability (a lot easier to fix a broken wire than a broken bluetooth transmitter or battery), usability (the battery time will get lower and lower until you're down to 2-3 hours of playtime per charge after a year or two) and longevity (once the battery life gets crappy enough, you'll have to pay apple $75 to replace the batteries or chuck 'em; meanwhile a good set of wired headphones might last 20-30 years).

Dongles and hubs of any sort are workarounds, and invariably ****** looking and clunky. Making a simple combination of functions like using the phone and charging it at the same time require a dongle is 100%, pure bad design.

Pretending that this is just Apple "pushing innovation forward" is retarded. They could just as easily have released the AirBuds and pushed their wireless Beats products while keeping the headphone jack so as not to **** their audience. Maybe it would have meant no vibrating home button or a phone that was a half mm thicker or something. Big ****ing deal.

I understand this from a business standpoint. It is another way to make money off of phones. Many of us will lose those dongles or need adapters, and most will run to apple for them before they buy a cheap one off of amazon. Apple's fortunes are made off of profit margins, including those from accessories.

The best part of that photo is the fact that the Macbook (pro?) is connected to Ethernet with ... yet another adapter replacing a useful port removed from Apple equipment.

Which brings me to this point. i was happy to get a new macbook pro until i realized how much extra I had to spend on accessories. And you either eventually lose them or they fall apart and have to be replaced one way or another. This is what apple is replicating in the iPhone 7.

And with all that said I leave room for the idea that their bluetooth experience will sound better than my wired set of cans.However, Apple usually exagerrates improvements in quality, and I don't remember them stating anything about an improvement in sound. Maybe i'll end up tapping the accessory to my earphone cord so that they wont get lost easily. Who knows?

 

[S3R6i0]

Apple Fan, for decades, here. Apple is currently in profit mode. They don't care about us. They care about total global sales. We were their rock. Now we are their lacky. I might buy. I will give them that. The competition isn't so much better. But I know from experience they can do so much better. I think Apple is holding back. They want profit not customers who care. This is all now a game of the market. In the past we mattered. We don't matter anymore. I am so torn these days. New is only a feature for satisfying growing the global market. Old is only a comfort for keeping the old market engaged. Just enough and their future for products is all that matters. If google had a soul, I would jump.

I'm done with the iPhone, never really liked the phone anyway but I love MacBooks so next phone I'm getting will be an Android. They're not the same company anymore.

 

[jch200]

I fall asleep every night listening to audiobooks with an earbud in. I love it. I would think a wireless ear pod would be great for this, but I'm not sure if when the iPhone timer turns off and the audio on the phone stops, would the headphone still keep using it's batteries because it would still be inserted in my ear? I'll have to figure that out before I buy.

I've never tried to listen to music while my iPhone is charging, never thought that was so common up until now of course.

Honestly, I personally prefer to keep my iPhone out of hands and out of use while it's charging.
Thought that was the best way to keep the wires from breaking and prevent overheating.

Edit - I cannot think of the restrictiveness knowing that the iPhone is connected to the charger on a wall/port somewhere and having earphones on, it'd require one to just sit around relentlessly and not even move the head too much.

But everyone certainly does have their own preferences so perhaps the future iPhones aren't for those? I mean if it ain't working for you, its best to switch to another no? If not then the alternatives are adapters or embracing the wireless sets and not just the AirPods but others too.

 

[RedOrchestra]

They moved the 3.5-mm audio port to an accessory instead of built in

Apple just loves selling accessories, don't they. Notice they jacked the camera just enough on the 7 so the 6 and 6s cases don't fit ... I'll bet your daddy gave you a couple of Apple shares and you're going to the moon on the profits, huh?

 

[TigerWoodsIV]

Certainly. While sitting at a desk at work, buddy boy.

I can't do that already. I use my headphones connected to a DAC/amp that connects to my phone via lightning. If I decide I need to charge, I use the Bluetooth in the DAC to use my non-BT headphones. 3.5mm sucks for audio quality anyway. I will rarely ever miss it and I'll take the boosted battery any day.

 

[AdonisSMU]

For those saying "just go wireless", "I'll never go back", "Bro you're still using wired headphones?" and referring to the age of the 3.5mm jack (Because Apple did, so sheep gotta sheep...) - many people were happy using those headphones up until the 7 was released.

There is absolutely no question that, if the 7 did retain the jack and there were no leaks, rumours or test parts without such, people would NOT be complaining about its inclusion or promoting Lightning/wireless headphones.

This is not a coincidence or accident.

There is nothing wrong with the 3.5mm jack technology, which is precisely the reason why it hasn't changed in all that time. Apple in their usual wisdom have indeed had the 'courage' to create a problem from nothing, with the intention of generating an aura of sophistication - that less is more, and that we should look up to these guys for their vision.

Wow. Hey wait, Sony produced more waterproofed Xperia phones with 3.5mm jacks time ago.

Since they're including a dongle with the phone I'm willing to give them some credit, but it is baffling to me that they would not place a Lightning port next to the jack. Not elegant or comfortable, but the functionality would be there. Come to think of it, it's actually masterstroke as Apple can now sell docks and dongles galore with ridiculous profit margins.

Speaking of which, Schiller's email is upselling at its worst/best. "Yes there is a solution - please hand over more money for a large piece of plastic with two ports on it.".

My beef with Apple stems more from the culture at present. Granted, their products have never been the most affordable, but they are no longer as accessible and that is the key difference. They're trying to appease a demographic that is largely alien to this Briton; consisting of middle-upper class people who care less about recycling and reusing technology that does "just work", and more about the status of owning a particular product and its role in their life. The Jet Black iPhone 7 is a clear example. No reason to drop the lower tier option, but they did because, hey, that makes it more exclusive. They openly admit it will scratch easily, so that's a cover to add to it.

But guess what? I own a Jet Black 7 and AirPods.

People here actually complained that Apple didn't drop the lower their option until Apple finally did. Now you are up in arms, seriously?

 

[deathnite]

Apple's new slogan: There's an adapter for that.

 

[chukronos]

I see so many people mentioning using headphones in the car. I've never in my whole life seen a single person using headphones in a car. In fact, in many states - ITS ILLEGAL
http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/headsets/

On a long flight?? I've flown 4 times in August and non of my flights had chargers for my phone. I could have used my computer to charge, but then I could listen to music on my computer instead.

They are talking about the 3.5mm input on the car stereo. A Southwest flight I was on 2 weeks ago had a USB port on the seat.

 

[thefarang]

If you're travelling that much don't you have lounge access at transits? Just interested

I do but many don't so I tried to respond in a way that would be more universal. Obviously, if you can sit in a lounge, have a few brews, and charge your phone (and other devices), things are a lot easier.

When I travelled (prior roles I flew 400 flights dom/int in six years) I neevr used teh on board IFE - it was generally rubbish. I now take my wireless headphones and connect those to my media on my ipad.

It's a psychological thing but I always feel like I'm wasting my media if I watch it on the plane since I could just watch their movies and save mine for the hotel where I might be stuck with only 1 or 2 channels in English. That said, I normally just load up the iPad with eBooks and read on most flights.

Do you use a grid it to simplify the carrying of cables etc? I have found that to be a life saver (metaphorical) to keep everything organised.

I have. I like it. But I ended up using amenity kit bags and wrap all my wires with those rubber twisty things that you can get at Home Depot to keep them from tangling. That way I know everything is all in one place, don't have to worry about stuffing the back pocket of the Grid or losing small bits and bobs like the two prong adaptor thing. Just easier (for me) to have everything in one small bag that I throw in my carry on.

 

[maxsix]

Apple Fan, for decades, here. Apple is currently in profit mode. They don't care about us. They care about total global sales.

But I know from experience they can do so much better. I think Apple is holding back. They want profit not customers who care.

I too have been a loyal customer / investor for years. Apple is a vastly capable company, and that's precisely why I'm so outspoken about the shortcomings of iOS and iDevices.

If Apple would focus on design, innovation and creation of the best smartphone they're capable of, no other platform could challenge them.

But instead they coast along profit taking and withholding features the competition already offers, simply because they can.

 

[kazmac]

The not-so-subtle translation: "There's a dock for that. Please buy MORE $tuff..."

And then they go and change the Lightning Dock, another reason why I said nope. Mini 4 is looking better all the time.

 

[juannacho]

Apple no longer make products for professionals (and no, putting 'pro' after iPad does not a professional product make) they make high-end mainstream goods.

99.9% of people do not care about the things that Apple have slowly phased out.

No more DVD drive? That's ok, I don't really use them any more

No Ethernet port? Ether-who? I've got wifi

No more headphone socket? But my new phone came with new headphones. They seem to work fine...

Etc.

Joe public really doesn't give a crap about these things. Apple make nice, shiny (literally with that jet black model!) things that people buy and are perfectly happy with.

 

[Mac 128]

Your phone's battery can't last long enough to play music on your flight? How long is your flight?

You're not thinking outside the box. It's not just the flight. The flight could be an hour. But from the time a person unplug's their phone (assuming it's been charging right up to the time they leave for the airport), there's the trip to the airport, checking in, going through security and waiting for the plane to board, assuming the flight is not delayed. Then there's the flight, followed by baggage claim, car rental, waiting for your pickup, before a person is back in a situation where they can recharge the phone. From start to finish, that can be 5-6 hours for a simple 1-hour flight. Now increase that to a 6 hour cross country flight, or a couple of one hour flights with a 1 hour layover. And keep in mind, in addition to listening, there's significant phone use during travel, checking reservations, boarding passes, phone calls, e-mails, texts, as well as entertainment, all which drains a phone and can leave people in a position of running out of a charge at some point during their trip when they most need it.

 

[ITGuy]

Phil,

I just read your reply to Zaheen. From one centa-millionaire to another, I'm now feeling inspired by you to get rid of my wired earphones. You can count on me to purchase iPhone 7 Plus devices for myself and the family, along with a dozen or so sets of AirPods. The children will lose them constantly, so I may as well stock up on them.

I'm guilty of listening to music whilst I charge my iPhone, so I'm finally embracing Bluetooth earphones rather than purchasing Apple Lightning Docks for my elaborate pile of bricks in Atherton, Beverly Hills, Miami, Sydney, Monte Carlo, Lake Como, Bern, Paris, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and London. Same goes for the boat and the G650ER.

Courage indeed.

-ITG

 

[Glideslope]

It takes courage to recommend that customers pay an extra $49 to regain the functionality that was lost from the previous generation device.

Very nice.

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

FLAC can be purchased nowadays that are 24-bit and 96 or 192 khz. That's better than CD quality.

No , that is HFPA, which wasn't what you were referring to. You were I suspect referring to media files available from the iTunes store.
Most of my flac 2496 files are at least 1 GB so you really need something like my Sony Xperia Z5 which natively supported 2496 with 200Gb micro SD cards to benefit from these. Or dedicated players like my FiiO X3.

 

[Urban Joe]

available late October.... geeze

clearly "progress" is painful and/or profitable depending on where you fit into the equation

love how tone deaf the response is.... as if everybody has a pair of airpods laying around.... the Silicon Valley Love is flowing

 

[s1m]

You're not thinking outside the box. It's not just the flight. The flight could be an hour. But from the time a person unplug's their phone (assuming it's been charging right up to the time they leave for the airport), there's the trip to the airport, checking in, going through security and waiting for the plane to board, assuming the flight is not delayed. Then there's the flight, followed by baggage claim, car rental, waiting for your pickup, before a person is back in a situation where they can recharge the phone. From start to finish, that can be 5-6 hours for a simple 1-hour flight. Now increase that to a 6 hour cross country flight, or a couple of one hour flights with a 1 hour layover. And keep in mind, in addition to listening, there's significant phone use during travel, checking reservations, boarding passes, phone calls, e-mails, texts, as well as entertainment, all which drains a phone and can leave people in a position of running out of a charge at some point during their trip when they most need it.

I can be down 13% by the time I get to the airport. Online check in on the phone, checking emails in the car to the airport, call home to say hi to the people that woke up after I left...

 

[djsukebe]

I will simply reply with the following:

Your World:

1. USB for external hard drive
2. Another USB for syncing your phone
3. HDMI port for watching movies onto your flatscreen
4. SD Card slot for your digital camera
5. Wired Headphones
6. Charging port for the obvious

Apple's World:

1. Time Capsule storage (no cables)
2. iphone sync over wifi (no cables)
3. Apple TV airplay for displaying onto your flatscreen (no cables)
4. iCloud for photos you took on your iphone (no cables)
5. AirPods (no cables)
6. Charging port (yes, still need this one cable)

Not quite. It would be more akin to forcing the user to use a usb external dvd drive when they are charging their laptop using a lightning charge port adapter, and then force them to use the lightning external dvd drive when they are not charging their laptop - or to continue to use the lightning charge port adapter.

For the proposed "solution" to even be feasible, the lightning dock MUST contain the same headphone connectivity as used on the phone - that is, I have lightning headphones, I need a lightning port available to plug the damn headphones in when charging the damn phone.

A less insane solution would have been to say: you need to buy the Apple "Why?" lightning adapter - which will allow two lightning devices to use the phone's lightning port.