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

[k995]

I know, but over the years we've had lots of things 'taken away' from us. Apple did pretty much the exact equivalent with the removal of Ethernet ports from all laptops.

They decided that for 99% of people wifi was a far more convenient solution and so dropped Ethernet even though it was 'better' in terms of speed. There was no need to remove it specifically.

Its not really comparable.

Ethernet wasnt used that often, most people already used wifi and had it avaible.

This is different. Most people dont have wireless headsets or cant even install one (think cars ) functionality is more limited now ( cant charge & listen/call) .

And that also was a hassle just a smaller one.

Everyone complained, then wifi speeds got faster and faster and now no one cares one little bit.

I still care , its annoying . And for what? Some idiot form over function? Someone with apple doesnt like ports apparently? I buy a laptop to use, not put it on a pedastal.

I see no difference here. Apple are taking a punt that wireless is the future of consumer audio and have decided to ditch the connector as something they now see as anachronistic and redundant. We'll have to wait and see but in the same way that now most laptops don't have Ethernet or DVD drives, I think the rest of the industry will follow suit.

No apple wants profit and user locked into apple eco system.

This is just one more step for that. I think reviews will show that the sound trhough the dongle will be slightly worse then before and the new lightening headsets will sound better.

It's all a PR game and now one of Apple's prongs in their attacks on Samsung will be "Haha! Look at your old fashioned wired headphone jack!!" Then Samsung and others will quietly drop them.

I hope now, worklaptop I use is as thin as a macbook and still has ethernet.

Its just silly to drop something like this with almost zero added benefits for the consumer.

 

[Tunster]

Your edit has flaws too. You can't always charge your device before a long trip - e.g. you've been in meetings all day / on the move / sight-seeing and get on train/plane. Now what? Your iPhone needs to be charging at the same time as listening through your 3.5 mm quality headphones because you want to watch some films during the long trip. This is a justifiable use-case. I find myself in this situation about once a month.

The UK price of the iPhone has gone up by £100 - and now you need to spend an additional £40/£50 just to charge your phone and plug in headphones? Pfff.

Apple's other answer is wireless headphones. This is the typical push, shove and fall into the deep water where they want you to adapt to another technology to cover another situation. Same for the 30-pin > Lightning connector. PPC > Intel. USB2/3 to USB-C for the MacBook.

This will be a long drawn out battle where if their bet is wrong, iPhone sales will be harmed with the lack of a headphone jack. The iPhone 6S / SE still exists if you want a headphone jack. They know the implications and all the complaints here. It's a risk they're willing to take for a different design and challenge the status quo.

 

[Azmodan79]

Let me get this straight. People can spend $700+ for a phone but cant bear the thought of the cost of wireless headphones?

Perhaps because they have an assortment of high range corded headphones and do not see the convenience of lightning based ones and the drawbacks (battery life for ex.) of bluetooth ones.

I'll grant you that in five years time the audio landscape will have changed (much better bluetooth headphones) and we'll remember this as a minor nuisance but this jump forward is more traumatic than the loss of CD/DVD players or Floppy.

 

[jigar7]

F****** want to milk customers every year. This is not a solution.... its a workaround. I'm 100% sure headphone jacks can be made waterproof. Speaker grills are the biggest challenge. They could have plugged it up from the inside like the rest of the components.... but no... they want people to buy the 50$ ****** dock.
Apple... Innovation has gone for a toss after the iPhone 6 launch.
No NFC, cam stabilization could be added in 6S, no screen improvements.
Use big technical words and convince the idiots into falling for the new iPhone 7 with minimal innovation

I got my dad a Xiaomi phone just because it had the 'Lite Mode' which is very useful for people with weak eyesight or with big fingers. (Youtube MIUI Lite Mode). It even has an inbuilt infrared sensor which was truly a blessing. Not an innovation but it reallly does add to the value of the phone. Who the f*** even needs a Homekit... how many people are even going to use it? Apple is still too stubborn to give Homescreen customization options.

(Btw... This is not a rant from an Android user, I have used an iPhone since the 1st gen and haven't upgraded to 6S or 7 because it really not worth the money (paying full price))

 

[Mactendo]

I'm surprised no-one questions the health implications of going all wireless. It looks smooth with no cables but EMF emitted from transceivers is a health concern.

Apple keeping the health flag high don't mention a word about risks with EMF, no money there...

View attachment 649357

Bluetooth is the most harmless of them all. Wi-fi is more dangerous, cellular is even more. In the end it may be safer to use BT headphones than talking to a phone directly. Wired things are the most safe of them all of course.

 

[obiwan]

I also can't imagine a situation where I need to do both.

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/

I've also seen so many people that have no concept of using the 3.5mm jack for plugging in a cable directly into the AUX input in the car stereo. This is not illegal, and built into a great many cars, including mine.

 

[k995]

Bluetooth is the most harmless of them all. Wi-fi is more dangerous, cellular is even more. In the end it may be safer to use BT headphones than talking to a phone directly.

No the cellular signal will still be sent out if you use a bt headset it will be cellular + bt signal.

 

[Mactendo]

No the cellular signal will still be sent out if you use a bt headset it will be cellular + bt signal.

But with headphones you don't need to put a phone close to your head. The farther it is the better. Even Apple iPhone manuals warn against direct placement, it suggests to leave a 1-2 cm between a phone and your ear.

 

[poppy10]

Courage is using this and hoping it won't snap off in your lightning port.

 

[0007776]

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?

Plus a second pair of headphones so you can use them with the dock since your new lightning ones won't work.

 

[thijsken]

Just like the external CD/DVD drive everyone uses on their new MacBook/MacBook pros

Except it's not. I didn't need my CD drive every day before going to sleep, like i charge my phone and listen to music at the same time. You're argument is inacurate.

 

[obiwan]

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.

Don't worry I'm not going to buy the iPhone7. The problem is, if you follow this to it's logical conclusion - they will eventually follow suit across the whole Apple product line - that frightens me. By taking away an industry standard for audio for decades, and replacing it with their own proprietary solution, they are decisively and deliberately fragmenting the audio market. Headphones up until now have been universal playback devices, that work across all audio equipment, regardless of make or model. Now Apple is saying, you can only listen to audio an on Apple device, with an Apple approved accessory - or suffer the consequences of a lack-lustre experience if you wish to use your universally accepted standard device. It's a subtle shift, that they have been gradually tightening their grip on over the past few years - but it's controlling and manipulative - and Apple are sugar-coating it as 'progress.'

It's stinks of the same sort of tactics Microsoft used when incorporating 'Microsoft Virtual Java Machine' into Internet Explorer. - Microsoft essentially attempted to own a universal standard of Java, and made their own flavour of Java that was incompatible with anything else. They eventually got sued by Sun Microsystems and were forced to discontinue it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Java_Virtual_Machine

It's exactly this anticompetitive practice that has always made me detest Microsoft, and attracted me to the Apple camp. - Now Apple have reached global domination status, they are up to the same practices of Anti-competitive strategies to screw the consumer, and unfairly trample on the competition. They used to stand for making the best devices possible because they cared. Now all they care about is that you use one of their devices, in their way, and how much money they can make from you.

 

[recoil80]

I just had an image of Phil Shiller dancing around the house with the Apple AirPods...

I had another one.
Phil Schiller as De Niro in the Untouchables yelling "you're nothing but an air hole" to a 3.5'' jack

 

[thijsken]

I also can't imagine a situation where I need to do both.

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/

Please tell me you were trolling...

 

[bruinsrme]

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?

Time to buy a new radio or car that supports CarPlay

 

[TailsToo]

I think that one line about courage will be the defining moment of Phil's career.

Whomever came up with that line in the presentation should be reprimanded. Even basic marketing knowledge will tell you that you never dismiss potential customers concerns so lightly.

And this dock thing is stupid. Apple should have had a low cost lighting plus 3.5mm dongle ready at launch.

 

[obiwan]

Don't you use USB audio in the car. My car stereo charges my phone while playing music.

It would be nice, but no. My car is equipped with an 3.5mm AUX port in the glove compartment, that's it.

 

[tripmusic]

This would also be annoying if you like to use headphones with Skype like I sometimes do and having to charge. I think I may just stick with a 6s for now, or I'll have to grab some BT headphones

 

[Lancer]

I think the 7 is a nice step but right now my 5s does every thing I want, will probably with for the next one when hopefully I can afford the upgrade.

 

[ValiumEater]

Anyone who plans on using AirPods has no idea how audio is supposed to sound.

 

[MrMac2015]

Disheartening. Very poor, anti-consumerism choice here by Apple to remove the jack. I am hoping there is a never-ending public outcry. If not now, then once the devices are shipped and people see what they are missing. I am charging my phone right now, while headphones are plugged in. I could not use my phone if it were in a dock, as I am right now while making this post. And I don't want an adapter for my adapter, via Belkin.

The 'solutions' suck because the choice sucks. It's really that simple. Bring it back for iPhone 8.

Next iPhone will have wireless charging. Surely!

 

[Glassed Silver]

What they had before?! Solution? Don't get an iPhone 7...

That's not a solution, because you forgot to complete your sentence:
"Don't get an iPhone 7, 7s, 8, 8s, 9, 9s, and any that follow!"

Might as well say "Get an Android!"

The fun part is that within a couple of days you'll be told to "Get an iPhone!" by the Android fans when Android doesn't do what you need it to, so in the end your kind of advice is just a big circlejerk phrase that helps nobody.

MAYBE the next iPhone SE will have a headphone port, but that would entail other shortcomings.

Apple screwed this one up, end of story, but enough people will buy it regardless I'm sure and live with the major inconvienience it is to many.
I won't when my contract grants me a new phone, I just don't know which device to get instead.
Maybe a 6s, even though it feels weird to deliberately pick an older device for little savings when the newer one is better, especially in the camera department.

Glassed Silver:ios

 

[Otaviano]

Or it's a minor inconvenience and people will forget all about it and move on.

 

[Tunster]

Apple screwed this one up, end of story, but enough people will buy it regardless I'm sure and live with the major inconvienience it is to many.
I won't when my contract grants me a new phone, I just don't know which device to get instead.
Maybe a 6s, even though it feels weird to deliberately pick an older device for little savings when the newer one is better, especially in the camera department.

Really? It's a huge bet, but someone was going to remove the headphone jack when headphones are leaning towards wireless/digital. It's the Apple way. Same with everything they've excluded in their new devices in the past. I've mentioned them in a previous post (don't forget removing CD/DVD drive as well).

Some moaned, some bitched, some said it's stupid with the removal of the CD/DVD drive or change to lightning port. But no one thinks about it now. The pain will be harder with removal of the headphone jack. But we'll find other ways, third parties will move on and other standards will come up from the shadows. Or Apple will suffer on sales big time and rethink.

iP7 for them is a big gamble in so many ways.

 

[2010mini]

Do you know where to get the Bluetooth version of the Etymotic ER4B?

Nah I think I will stick with 3.5mm jack. There are good reasons as to why high-end audiophile manufacturers haven't released bluetooth headsets.

Oh, Beats and Bose doesn't count in case you were wondering and got fooled by their marketing ploys.

Don't be a snob. B&O makes a good sounding wireless headphone. And yes Bose and Beats count. Might not for your ears. But many people like them.