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

[darkgoob]

I am a mobile musician and I need analog audio out for live performance. I wear the iPhone in a tight, wrist-fitting sports case and hook it up to a wearable amplifier via 3.5mm jack, and to a MIDI keyboard via Lightning to USB. There is no way to use that dock when the phone is in my wrist case.

So the iPhone 7 is a giant kick in the balls to musicians like me. Shame on Apple for taking the most useful thing about the iPhone (I literally use it every day) and simply removing it so they could put in a bigger vibrator.

Sorry Phil, I just think it's stupid. You just gimped the iPhone. You should have at least put a second Lightning port so it could still be used in a vaguely similar fashion to the last one. Or, you could have made a latency free wireless to 3.5mm adapter... but no. You didn't.

...

I cannot see myself relying on a series of proprietary adapters and dongles that I will have to chain together and pray they don't break the night of a show. I already have to carry two extra of every cable. Two extra 3.5mm to RCA cables is no big deal, two extra Lightning to USB is no big deal.

But having to have two extra Lightning to 2x-Lightning adapter plus two extra Lightning to 3.5mm adapter? Not only is this expensive but also it introduces 3 new places in my chain where a cable could pop out while I am moving around with my wearable keyboard.

Currently with long cables I can just wrap it around my wrist and feed it back through the case's strap to avoid it getting yanked out. But a Lightning to 2x Lightning adapter has a 2" cable, making it basically unusable for my rig.

Just so disappointed.

 

[MistrSynistr]

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.

I will admit that was bizarre. When he said that I kept wondering if it was ad libbed because the stress got to him. Usually Apple doesn't humor the naysayers and only speaks about the positives on their products. I figured they would just geek up the headphone jack removal as to why it makes sense and not sort of accept defeat on it. This guy seems to be the king of goofy quotables as well, I'm surprised they use him for public speaking. If Apple had any self awareness on their presentations they'd only allow Craig Federighi to speak at these.

 

[Tunster]

To compare this to other format shifts is ridiculous, not least because as far as wired headphones are concerned, the port is now proprietary, their new wireless texhnology seems to be proprietary as well (W1 chip and even if they are licensing it out, still something that gets in the way).

Nothing was wrong with 3.5mm, but sure, go ahead and let Apple tell you how this will help the world enjoy music more, I for one choose to disagree.

How is it ridiculous? It's a standard as an output (same to video outputs, data outputs etc). 3.5mm jack ports aren't special status and okay, there's plenty of headphones and various other audio outputs that accept it.

Whether the new output is proprietary isn't really a concern. Apple allow third-party devices to be developed against lightning (have done since the launch), so it isn't entirely exclusive to them. Also, I think portable devices need to be challenged with regards to audio output. 3.5mm jack can be interfered with outside interference, so there's plenty wrong with it for people who want top quality sound. You also have to consider that true audiophiles use amps, so the argument that an adapter harms usability is incorrect. Also 3.5mm jacks are analog. Not having to place a DAC on chip might save money and improve sound quality as there's no deterioration on sound from the source. So digital can and should be the logical option to making it better.

Objectively, it's a good move for the sound industry and pushes other companies to reconsider adding a headphone 3.5mm jack on their devices. Personally, I disagree with the change as the case of making the iPhone thinner is a null argument in 2016. Although, I do see the point regarding sealing up ports to make it water tight. Analog headphone jacks are a nightmare because of the way they're designed.

Let's see how sales fair in 6 months time. It'll be a normal success or blow up because they left 6S (and upgraded it) available to buy.

 

[Tom-Helge]

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.

B&O make some really good wireless headphones. Yes, i do have the B&O BeoPlay H7 myself. They are AWESOME and are both wired and wireless.

But, the wireless way lacks something that the wired way doesn't. And that's a good sound quality when you are listening to something that is better than 352 Kbps aptX or better than 250 Kbps AAC (on an iPhone).

Bluetooth 4.2 supports the aptX codec that is up to 352 Kbps and AAC which is about 250 Kbps. So that means that if you are listening to an 320 Kbps MP3 file from an Android phone that supports the aptX codec, the aptX codec then wont compress or change the original sound quality from the original 320 Kbps MP3 file at all, as it's under the 352 Kbps limit of the aptX codec. If you use a 320 Kbps MP3 file on an iPhone, then that MP3 file will be compressed even one more time down to 250 Kbps in AAC. Aka the sound is double compressed here.

So if you are listening to musics that have more Kbps than those 2 codecs, you will lose ALOT of sound quality over Bluetooth over the sound quality you get from the wire on the BeoPlay H7.

But for the casual users who just listens to Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL and such services, then the Bluetooth sound quality is as good as the wired one is .

 

[darkgoob]

B&O make some really good wireless headphones. Yes, i do have the B&O BeoPlay H7 myself. They are AWESOME and are both wired and wireless.

But, the wireless way lacks something that the wired way does. And that's a good sound quality when you are listening to something that is better than 352 Kbps aptX or better than 250 Kbps AAC (on an iPhone).

Bluetooth 4.2 supports the aptX codec that is up to 352 Kbps and AAC which is about 250 Kbps. So that means that if you are listening to an 320 Kbps MP3 file from an Android phone that supports the aptX codec, the aptX codec then wont compress or change the original sound quality from the original 320 Kbps MP3 file at all, as it's under the 352 Kbps limit of the aptX codec. If you use a 320 Kbps MP3 file on an iPhone, then that MP3 file will be compressed even one more time down to 250 Kbps in AAC. Aka the sound is double compressed here.

So if you are listening to musics that have more Kbps than those 2 codecs, you will lose ALOT of sound quality over Bluetooth over the sound quality you get from the wire on the BeoPlay H7.

But for the casual users who just listens to Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL and such services, then the Bluetooth sound quality is as good as the wired one is .

We use the 3.5mm jack for a lot more than just listening to prerecorded music. iPhone is a musical instrument with hundreds of amazing music apps like Moog Model 15, Korg Gadget, Amplitube, and of course, Apple Garage Band, which ships with iPhone.

Many of us have hundreds of dollars in these apps. Many of us use them on-stage without a table or stand, using wearable cases. Making that dock useless.

And these apps are useless without a latency-free way to attach the iPhone to a PA system and a USB MIDI keyboard or guitar jack.

iPhone 7 is thus a giant kick in the balls to all musicians everywhere. Everyone who has invested heavily in being an iOS-based musician, which up until now was an incredibly liberating experience.

Apple should have at least offered one model with dual Lightning ports. That would have been fine.

 

[MaloCS]

Phil just comes off as an unpleasant human being

And a profiteering liar.

 

[BobVB]

did your magic 8ball tell you this or can you support this somehow?

One buy the fact that so few people are here talking about it. Yes, there are many new accounts and ones like you ‘talking’ about it but relatively few actual Apple users on a Apple forum.

Its an antique analog port with 2 out/1 in + primitive controls. The lightning port is a true digital data port with relative limitless in/out data channel passage plus power in and out. Anyone who needs to use that port for more than one device or purpose at once can get a hub that allows it, two options have already appeared, more will.

Same design philosophy as on the new Apple laptops - minimize ports by putting in ones that can handle as much data as anyone can need and those with specialized needs can still do what they want because the port is multichannel.

Saw the same ‘angst’ with the loss of the serial ports, SCSI ports, 3.5” floppies, CD Drives, removable batteries, etc. There is a minority (and yes each time it was just a vocal minority) saying this is ‘intolerable’ and that they are going to leave. Some do, most don’t, most adapt to the new situation and find they don’t miss it at all or even come to love it and Apple goes on.

The ‘one size fits all’ DAC that the old faux ‘analog’ port did - it is just digital data that has been put in a simulated analog mode output - is a restriction. Now any device can use the data stream to their audio device in the way that is best for their usage like the new AirPods with their customized DAC. Look for more audio products that do just that with higher quality analog simulation because they are no longer tied to the single Apple implementation.

its the future of Apple and a better one, you’ll see that eventually I hope. If not, there are lots of Android phones out there because there won’t be an analog port in the next phone, but the time it is out this kerfuffle will have settled.

 

[Wolfpup]

Well, suggesting people pay $50 to get back what they had before is pretty much asking for that.

Why is Apple so obsessed with removing useful features, and then calling that "courageous"? They've been doing this for almost two decades now, and they're always in the wrong. I like and use a lot of Apple products, but DESPITE them doing this, certainly not because of it.

 

[Tom-Helge]

We use the 3.5mm jack for a lot more than just listening to prerecorded music. iPhone is a musical instrument with hundreds of amazing music apps like Moog Model 15, Korg Gadget, Amplitube, and of course, Apple Garage Band, which ships with iPhone.

Many of us have hundreds of dollars in these apps. Many of us use them on-stage without a table or stand, using wearable cases. Making that dock useless.

And these apps are useless without a latency-free way to attach the iPhone to a PA system and a USB MIDI keyboard or guitar jack.

iPhone 7 is thus a giant kick in the balls to all musicians everywhere. Everyone who has invested heavily in being an iOS-based musician, which up until now was an incredibly liberating experience.

Apple should have at least offered one model with dual Lightning ports. That would have been fine.

That's something i can agree on.

 

[AllergyDoc]

I am a mobile musician ...

Just so disappointed.

I don't think Apple cares much about professionals anymore. They have such a huge base of casual users to cater to now.
[doublepost=1473433888][/doublepost]We bought a couple of the Lightening Docks last year when we got our 6S's. I use mine every night, leaving a clock app on display. It's very useful. However, dragging it with me on a commute or a trip would seem awkward. Hopefully in a year or two the new tech will prove to be far superior to what we have now, making the painful switch worth it.

 

[AppleBytes]

I'm so annoyed at how some people can be mad that Apple doesn't innovate and yet them, as the consumer, resists change so much!!

Removing something that affects about 99% of current users isn't innovation! Adding a dongle isn't innovation!

They seriously could have introduced the AirBuds without removing the 1/8" jack; the reason they did it is to increase royalty payments on their proprietary port to boost profits and make shareholders happy.

 

[a0me]

Well, suggesting people pay $50 to get back what they had before is pretty much asking for that.

To be fair you'd need to pay $800 since you'll need the iPhone 7 to go with your $50 Lightning dock.

 

[AppleBytes]

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.

HFPA? What are you talking about?

I'm referring to the fact that FLAC can be superior in quality to CDs.

 

[obiwan]

I don't think Apple cares much about professionals anymore. They have such a huge base of casual users to cater to now.

Yep, it's true. Too busy focussing on shiny iToys for the masses, than creating professional tools that people need.

 

[BobVB]

We use the 3.5mm jack for a lot more than just listening to prerecorded music. iPhone is a musical instrument with hundreds of amazing music apps like Moog Model 15, Korg Gadget, Amplitube, and of course, Apple Garage Band, which ships with iPhone.

Many of us have hundreds of dollars in these apps. Many of us use them on-stage without a table or stand, using wearable cases. Making that dock useless.

Apple should have at least offered one model with dual Lightning ports. That would have been fine.

But all that can be done with a single data port and a hub. One 2 port hub is already announced, and if the need you have is actually profitable someone is going to make a hub case that you can slip your phone in and have 2 or more ports, maybe even a couple analog ports. Its just a specialized hub - someone will make one that gives you better than a single faux analog plus one data/power, especially if the music industry is asking for it.

If you can’t use the current configuration now then use the iPhone 6s/+ until the specific hub options come along that fit your needs, the 7 is most certainly not a mandatory upgrade for anyone - it is a measured performance increase that isn’t essential for your business right? Rather than fretting now, think about what kind of access to the phone you’d rather have - e.g. more than 1 faux analog port, multiple lightning ports, extra power storage built in.

Something will be made to simulate the old way of doing things but during this change over do think about ways that a simple hub case could make things even better for you and ask for them - shoot some sort of customizable case for music industry that has all the ports and power than the individual needs could make someone a pretty penny if they are looking forward instead of back.

 

[AppleBytes]

I know it can be frustrating but that's how tech works. I used to have a lot of old serial devices, a lot of external SCSI devices, yadda, yadda, yadda. Tech moves on. You upgrade.

That's not really true in a lot of cases. USB1 -> USB2 -> USB3 -> USB 3.1 didn't require dongles.

USB-C is a new port, but judging by USB1-3.1, the next iteration will probably use the same form factor.

Advancements in analogue audio didn't ever require Dongles.

HDMI -> HDMI 2.0 didn't require dongles.

Most or all consumer Serial and SCSI devices are fully outdated at this point, be they dot matrix printers or CRT monitors, whereas most USB, Analogue-connected audio and HDMI devices are not. In the case of audio, they probably never will be.

Really, the only problematic connections from the past 10 years are Fireface, Thunderbolt, Lightning, and some of the other proprietary mobile phone chargers that have thankfully disappeared.

In the case of analogue audio, it's still a necessity for the device to be functional/usable for the vast majority of users. If it wasn't Apple wouldn't be giving out free dongles to all buyers, or telling customers to buy ugly hubs that they'll probably also have to plug other dongles into.

 

[Otaviano]

Removing something that affects about 99% of current users isn't innovation! Adding a dongle isn't innovation!

They seriously could have introduced the AirBuds without removing the 1/8" jack; the reason they did it is to increase royalty payments on their proprietary port to boost profits and make shareholders happy.

In order to do that they would need to come and remove the 3.5mm jack from your current phone?

Did they do that?

 

[AppleBytes]

But all that can be done with a single data port and a hub. One 2 port hub is already announced, and if the need you have is actually profitable someone is going to make a hub case that you can slip your phone in and have 2 or more ports, maybe even a couple analog ports. Its just a specialized hub - someone will make one that gives you better than a single faux analog plus one data/power, especially if the music industry is asking for it.

If you can’t use the current configuration now then use the iPhone 6s/+ until the specific hub options come along that fit your needs, the 7 is most certainly not a mandatory upgrade for anyone - it is a measured performance increase that isn’t essential for your business right? Rather than fretting now, think about what kind of access to the phone you’d rather have - e.g. more than 1 faux analog port, multiple lightning ports, extra power storage built in.

Something will be made to simulate the old way of doing things but during this change over do think about ways that a simple hub case could make things even better for you and ask for them - shoot some sort of customizable case for music industry that has all the ports and power than the individual needs could make someone a pretty penny if they are looking forward instead of back.

Buying hubs and in turn plugging dongles into those hubs really defeats the simplicity and portability that makes iPhone and iPad music making so compelling.

The iRig or Apogee Jam, for example are already popular dongles that allow you to plug a guitar or microphone into the lightning connection, to be processed via apps and then output as sound via headphones or the aux jack to a PA, stereo or amplifier. With i iPhone 7 and apple's dock, you'd be adding an extra dock into the equation, and the previously elegant solution starts to look decidedly inelegant and un-Apple.

Also, who knows if these devices, some of which are only a year or two old and viewed by most people who buy them as investments that should last at least 5 years, can even work with the split-signal that the dock provides. Do they need 100% of the lightning bandwidth? Will the docks provide enough power pass-through for the devices?

 

[mantan]

It's precious that you think Apple is listening to the dozen or so people here who complain here day-in day-out for years and think that they are actually giving feedback that's being acted upon.

My attitude is that if the companies that make your phone/TV/stereo/car/printer/computer/clothing/appliances/etc aren't providing what you need, vote with your wallet and jump ship. There are plenty of competing vendors out there. I'd like to say Be Bold," but I really shouldn't have to. I'm really astonished people are so afraid to do that. For me it's second nature. Easy, and it feels good!

Why continue to honor a company with your hard-earned dollars if they're not making products that you want? That makes no sense.

Who said anything about Apple reading the forums? If you go to any product forum (cars, golf clubs, cameras, watches) you'll hear people say what they like and don't like about a product line.

Giving their complaints isn't seen as 'whining'. With Apple there is an odd dynamic where any complaints about an Apple product are met by some with a 'shut up and like it'....like any discourse is an insult to Mother Apple.

A high percentage of people who sign up for MacRumors forum like (or have liked) Apple products. Expecting them to be lockstep that 'everything is awesome' is naive.

 

[rockinrakozy]

Besides it could only contain a couple gb, scratched, was big, had to be stored,slow,...

USB is a lot easier, more reliable, smaller,faster,...

But you didn't know that 10 or 15 years ago, now did you. It was only until a couple of years ago you found that USB is a lot better, more reliable, smaller and faster but until the optical drive was taken away, you didn't know any of that until the tech world decided to find another solution.


I have heard a lot of comparisons but none of them match . This only makes things from the cinsumer point of view MORE complicated by being less compatible, less universaly usable less reliable and more expensive.

Less compatible? Less universal? Less reliable? More expensive? Compatibility and universal use comes down to either your phone has bluetooth or not. Secondly, reliability depends solely upon the headphones which, thirdly, would result in either really cheap models, ranging from $15 on up to the $400 range or beyond. Yeah, a simple amazon search will bring up a lot of cheap, affordable wireless headphones.


So basicly change how you use your phone? Thats BS, perhaps you dont see this need others do and have it. And what advantages do you get in return? Nothing it basicly has just downsides.

What's wrong with changing the way we use our phones? To state that it's a downside results in your failure to comprehend what could be a solution in the future. There are already solutions out there. There are affordable wireless headphones, whether they're great or not depends solely upon the consumer and their preference. If you like just using your earbuds from Apple, then you can definitely afford a pair of wireless headphones as mentioned above. And the advantages I'll explain below.


Any decent wired through the 3.5mm is going to better then most wireless & whatever they provide with the smartphone.

That may be true but the audio world has already found solutions around it to still keep the same clarity and prestine sound while sacrificing the cable altogether. Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, Bose, to name a few. And honestly, who can really tell if wired or wireless sounds better? You either have to be a true audiophile, pure to the bone, or... you're the average day consumer that won't tell the difference.


Yeah because "the earth is flat" is the same. First of all half of that is a myth second it was actually based in large part on science & observations.

Actually my analogy does work. It's about the mindset of individuals. You see, first and foremost, if you did a little fact checking you would understand that quite a few people thought the world was flat, therefore it's not a myth that people thought that. Lots of philosophers and individuals who were well sought after for their wisdom and knowledge thought the same way. But of course now we know the world is round based on science and other methods of observations. In the same matter, you, yes you, are like those individuals. Your mindset is that of "I don't want to know if there's a world that could be better with wireless audio. I'm set in my ways, I'm content where I am, science thus far has proven that the 3.5mm jack is the only way to listen to my music and any audio content for that matter." It's exactly like the people who thought the world was flat. They didn't want to believe that the world could be round, the liked the idea enough and kept with it. So why are you bummed out about the removal of the 3.5mm jack?

Do tell what are the main advantages for the consumer to not have a 3.5mm jack.

One of the biggest advantages I'm sure we can all relate with is the wires. And I'll prove it right here, right now. We've done away with ethernet for wireless internet, we've done away with optical drives and even usb storage for cloud storage, we print wirelessly now, we stream music wirelessly from the cloud, we play music wireless in our cars, we don't use DVDs and Blu Ray players because we can wirelessly stream content to our TVs, we're already in the transition of doing away with wired chargers and opting for inductive charging. Not being tethered to your phone is probably THE biggest factor and benefit of eliminating the jack. We don't have an ethernet cable hooked up to our phones to get the fastest, most best, and most reliable internet connection, now do we? Of course not. It's more convenient to be wireless. Secondly, audio quality at this point, as mentioned above, is completely preference-based and dependent on how much you're willing to spend. If you want high quality audio, then of course you're gonna pay more. That logically goes for everything in the world. If it's of high quality you're going to spend more. And if you're on a budget, there are plenty of options already out there. Also speaking of sound, sound is depended on the amplification. Hence a more powerful amp delivers more wattage to the speakers, the cleaner the audio. Wires may have some say in it, depending on the size and ohms but largely you're not going to tell a difference. Thus headphones with built-in powered drivers are going to sound better, wireless or not, but like I said, that's all preference at that point. Thirdly, utilizing that space where the DAC was before for something more beneficial like, oh, I dunno, battery life? I'm totally fine with that idea. More battery life means not needing to be tethered to a wall to charge it throughout the day. I'm sure you'd be happier with more battery life than having a dead phone with an audio jack. But I dunno, maybe you prefer that.

All in all, technology will advance, consumers will stop whining and probably start enjoying the new change, 5-10 years down the road people will begin to wonder "Phones had 3.5mm jacks? But why?" So you can either keep thinking the world is round and not wanting to accept that change IS inevitable OR you could maybe have a little faith in the tech world and find out for yourself whether no audio jack is a good thing or a bad thing. It seems right now you're just a Johnny Raincloud. People who want to find a solution to make it worth it or better don't like people like you, always being negative and paranoid and unwilling to see a brighter future or any kind of future for that matter. Companies are already rolling out phones with no headphones jacks even before Apple. So I just want to leave one last note - I, for one, have wireless headphones - the Bose Soundsport Wireless headphones. And I can testify that it was the best decision in the world. Seamless connection, no wires tethered to my phone, I don't need the phone on me always to walk around the house with headphones on, and working out with them at the gym eliminates any snagging that could happen. And most of all, they sound damn good. So at this point, it's really up to you to decide if you want to try out the new change or stick with the old.

 

[Sheppard]

iPhone 7 is thus a giant kick in the balls to all musicians everywhere. Everyone who has invested heavily in being an iOS-based musician, which up until now was an incredibly liberating experience.

What's wrong with using an iPhone 6s/SE or iPad? What's the difference with using a lightning to 3.5mm adapter? I'm just curious as you've had no experience with using it yet..

 

[citysnaps]

Who said anything about Apple reading the forums? If you go to any product forum (cars, golf clubs, cameras, watches) you'll hear people say what they like and don't like about a product line.

Giving their complaints isn't seen as 'whining'. With Apple there is an odd dynamic where any complaints about an Apple product are met by some with a 'shut up and like it'....like any discourse is an insult to Mother Apple.

A high percentage of people who sign up for MacRumors forum like (or have liked) Apple products. Expecting them to be lockstep that 'everything is awesome' is naive.

Invoking your "Who said..."...

Who said people here need to be in "lockstep?"

Who said "shut up and like it?"

Who said "any discourse is an insult to Apple?"

Not me. Nice straw man, though.

What I said was, "My attitude is that if the companies that make your phone/TV/stereo/car/printer/computer/clothing/appliances/etc aren't providing what you need, vote with your wallet and jump ship. There are plenty of competing vendors out there."

My above post was neither pro or anti Apple. It's about if some manufacturer isn't making products that work for you or cause you unhappiness, simple change manufacturers. Vote with your wallet. Stop supporting companies that aren't meeting your needs. There are a ton of choices and options out there. Is that really that difficult to understand?

 

[RedOrchestra]

Just move along ... so says the individual who's only ever purchased 1 Apple product in their lifetime ... the self-righteous diatribe is tiresome, really.

 

[EdT]

"Apple executives have explained that the removal of the headphone jack took a lot of "courage," but was necessary to free up valuable space and improve technology in the iPhone 7 and future iPhones."

It didn't take that much courage when you price the air pods at $159.00

They shouldn't cost any more than $49.99 in fact they really should be free for the first year now that's a way in increase sales of iPhone 7.

This would have been the smart way to handle this. It would have cut into their profit with the i7, though I really doubt it would have made them sell at a loss, but it would have removed a lot, but not all, of the criticisms you are seeing on this board and in general articles. And if their goal was to hasten a transition to wireless headphones this would do more than any amount of advertising and explaining is doing now.

 

[BobVB]

Buying hubs and in turn plugging dongles into those hubs really defeats the simplicity and portability that makes iPhone and iPad music making so compelling.

The iRig or Apogee Jam, for example are already popular dongles that allow you to plug a guitar or microphone into the lightning connection, to be processed via apps and then output as sound via headphones or the aux jack to a PA, stereo or amplifier. With i iPhone 7 and apple's dock, you'd be adding an extra dock into the equation, and the previously elegant solution starts to look decidedly inelegant and un-Apple.

Also, who knows if these devices, some of which are only a year or two old and viewed by most people who buy them as investments that should last at least 5 years, can even work with the split-signal that the dock provides. Do they need 100% of the lightning bandwidth? Will the docks provide enough power pass-through for the devices?

And I bet the these ‘dongles’ will adapt and the Dock was just the ‘available now’ option - the Apple iPhone stands have had ‘line out’ since the 30 pin connector. Shoot, a case that brings the lightning port back under x 2 and a faux analog port or whatever else the musician needs is some ones opportunity for wealth and fame.

And a single lightning port can handle 12 watts and like every hub, more power can be added if needed and divided according to demand. The iPad Pro of 2015 has the theoretical capacity of hundreds of MB of data passed per second, I bet the new iPhones have something similar.

And yeah, I feel the pain of buying equipment and finding it suddenly become ‘legacy’ long before I wanted it to - I paid $800 for my 20 MB serial hard drive for my first iMac and then they switched to SCSI - I adapted and got by and still used it until the new stuff was so cheap and so much better. If the implementation already involves a dongle a true Lightning hub with multiple ports and maybe even a built in faux audio or two will be coming and how much more elegant is it to have the iPhone connected by a single lightning cable to that?

Again, no need to change until the peripherals and hubs are ready but since they are just hubs they will come, whether by some big company or the musician with a bit of electronic know-how and a talent with the soldering iron as well as keyboard.

One cable coming off the iPhone seems way more elegant to me.