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Barclays Predicts 2018 iPhones Won't Come Bundled With Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter
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OK guy, back it up a moment...
If you’re going to talk about audio quality, when you’re talking about using an iPad’s 1/8” jack and cranking the volume on the iPad’s internal amp, then sending that down a 1/8” cable acquired for who knows where, into the amp on your 2012 Tacoma, this is what’s called in layman’s terms - totally jerry rigged. You’re not even describing a good ‘consumer’ auto configuration for a 6 year old car.
Your audio quality is going to be subpar with the multiple amp stages thru those cheapo 1/8” connectors. I’m sure if you crank the volume on the Tahoma (as well as the iPad), you and your friends can probably really annoy cars and anyone around you... but maybe your quality benchmarks are a bit skewed?
You’re just arguing convenience not quality. Yes there are still valid quality reasons for using wired connections in modern audio devices, but you haven’t identified any of them. None of them apply to the mobile device space.
But if you’re happy with what you got, cling to your old tech. There are thriving audio/computing device restoration and repair businesses everywhere that can keep your solution rolling for a long time. Might also be able to pick up one of those cherry 56k modems to compliment.
Because of this change, I've noticed that I don't use my headphones, almost ever. I just don't listen to music or anything in my iPhone anymore, which is a shame. I have no clue where my lightning earbuds are, and I just don't want to bother to find them. All my other ear buds/headphones with the traditional jack are doing great, and I use them in other things. If all we gained from transitioning to lightning headphones was space, I'm pretty pissed at the trade off. I didn't mind my phone being slightly thicker.
OK guy, back it up a moment...
If you’re going to talk about audio quality, when you’re talking about using an iPad’s 1/8” jack and cranking the volume on the iPad’s internal amp, then sending that down a 1/8” cable acquired for who knows where, into the amp on your 2012 Tacoma, this is what’s called in layman’s terms - totally jerry rigged. You’re not even describing a good ‘consumer’ auto configuration for a 6 year old car.
Your audio quality is going to be subpar with the multiple amp stages thru those cheapo 1/8” connectors. I’m sure if you crank the volume on the Tahoma (as well as the iPad), you and your friends can probably really annoy cars and anyone around you... but maybe your quality benchmarks are a bit skewed?
You’re just arguing convenience not quality. Yes there are still valid quality reasons for using wired connections in modern audio devices, but you haven’t identified any of them. None of them apply to the mobile device space.
But if you’re happy with what you got, cling to your old tech. There are thriving audio/computing device restoration and repair businesses everywhere that can keep your solution rolling for a long time. Might also be able to pick up one of those cherry 56k modems to compliment.
Oh for goodness sake. I was listening to Podcasts while driving home, where often the sound quality across podcasts can vary. Some voices are easy to hear & understand over wind noise in my truck, some are not. Using Bluetooth and the lightning cable, I could not raise the volume enough to easily understand some podcasts. Even with my turning up the treble. With the jerry-rigged 1/8 cable, I could raise it to a sweetspot level higher than available before and with zero mover-modulation or clipping. With windows up, and not annoying anyone outside.
YES I'm very much prioritizing convenience over absolute sound quality. Yes yes yes. I'll trade an instant-on jack/cable across the many locations I output sound from an iPad/iPhone over Bluetooth 7 times out of 9. For the 2 times- JBL Bluetooth speaker in my bathroom and to my apple TV, Bluetooth/airplay is better overall for user overall convenience & function. But only 2 out of 9 times. I'll cling to those 7 out of 9 gladly.
Heck, while talking convenience, back it up one more step. I've NEVER enjoyed listening to music on my iPhone as much as I did on my 12+ year old clickwheel ipod. The ipod's interface is much, much MUCH easier to use than my touchscreen iPhone. The physical/tactile and instant-access response of the targeted-use iPod blows away the iPhone. So as Apple gets craftier and asks their iOS to do more and more with fewer and fewer ports & buttons (and with an iOS whose UI is much less intuitive and easier to read than before ioS7 and which often hides certain functions behind clicks instead of providing those functions on one screen for easy/quick/instant access), these "simplifications & improvements" are not always a good thing to many users like me. Unfortunately, today’s Apple is not about the consumer’s being productive, satisfied, and occasionally delighted. Insyead today’s Apple is about what Apple thinks users need to be productive, satisfied, and surprised and delighted.
Sounds like you know a little about sound. Do you know about the phrase "if it sounds good, it is good?"
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MAkes sense apple would do this. They already sold a crap load of iphone Xs. So there are alot of adaptors out there. Plus they want people to buy their wireless headphones. So i dont see the big deal in them not including the adaptor with the next iphone.
Apple's widely rumored trio of new iPhone models expected to launch in September might not include a Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter in the box, according to Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis and his associates.
"We currently model no dongle this year," the analysts predicted, in a research note obtained by MacRumors today.
Cirrus Logic would be the primary loser within Apple's supply chain, as a supplier of audio-related components inside of the adapter. Barclays has lowered its quarterly and yearly revenue guidance for the company by up to five percent, for the time being, but that could change if they hear otherwise.
At this point, it appears that the Barclays analysts are merely guessing that the adapter will no longer be bundled, as in previous research notes, they have mentioned it may take until May or June to find out for certain.
Barclays does have some credibility in this area, as last year, the investment bank accurately predicted that Apple would continue to include the adapter in the box alongside the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. The analysts routinely visit with Apple's supply chain partners in Asia to gather information like this.
"We believe it stays this year but goes away at some point, potentially in the 2018 model," the analysts said back in April 2017.
Apple eliminating the headphone jack starting with the iPhone 7 was a controversial decision, but the adapter has at least helped ease the transition. Its inclusion has always felt temporary, and as AirPods and other wireless headphone become more widespread, Apple may no longer feel the need to bundle the dongle.
Apple still sells the Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter for $9 as a standalone accessory, which is cheap by its standards, so customers that prefer to use wired headphones won't be forced to pay too much extra whether the adapter is removed from the iPhone box this year or at a later time.
Article Link: Barclays Predicts 2018 iPhones Won't Come Bundled With Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter
As it should be. It’s not the fault of Apple that folks choose to still used wired headphones.
I support this.
This is just ridiculous. It's such a low cost item. Even if the lack of the dongle makes 0.001% of customers decide to return their headset out of frustration, the cost to process and refurbish those returns will outweigh the cost of the dongle. I'm obviously guesstimating here but I think most would agree.
Seems like a short-sighted move straight out of nickel and dime counting committee.
Seems like a short-sighted move straight out of nickel and dime counting committee.
A lot of the people I see and know are still on iPhone 6/6s because they didn’t find the iPhone 7 or 8 a compelling upgrade and didn’t think the X was worth it. If they want to upgrade this year, and it’s likely if the cheaper iPhone X-like model is coming, then it’s really going to disadvantage them by not having the adapter in the box. Why not include it?
Salty, but deliciously grumpy.
I don’t really take this particular rumor to heart but on top of how things have been trending, I had to agree. I like that you put it out there with a bit of grumpy humor.
It takes one to know one, GM
And when it comes to grumpy - I’d be miserable in paradise!
If I’m smiling. Something has gone seriously wrong! Or else. It’s trapped wind!
Right, they're only eight bucks, but that argument works both ways.
People are concocting all kinds of crazy scenarios about how horrible this is, but Apple has rarely caved to people whining on the Internet, so at the end of the day I guess the complainers will have a big decision to make about whether they're going to leave the Apple ecosystem or spend eight bucks to solve their 'problem'.
lol you know how people are, they will drop 1K on the phone, $40 on the Apple case, $60 for the wireless charger... but the balk at the $9 adapter
Yes, because it's so expensive to produce a little dongle that really helps out those who are upgrading from an iPhone or other device that still has a headphone jack.
I don't know about that... Seems to me Apple/Jony used the saber-rattling of a small minority of users to justify his bleaching away all the "it just works UI magic" from iOS when he led the creation of iOS 7... Life with an iPhone was just grand until iOS 7 burped onto my phone, after which I ventured into the world of i-forums like MR for the first time in order to find out what th hell kind of cruel joke this was, only to discover these complaints about UI features that I felt were hardly worthy of complaint. Heck, they even made fun of green felt and other similar things in their keynote that year. If that's not reacting to user complaints (or using user comments to allow a certain minimalist designer's whims to come to fruition) then nothing is.
And, again, to many it's not about spending $8 to regain a function. This $8 item you have to buy for all your corded applications or keep track of and which won't allow charging & listening at the same time to those of us who use cords in many applications to feed music/podcasts from an I-device to one of many mixers/radios/speakers/stereo systems... So it's a much bigger complaint about the jack than the "free" adapter.
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Yea... I brought other iPhone 6
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LOL... I will look that up. Even if I get Bluetooth headphone, I still only buy phones with headphone jack
Apple has a price target to hit every year. Apple has millions of people that let Apple use data from their device to help Apple understand usage. If this isn't included, I would assume Apple knows most people are not connecting to the device via this adapter.
Yeah same here. I use my iPhone all the time when I'm practicing drums. - I need to plug in my IEMs - AirPods are completely useless for drum practice. Not everyone who owns an iPhone uses it for casual music listening on the train. Bluetooth headphones (any variety) won't do because of the lag.
I'm even thinking of ditching my iPhone 6 altogether when it eventually dies for drum practice, and get something with physical buttons. After playing drums for a while even the touch controls, and touch ID don't work well with sweaty fingers.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Apple removing the headphone jack from the iPhone will not make the headphone jack die out. I still have not had a 3.5mm jack port fail on me, in the same way the flimsy lightning ports fail.