Barclays Predicts 2018 iPhones Won't Come Bundled With Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter

[jonnyb098]

Are you happy to buy AirPods every 2 years for the rest of your life?

Cos if you love them so much that you can't imagine going back to regular headphones again, do the maths on the back of an envelope and see if you're happy paying that much for not having wires.

Otherwise, don't get too used the experience.

And at least insist on manufacturers including a 3.5mm headphone jack for when you decide you don't want to pay to listen.

It’s been 18 months and I still love them and they work great. I expect them to work fine for another 18. And yes I’m happy to pay for it and can afford to buy another pair in a couple years. Not sure what your point is other than they’re “too expensive”. Why would I have to buy new ones every 2 years? Where’s your logic on that??

Apple still includes an adaptor or you can buy it for $9 if affordability of AirPods is an issue for you. Anyone complaining about Apple prices should probably look elsewhere. They aren’t budget products and that’s not something new.

 

[obiwan]

You just don't get it do you - wireless, for some, is worse than wired. It's a downgrade, with a higher price tag:

I don't want to charge my headphones.

I don't want to replace headphones every few years because the batteries died. It's expensive.

I want to use one set of headphones on all my devices.

I don't want buggy pairing/repairing/switching between devices vs plugging in a cable.

3.5mm jack always sounds great, wireless, less reliable, supposedly sounds a bit worse

I don't want latency issues - I work professionally with audio/video.

and finally,

CABLES. NEVER. BOTHERED. ME.

Right now, 3.5mm headphone jack does all the above. Wireless never will.

Keep preaching about it being the future all you like, you sound like a corporate shill, apple apologist moron.

I completely agree with your points here. Yet again Apple has screwed over it's pro user base (in this case Audio Professionals). The iPhone was a useful device to have in your pocket when you work in the field of professional audio. - It's clear Apple just want it to become a fashion accessory for fan boys.

 

[jonnyb098]

I completely agree with your points here. Yet again Apple has screwed over it's pro user base (in this case Audio Professionals). The iPhone was a useful device to have in your pocket when you work in the field of professional audio. - It's clear Apple just want it to become a fashion accessory for fan boys.

No offense but you are in a completely EXTREMELY NICHE use case. Yeah it’s crummy for you potentially but Apple doesn’t cater to the .00001 percent. Add your argument to “why isn’t there a new Mac mini or iPod Touch”.

Or just buy the adaptor???? Would that not work for you?

 

[ipponrg]

Apple still includes an adaptor or you can buy it for $9 if affordability of AirPods is an issue for you. Anyone complaining about Apple prices should probably look elsewhere. They aren’t budget products and that’s not something new.

I think most people are commenting out of principle, but it's nice to know that you like to pay more for less.

 

[HVDynamo]

Don't see this as a big deal. Been a few years now and I would suspect those that want a dongle, have one. Otherwise they use the lightning earpods or bluetooth.

Or we have continued using our 6S or older phones because moving to a newer one hampers the way we like to use our phones. I don't want a dongle, I want a damn headphone jack in the phone.

 

[jonnyb098]

I think most people are commenting out of principle, but it's nice to know that you like to pay more for less.

That’s a completely subjective claim. I’m paying for the convenience over “high end” sound quality. As are most who use AirPods. I think most people are just commenting to complain about something that isn’t really a big deal anymore. Which is the popular thing to do. Doesn’t matter what Apple does there will be a group of people whining. The argument was rehashed a million times when the iPhone 7 came out. So you have to pay 9 bucks for a dongle. If that’s gonna break the bank then don’t buy an iPhone. The majority of people won’t care of the REALLY need the dongle.

 

[Krayzkat]

No chance of Apple putting a headphone adapter back into the latest iPhones (not sure about SE2 though).

The lightning port will probably be removed in next few years too i think, so you may aswell get out of the iOS ecosystem now.

 

[JediZenMaster]

Cheap a$$, Apple! Sigh.

I wouldn’t say they are cheap but iPhone users have had at least 3 generations to deal with not having a headphone jack.

What should they do? Include it forever? The one thing I will never understand is why some Apple users expect them to have support for legacy stuff till the end of time.

Rosetta, Ports, etc. I’m glad they don’t yield and keep moving the train forward.

 

[HVDynamo]

Okay? I'd imagine you are in the minority there, but whatever works for ya.

Well at the time of me writing this comment, his comment has twice as many likes. So....

 

[jonnyb098]

I wouldn’t say they are cheap but iPhone users have had at least 3 generations to deal with not having a headphone jack.

What should they do? Include it forever? The one thing I will never understand is why some Apple users expect them to have support for legacy stuff till the end of time.

Rosetta, Ports, etc. I’m glad they don’t yield and keep moving the train forward.

Exactly, it’s inevitable to piss off a few people for the sake of progress . I’m sure tons of people were pissed when the automobile came out. It can be applied to any technological advancement.

The biggest problem in any subject matter is refusing to change because “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. That mentality would never get us anywhere on progress.

 

[obiwan]

No offense but you are in a completely EXTREMELY NICHE use case. Yeah it’s crummy for you potentially but Apple doesn’t cater to the .00001 percent. Add your argument to “why isn’t there a new Mac mini or iPod Touch”.

Or just buy the adaptor???? Would that not work for you?

The problem is all Apple's Pro users are becoming a completely niche use case, where they used to make up the core of the market.

I don't want an adaptor, I want it built into the phone. It's functionally worse, and more inconvenient to use. A phone without a headphone jack would be a serious downgrade for me.

 

[Cloudkicker]

Lolll none of us should be surprised. Speaking of dongles, every hotel I visit still has an alarm clock / speaker with the 30-pin connection LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.

Thrift stores (Goodwill, ValueVillage, Salvation Army) are awash in 30-pin alarm clocks. So when Family Guy made fun of it as a Christmas for a product nobody uses.

 

[HVDynamo]

Thats like saying I refuse to buy a computer without a floppy drive 20 years ago. Soon, 5 - 10 years, even the cheapest low end phone won't have a headphone jack.

The floppy drive went obsolete because we outgrew the maximum data capacity it could hold. That's a very different reason. The headphone jack is not obsolete as the audio is not data capacity or throughput limited (which is why all data storage mediums go obsolete over time). It is still used in many industries, and it's frustrating as all hell when people who just listen to music on the bus, can't think beyond their tiny use case. The headphone jack is reliable and compatible with many devices on the market, it's also not proprietary... and doesn't require managing yet another battery. It also pairs stupid easily, unplug it here, and plug it in there and it's seamlessly paired. No bandwidth issues, no lag issues, just sound that works.

 

[ignatius345]

Good. Only hipsters are using wired headphones these days.

I have the same kitchen knife I've had for about 10 years now because it still works -- does that make me a "hipster"? I also haven't thrown into the trash my good wired headphones I paid a fair amount of money for.

 

[HVDynamo]

So you want the premium brand company to take all their best technology and make it all optional? I cannot tell if you're joking or not.

You need to upgrade your sarcasm detector. That post is littered with sarcasm...

 

[ipponrg]

That’s a completely subjective claim. I’m paying for the convenience over “high end” sound quality. As are most who use AirPods. I think most people are just commenting to complain about something that isn’t really a big deal anymore. Which is the popular thing to do. Doesn’t matter what Apple does there will be a group of people whining. The argument was rehashed a million times when the iPhone 7 came out. So you have to pay 9 bucks for a dongle. If that’s gonna break the bank then don’t buy an iPhone. The majority of people won’t care of the REALLY need the dongle.

It's not really subjective when you're looking at it objectively. Why would people complain about having the unit price stay the same but get less in return? I don't use the provided iPhone earbuds, but if they removed it, I'd be upset because that should factor in the cost of the product, even if it were just $5.

It's the principle that is the most troubling behind this. Apple is penny pinching to get X% profit increase. By not packaging the 3.5mm adapter, people that have held onto their 6S and who are now looking for an upgrade may have to spend $9 for an item that a very profitable company will not provide out of the box. Some companies show their appreciation for their customers by making this decision hassle-free. Others do it by allowing the customer to gloat about how they're willing to spend.

For many of us who upgrade every 2 years (for me it was 4S -> 6S -> X), we missed on the iPhone 7. Some of the complaints you are seeing now are from people who are on a similar cycle.

On a sidenote, I could care less about the lightning to 3.5mm dongle in the next iPhone because I already have one with my iPhone X. I'm just viewing this from both sides of the fences here.

 

[ignatius345]

The Earbuds already work out of the box on the phone. This cable is for the people who refuse to buy bluetooth or use the included earpods.

No loss except for poor people who should not even be buying new phones.

Hey genius: has it occurred to you that some people might have better headphones than you and not want to throw them out?

 

[JediZenMaster]

The problem is all Apple's Pro users are becoming a completely niche use case, where they used to make up the core of the market.

I don't want an adaptor, I want it built into the phone. It's functionally worse, and more inconvenient to use. A phone without a headphone jack would be a serious downgrade for me.

They still focus on Pro users but Apple IMHO was never completely dominated by Pro users that’s a stereotype and can be a bit off putting to people.

 

[jonnyb098]

It's not really subjective when you're looking at it objectively. Why would people complain about having the unit price stay the same but get less in return? I don't use the provided iPhone earbuds, but if they removed it, I'd be upset because that should factor in the cost of the product, even if it were just $5.

It's the principle that is the most troubling behind this. Apple is penny pinching to get X% profit increase. By not packaging the 3.5mm adapter, people that have held onto their 6S and who are now looking for an upgrade may have to spend $9 for an item that a very profitable company will not provide out of the box. Some companies show their appreciation for their customers by making this decision hassle-free. Others do it by allowing the customer to gloat about how they're willing to spend.

For many of us who upgrade every 2 years (for me it was 4S -> 6S -> X), we missed on the iPhone 7. Some of the complaints you are seeing now are from people who are on a similar cycle.

On a sidenote, I could care less about the lightning to 3.5mm dongle in the next iPhone because I already have one with my iPhone X. I'm just viewing this from both sides of the fences here.

So what if Apple has data that shows the majority of people aren’t using the dongle? Would it not make sense from business perspective to stop including it?? I don’t know those facts, nor do you , nor does anyone commenting. This is all just rumor and speculation they’ll stop including the adaptor. I’m just saying if they do......very few will care.

Everyone whining is whining over something that hasn’t happened yet.

 

[obiwan]

What should they do? Include it forever? The one thing I will never understand is why some Apple users expect them to have support for legacy stuff till the end of time.

I'd hardly describe the headphone port as legacy. I'm pretty sure 3.5mm headphone jacks will still be around in 25 years time...

The floppy drive went obsolete because we outgrew the maximum data capacity it could hold. That's a very different reason. The headphone jack is not obsolete as the audio is not data capacity or throughput limited (which is why all data storage mediums go obsolete over time). It is still used in many industries, and it's frustrating as all hell when people who just listen to music on the bus, can't think beyond their tiny use case. The headphone jack is reliable and compatible with many devices on the market, it's also not proprietary... and doesn't require managing yet another battery. It also pairs stupid easily, unplug it here, and plug it in there and it's seamlessly paired. Not bandwidth issues, no lag issues, just sound that works.

Yeah I completely agree. Comparing ditching the headphone jack to a floppy drive is ridiculous.

 

[jonnyb098]

Hey genius: has it occurred to you that some people might have better headphones than you and not want to throw them out?

So use the adaptor. The headline is that they might stop including NOT that they will stop supporting it.

 

[JediZenMaster]

I'd hardly describe the headphone port as legacy. I'm pretty sure 3.5mm headphone jacks will still be around in 25 years time...



Yeah I completely agree. Comparing ditching the headphone jack to a floppy drive is ridiculous.

We will come back here in 25 years and see lol.

But regardless if folks had their way Apple would never drop support for anything.

It warms my heart though when they stand their ground and I hope this rumor becomes truth.

Folks need to realize that just because someone wants something doesn’t mean they will get it.

 

[ipponrg]

So what if Apple has data that shows the majority of people aren’t using the dongle? Would it not make sense from business perspective to stop including it?? I don’t know those facts, nor do you , nor does anyone commenting. This is all just rumor and speculation they’ll stop including the adaptor. I’m just saying if they do......very few will care.

Everyone whining is whining over something that hasn’t happened yet.

If Apple has data that shows that ALL phone users (and not just iPhone users) are not using the 3.5mm, then yes it would make sense from a business perspective to just exclude that extra cost. If they evaluated such that only their users don't use it, it implies they don't care about onboarding previous or new iPhone users from other platforms. It could work out for them such that these users will spend for additional wireless accessories, but it could also backfire because the entry point isn't worth it for them.

But why even ask this question if Apple hasn't provided those facts?

You're on a Mac rumors site, and you're annoyed that people are complaining about a rumor?

 

[wbeasley]

I had a 7 and now have a X. I don't think I've used the adapter once. I use Bluetooth everywhere. Not having to deal with wires is the best.

I have a 6S+ and use AirPods with it. So much better not needing wires to unravel. Case makes carrying them easy and safe too. This whole "debate" is just a beat up. If you want to use regular headphones you've either bought a dongle or can or been given one for free. The industry has always used dongles for a while and then ditched them. That's technology. This is nothing new. Deal with it. (The outrage over Nintendo not including a power cable died down too).

USB external drives could stop including cables. How many more Micro USB cables does the world need? How many more 12volt power bricks? Sell them as addons for people who think they need them. This would save packaging, shipping and reduce costs and waste.
[doublepost=1525130556][/doublepost]

You done?

He could just keep his old phone and not buy into the upgrade cycle
That would "teach Apple"

 

[iSteve-O]

Ming-Chi Kuo retires, now this is the kind of boring predictions we get? smh

Boo this man!