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

[LovingTeddy]

Actually that depends on what you do with your phone AND what BT headphones you use. If you use your phone JUST to play music over BT with none of the other radios on (and don't play games on it), it will definitely last that long. And I have a pair of noise cancelling QC35 BT headphones that I used from takeoff to landing for an overseas flight consisting of 10.5 hour leg + 3.5 hour leg, and at the end I still had 40% battery left.

No i am watching videos and listen to music interchangeably. I won’t buy phones without headphone jack.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

1/8” analog connections (aka headphone jack) are the worst audio connectors available. It’s only redeeming feature is that it’s small. And it’s pure crazy to argue better transmission/interference with a wireless digital connection where there is absolutely zero crosstalk.
And then with Apple’s W1 signal, which easily bests anything a 1/8” analog connection can muster.

Which is all just further irony by headphone jack enthusiasts arguing sound quality, because headphones are the worst monitoring devices. Every headphone design ever produced, trades audio quality for isolation and portability.

Wow. You might want to take a peek inside professional (audio) studios and see if they choose the "superiority" of wireless- W1 or not- vs. the "inferiority" of wired. Good luck finding support for the above among the professionals that make their living with audio.

 

[RickInHouston]

In case of the Airpods, they actually come with their own very portable charger: their case.

In case of the Airpods, they actually come with their own very portable charger: their case which must have the earpieces in them to be able to charge them. Duhhhh.

 

[manu chao]

And the case never runs out?

And in 2-3 years, when the li-ion battery is permanently depleted, will you buy another pair for another $160? And will you then repeat this purchase for the rest of your life?

Your dislike of cables is gonna end up costing you...

The case gives you 24 hours of battery charge. That should be long enough for most flights.

And I was actually buying new $29 EarPods every six months because the cable kept fraying at the plug end (that is $174 over three years, more than the $149 of the BeatsX, that I am currently using, cost). I've also managed to destroy $200 headphones at the cable end in less than a year. But even if all that weren't the case, $150 every three years would be more than worth it for me. Wireless is just that much less of a hassle. And I got on the wireless train two or three years before I got an iPhone without a headphone jack. And I am not trying to convert you, I am just reporting my experience.
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Replace the cable and you're good to go for another 1, 2, 5, 10, 30 years depending how you treat them?

Almost all in-ear headphones come without a replaceable cable. At least all the ones I got.

 

[uberzephyr]

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.

And I think you're missing the point he and I both made - this is not about wireless. A wireless solution to your hardware issue would suck for you, agreed. This is about buying the dongle(s), put each on the end of the half dozen cables you own and leave them there, and you are done. The rest of your setup is exactly the same: all cables, no latency, no wireless.

 

[WannaGoMac]

1/8” analog connections (aka headphone jack) are the worst audio connectors available. It’s only redeeming feature is that it’s small. And it’s pure crazy to argue better transmission/interference with a wireless digital connection where there is absolutely zero crosstalk.
And then with Apple’s W1 signal, which easily bests anything a 1/8” analog connection can muster.

Which is all just further irony by headphone jack enthusiasts arguing sound quality, because headphones are the worst monitoring devices. Every headphone design ever produced, trades audio quality for isolation and portability.

Everytime i use bluetooth I get dropouts and disconnects (what i was referring to when mentioned signal interference). Simple matter is let everyone just choose what they like.

Glad your bluetooth works so well.

 

[CPark98]

You say no-one was pushing bluetooth before and that's why no-one used it. So you acknowledge, no-one actually wanted to use it given a choice. Most people were more than happy to stick with wired. They literally had to be made to buy these things.

So now that apple has made it pretty close to impossible to use anything but wireless, suddenly you love it?

Suddenly you don't mind re-buying your headphones every few years when their battery gives in?

the gap sound quality and price for many years has been a deterrent but now, bluetooth headphone sales have overtaken the sales of wired headphones, and Apple felt it was the most practical time to start pushing bluetooth. I have always envisioned investing in wireless headphones but now its feasible now with costs decreasing. People still have the choice to use wired but are making the conscious decision to switch to bluetooth.

 

[H818H]

The case gives you 24 hours of battery charge. That should be long enough for most flights.

Perhaps with a break in listening to place them back in the case to re-charge.....


(how anyone puts up with this blows. my. mind....)

 

[Bruce Patterson]

I wish iPhone would get on the USB-C train. Lightning is old hat.

Yeah and then everyone would complain that they have to get new charging cords and charging bases like they did when Apple switched away from 30-pin...

 

[Phone Junky]

I have refused to buy phones without headphone jack. My old iPhone 6 no longer works, i went out buy other brand new iPhone 6. I absolutely refuse phones without headphone jack. Like I said before and I will not buy any phone without headphone jack. Even if means I need buy lower end phones

I'm not sure I understand where you stand. Would you consider a phone without a headphone jack?

 

[ugahairydawgs]

I can't imagine Apple doing this -- and then still include the analog earbuds with the phones. That would make no sense. I also can't see them including a wireless set. So either Apple stops including earphones entirely (which would be odd considering Apple's focus on music), or they bring back the headphone jack (not likely) or the dongle lives on.

I would assume they have some research that says only x% of users actually use the included adapter. I cannot speak for everyone but I've upgraded my phone every year, so whenever they started including those things in the box that's how many years in a row I've gotten one of those adapters. Never used it once. When they switched over I just started using the free ear plugs they included in the box until I got the wireless ones.

I doubt I am in some vast minority on this. They weren't going to include the adapter forever. At some point the band aid gets ripped off and I don't think Apple would do it before the cost to good-will ratio moved far enough toward their favor that they could stomach the change.

 

[H818H]

I have always envisioned investing in wireless headphones but now its feasible now with costs decreasing.

Investments go up in value, not down.

Purchasing AirPods is not an investment, they depreciate the moment you buy them, and will be worthless in ~2years when the batteries backup.

What do you do then? Repurchase? Another $160 please. And again in another 2 years? Another $160 please

6 years in and you've spent $480.....did you ever spend this much on wired headphones i wonder....

Do you really want to 'subscribe' to listening for the rest of your life?

 

[manu chao]

In case of the Airpods, they actually come with their own very portable charger: their case which must have the earpieces in them to be able to charge them. Duhhhh.

Yes, and charging them for 15 minutes gains you 3 hours of usage. Charging them for 30 minutes gets you about 5 hours. Yes, it is clearly not perfect, but I'd say you can get through a long flight without excessive boredom.

 

[Tozovac]

The reason people were okay with using the traditional headphone jack in recent years in comparison to bluetooth which was minuscule in scale is because no one was truly pushing bluetooth like they are now. Bluetooth was always more expensive, but prices are dropping now to the point where more and more companies are able to sell bluetooth headphones at prices many people can afford. While its inconvenient now, bluetooth is the future of audio for the majority of consumers. Nearly all of my family and friends own bluetooth headphones now. You have to think like a consumer, not a pro. I will always have a soft spot for Wired audio but the gap in sound quality is shrinking between bluetooth and wired as more and more bluetooth headphones and speakers evolve to incorporate higher quality sound, and even true stereo.

You (and Apple and all home-automation advocates) overlook the uber-simplicity and near-instantaneousness of getting the result needed when you plug in a cable to feed a stereo input or headphones...similar to the instantaneous response of flicking my lights on at home vs. accessing my wifi-enabled LIFX home automation lights controlled by an iOS app.... .200 second vs. 15 seconds to fire up the app, pick the lights you want to turn on, etc... Similar for keeping track of one set of expensive AirPods, charging them, lugging them around to places you'd normally use $15 wired headphones you leave in multiple locations.

Cool and new-age? yes. As easy & quick as "old technology" wires? Nowhere close. But that's discounted and ignored way too much.

 

[manu chao]

Flights, yes, perhaps with a break in listening to place them back int he case to re-charge.....(honestly, how anyone puts up with this sh*t at a cost of $160 or whatever they cost blows. my. mind....)

I'd say that sounds like a lack of imagination as almost everybody who got them really likes them. I am not saying that everybody will, but there really are plenty of people for whom Bluetooth headphones in general and AirPods in particular are absolutely worth their price.

 

[H818H]

I'd say that sounds like a lack of imagination as almost everybody who got them really likes them. I am not saying that everybody will, but there really are plenty of people for whom Bluetooth headphones in general and AirPods in particular are absolutely worth their price.

A psychological bias occurs when you buy something you perceive as the expensive option - you often will end up liking it/valuing it more in an attempt to justify paying the high price.

(Otherwise, you'd have to admit to yourself your bought a lemon, which is way way harder for most to do....)

So I take evangelising about AirPods with a big pinch of salt. Their existence does not justify the removal of the headphone jack.

I've bought and returned AirPods twice after determining they were simply not good value for money, especially when considering their disposable nature.

I'm not willing to subscribe to 'listening' for the rest of my life when a pair of wired heapphones, if well treated, can last forever.

 

[LovingTeddy]

I'm not sure I understand where you stand. Would you consider a phone without a headphone jack?

I mean if a phone has no headphone jack, it is automatically no to me. I will only buy phones with headphone jack.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

i forgot my adapter on a recent trip, forcing me to try the bluetooth headphones i had bought as a backup. they were great, never going back to wired headphones.

That's funny. I was on a recent trip that offered the playoffs on the seatback screen. No matter how many times I asked Siri, clicked, tapped, prodded for bluetooth connections, I couldn't connect (because "the future" is still way out in "the future" outside our walled garden).

Wait, I thought, I'll use the free Lightning buds that came with it. But no planes had Lightning jack connections either.

What did they all have? A headphone jack.

So while some traveler like you probably got to miss the live action of the playoffs, those who happened to still cling to the most ubiquitous audio connection standard in the world got to enjoy them.

But who needs the playoffs, I thought. I'm an Apple guy and Apple says I should not want headphone jack hardware anymore. These stupid third parties like all of the major airlines not embracing "the future" is their loss. I'll show them. I'll just do without their live video streams of the big game. Who cares about sports anyway? Instead, I'll get some work done on my Mac.

Unfortunately I couldn't find a Lightning jack on my brand new Mac. And the batteries on the bluetooth option had already drained out during the flight. What to do?

Wait. What's that lone other jack on my Apple MB? Oh yeah, Apple still includes the headphone jack in everything else. Plug the antiquated right in and enjoy in a classic Apple, it "just works" way.

But wait. Some thief raided my row while I was in the restroom and took all of my audio connection hardware. Would I have to do without on the rest of the flight?

• I ask the flight attendant for some bluetooth buds but she says they only had Miller Lite.
• I ask for some Lightning buds but she says the weather should be clear all the way to our destination.
• Then I asked for some headphones and she sold me a pair for $5 that plugged right in to almost everything I had with me AND the seatback screen for the rest of the big game. Why? Because that's the benefit of ubiquity. It- ahem- "just works."

Fortunately, as soon as I landed, I was able to trash those "useless" wired headphones (which had tangled and repeatedly snagged not just me but the other passengers in my row, eventually ensnaring all the passengers & crew on the plane, and nearly found the way into the engines potentially killing us all) and laid out the cash for new bluetooth and Lightning buds (because carrying around spare cash is also so antiquated when one is living without "the future" tech). Because what matters to me as a consumer is to embrace whatever Apple wants me to embrace. They know best. All these other entities not running in lockstep with them is simply wrong and clinging to the past. I and the fans like me fully embrace "the future" because a corporation says I should.

Now what was the score of the big game?

 

[reden]

Breaking news! What a prediction. This will affect the dow.

 

[manu chao]

Similar for keeping track of one set of expensive AirPods, charging them, lugging them around to places you'd normally use $15 wired headphones you leave in multiple locations.

Maybe I am good at keeping track of things, but I've never even considered buying multiple sets of headphones (except to replace my current set with a better one). If you don't understand why anybody could spend $150+ on wireless headphones, I could hypothetically answer that I don't understand why anybody would spend money on more than one pair of headphones just because they are too lazy to carry one pair always with them. But of course I can understand it, it is just not worth it for me. It's a shame you are not able to say the same about my preferences.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Fun reading this thread today and both sides have their points.

Apple is really the ass here if this rumor is true. Unfortunately apple is a not a choice company, it's a take or leave it company. For now I prefer the iPhone overall structure and system, so I just keep taking it until a point I find something that can replace it.

 

[jonnyb098]

Makes sense.....no one using the adaptor since AirPods are so convenient and popular they can barely keep them stocked on store shelves after 18 months.

AirPods are going down as one of the coolest products Apple has made in years. I don’t miss wired earbuds one damn bit, getting tangled and snagged all the time. AirPods have been a game changer for the vast majority that have them. Even holdIng the phone to ones ear is becoming obsolete. Just pop in an AirPod to take the call around the house.....or anywhere. I regularly see them now in public in equal or greater amount than the wired buds.

 

[manu chao]

A psychological bias occurs when you buy something you perceive as the expensive option - you often will end up liking it/valuing it more in an attempt to justify paying the high price.

Sure, is this why you like iPhones?

 

[supercoolmanchu]

How is it bad? Just a couple of reasons will do

Tell me one better/more appropriate audio port for use in a phone?

3.5mm is absolutely perfect for the job.

If you’re talking physical audio connections... fiber optic would be way better.

If you’re talking analog audio connections, 1/8” (headphone) is below RCA, 1/4” unbalanced, 1/4” balanced and XLR.

The problem with 1/8” is the lack of physical space leads to increased signal crosstalk. The s/n performance is worse because the +, - and ground are closer than optimal, compounded with the connection being unbalanced. The resulting cables are also a lot thinner and result in further degradation of sound quality.

Like I said, 1/8” only redeeming feature is its tiny size, but understand the audio quality takes a significant hit.

 

[H818H]

If you’re talking physical audio connections... fiber optic would be way better.

If you’re talking analog audio connections, 1/8” (headphone) is below RCA, 1/4” unbalanced, 1/4” balanced and XLR.

The problem with 1/8” is the lack of physical space leads to increased signal crosstalk. The s/n performance is worse because the +, - and ground are closer than optimal, compounded with the connection being unbalanced. The resulting cables are also a lot thinner and result in further degradation of sound quality.

Like I said, 1/8” only redeeming feature is its tiny size, but understand the audio quality takes a significant hit.

Everything you've listed is a physical connector, inc fibre optic.

- Fibre optic - what would that offer that 3.5mm jack doesn't that would justify the increase in cost?
- XLR is way too big for a phone (even mini), and headphone jack is already balanced. So why is this better?

- Signal crosstalk.....never heard anyone complain about this in all my years of owning and using iPods and iPhones, 15 years now?

None of your suggestions are superior to 3.5mm jack in a phone. None.