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

[Tozovac]

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.

For me it's more of a convenience. $15 may be an overstatement; many headphones I have spread out at work, truck, garage, bedroom, living room, basement, etc., are "giveaways" I got somewhere and/or those that come with various iphones & ipads. Same for the 1/8" male-to-male cords I keep laying around at the same places for when I need to feed into a stereo other than my JBL Bluetooth speaker. It's not about laziness, it's about convenience. Nice portable phone fits in your pocket....now need to also keep track of airpods/Bluetooth headphones since your many corded items can't be used w/o also carrying around a dongle for charging. Same story from me I know. I respect your preferences but they don't work for me and many others who are getting pushed out of the "convenience" of using Apple items.

 

[H818H]

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 regular see them now in public in equal or greater amount than the wired buds.

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.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Some corporation is selling a ****ing phone for $1000 and are too cheap to include a $20 adapter! lol.

See how easy that is?

Maybe it isn't cheap. Maybe it's pushing people to wireless headphones.

 

[Swazaloo]

Don't care as I've made the switch to wireless headphones. It's been fantastic and I wish I had done it sooner.

 

[uberzephyr]

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

So you're talking battery life on the phone, and the ability to charge thru the lightning port simultaneously while listening thru the 3.5mm audio jack. BT solves that problem...but so does a $10 splitter cable. Look, I respect your choice; dongles and cables suck, but tend to be a fact of life. I have cables in my car, at work, by my bedside, and a travel set. Solutions exist if you want to buy a new iPhone, but if no 3.5mm jack is a deal breaker, buy the phone that meets your needs and be happy about it.

 

[manu chao]

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

Are you happy to buy iPhones every two years?

 

[Naraxus]

And people still think Tim Cook is doing a good job at the helm of Apple. El oh el

 

[falainber]

lose the dongle? then include airpods.

Why not leave a charger out of the box while you're at it?

And a phone! Just sell an empty box for $1K. Everything else should be extra!

 

[supercoolmanchu]

Nope. It's also quick to implement (no Bluetooth switching for those of us who use multiple Bluetooth speakers, no app lag, etc) and near-universally used/available still, and will be for decades outside of Apple's little world.



In my 2012 Tacoma last night driving for 6 hours, I got a much hotter and cleaner signal inputting from my ipad to car stereo via 1/8" cable than I could via Bluetooth or with a lightning cable plugged into the USB port. Much stronger, louder, and better.

And when moving from car to car, like into friend's cars - instant plug-in to their stereo. No having to stop just to pair my iPad to their car's Bluetooth. These lags add up but are too often discounted. Removing the jack introduces a whole lot of added inconvenience to many just like it's virtually to invisible to many.

How your car’s (or anyone’s) audio system juggles connections is a function of its age, type and manufacturer priority.

I can’t speak for Toyota, but in other newer cars and systems, a USB connection absolutely shreds the 1/8” jack.

Yes Bluetooth is a lousy wireless spec for audio, but that’s not what Apple is using for their current, state of the art, audio connections. If your speakers (Bluetooth or otherwise) have less than 8” drivers, it’s most certainly a consumer (or perhaps ‘audiophile’) toy first.

Yes, I’m sure 1/8” jacks will still be around for a while. And somewhere someone is still using 56k modems. But for new modern devices, these specs are already ‘decades’ outdated.

 

[manu chao]

I literally don't even know what this means. Its entirely meaningless.

It means that we are all collectively using more and more wireless products. It started with AM radio, then TV, garage openers, TV remotes, cellphones, laptops, now headphones, activity trackers, sport watches, smart watches, light switches (there were even many pre-smart home systems), RFID in many applications (NFC more generally).

 

[WannaGoMac]

Are you happy to buy iPhones every two years?

Nope, that's why I buy every 3 years or so. (ps. smart phone sales cycles are extending which is why manufacturers are seeing slow downs just as happened after the switch to digital TV)

 

[tooloud10]

Investments go up in value, not down.

Purchasing AirPods is not a subscription, 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?

I don't understand. Who's forcing me to spend $160 every two years on Apple AirPods?

Anyway, all these arguments are hilarious. If running out of power on your 20-hour transcontinental commute is a regular occurrence, maybe just go ahead and pick up a USB battery and one of those Belkin Lightning cable splitters.

 

[H818H]

It means that we are all collectively using more and more wireless products. It started with AM radio, then TV, garage openers, TV remotes, cellphones, laptops, now headphones, activity trackers, sport watches, smart watches, light switches (there were even many pre-smart home systems), RFID in many applications (NFC more generally).

So stating 'wireless is the future' is a meaningful argument because.....other wireless tech exists?

Ok, let me see if I've got this:

Wireless is the future....so.....we should.....get rid of houses!!!!

Am I doing it right?

 

[manu chao]

Nope, that's why I buy every 3 years or so. (ps. smart phone sales cycles are extending which is why manufacturers are seeing slow downs just as happened after the switch to digital TV)

With daily charging, both Bluetooth headphones and iPhones should need new batteries after a similar time period. But that naturally varies depending on the headphone type. Very compact ones like the AirPods might go through more charge cycles per day, whereas larger over-ear ones might last several days.

 

[Tozovac]

I can’t speak for Toyota, but in other newer cars and systems, a USB connection absolutely shreds the 1/8” jack.

We'll have to see next time I buy a 2017+ vehicle. In most all cases tho, the added flexibility of pushing the iPad's volume with the stereo's volume lets me get a stronger signal that I can hear over wind/car noise and w/o distortion than using the usb direct-in. Just how it is for me.

Yes, I’m sure 1/8” jacks will still be around for a while. And somewhere someone is still using 56k modems. But for new modern devices, these specs are already ‘decades’ outdated.

That's such a poor comparison. The relative flexibility & usefulness (and modern-day applicability) of wired sound today is nowhere near the ancient tech of dial-up modems. Why not also say that somewhere in the world, people deciding to re-start their cave's fire pit by hand after each intensive rain instead of using a lighter is the same as using a wired connection from your I-device to stereo?

 

[supercoolmanchu]

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.

Nope, 1/8” (headphone jack) is an unbalanced audio connection.

You can tell by the connector tip, count the rings. For balanced, you’d need a hot, cold and ground for each side, L and R, so six rings total.

Fiber optic smokes any analog connection. It could easily fit in an iPhone and would be smaller than the analog 1/8”. But why? If you can transmit the same 1s and 0s wirelessly, why would you bother with a connector and cabling? Cables and connectors will always be prone to stress and breakage.

 

[H818H]

I don't understand. Who's forcing me to spend $160 every two years on Apple AirPods?

'Force' might be a touch strong, but anyone embedded in apple ecosystem, looking to buy a new iPhone feels forced/pressured/bullied/cajoled/pressured into abandoning it.

Buy a new Iphone and a new Mac tomorrow and tell me about the seamless audio experience between the two....

Wireless makes Apple a load of money by turning AirPods purchasers into repeat subscribers who must re-buy every few years to continue their listening experience.

Vs a 3.5mm jack which makes Apple no money at all

 

[manu chao]

So stating 'wireless is the future' is a meaningful argument because.....other wireless tech exists?

Ok, let me see if I've got this:

Wireless is the future....so.....we should.....get rid of houses!!!!

"Wireless is the future" is simply extrapolating a trend that more and more things will use wireless connections as time passes.

 

[H818H]

Nope, 1/8” (headphone jack) is an unbalanced audio connection.

You can tell by the connector tip, count the rings. For balanced, you’d need a hot, cold and ground for each side, L and R, so six rings total.

Fiber optic smokes any analog connection. It could easily fit in an iPhone and would be smaller than the analog 1/8”. But why? If you can transmit the same 1s and 0s wirelessly, why would you bother with a connector and cabling? Cables and connectors will always be prone to stress and breakage.

So if I can't even tell what balanced vs unbalance sounds like for a connector I've been using on iPods, iPhones, CD players, Walkmans for years, why is it so important it be balanced?

Clearly 3.5mm is the right choice for a portable consumer electronics device. Hence its use in Walkmans etc for decades.

But maybe all manufacturers are wrong, and we should all have xlr/fibre optic ports/wireless in our phones instead.

This is all completely irrelevant.

If a future iphone doesn't have a headphone jack, I won't be buying. Take note apple

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Remember when rumors were about what new and exciting features we'd gain?

Seems like they're all about what we'll be losing now.

I suppose if Apple does this, I want to see a price drop of $50 somewhere between the AirPods and the iPhone.

 

[ob81]

For people that have been using Apple products well before the iPhone, this is not new. Charging stands and adapters once we’re bundled with the actual device. I kind of feel dumb for sticking with them sometimes, but I keep getting promoted and getting more money. The 2006 version of myself would have dropped Apple like a bad habit years ago.

 

[H818H]

"Wireless is the future" is simply extrapolating a trend that more and more things will use wireless connections as time passes.

But it doesn't just describe that. If 'wireless is the future', what does that say about wires?

It wrongly presents this odd notion that wires are the past. That they're inherently bad/archaic and should be abandoned - a ludicrous notion which leads me to ask you if I will still have to plug in my TV in this wireless future you preach of. What about my kettle?

This statement that 'wireless is the future' is often adopted by the unthinking to justify their buying into a wireless ecosystem of some kind - phone/headphones - in some way they've invested, and now feel prone to evangelise to others, in part, to justify their decision.

This phrase should not be used as justification for corporate greed and the abandoning of consumer choice

 

[Drogba11]

No. I am about to take 13 hours flight. No way in the hell my iPhone can last that long. I will need charging my phone and using my headphone at same time. And no I do not want Bluetooth headphone, because it won’t last that long either.

Unless you get Bose cans which last 20+ hours

 

[Val-kyrie]

This is simply the equivalent of a price hike.

Apple is SIRI-ously losing its “think different” swag. It’s more like “think twisted” or “think negativity.”

Apple's new motto: "Think $$$"

 

[Precision Gem]

You make a great point and it obviously does not apply to your situation. If you do frequent long flights then why not invest in a tablet of some sort? Just a thought. Not attacking you by any means.

I would think on a 13 hour flight, much of time would be spent sleeping, not listening to music. I know when I fly more than a few hours, I try to sleep most of it.
I will say, that the only time I have used the adapter is on a flight, as I have some Bose Noise Canceling headphones that still require an 1/8 jack. Other than that, I would never use a headphone jack on the phone.