Early iPhone 7 Case Has No Headphone Jack and Stereo Speaker Cutouts

[Rigby]

How is it that Audeze Sine headphones that have swappable cables (one cable for using with 3.5mm and one cable for using with Lightning that the user can swap out) sound dramatically better while using the Lightning cable vs when using the 3.5mm cable?

If it does (has anybody actually done blind listening tests?), it's probably because they use a more expensive DAC/amp. Of course, these headphones cost $500 and the Lightning cable $100. Nothing prevents you from using expensive "audiophile" DACs with today's iPhone, but it's not what the majority of people do.

Lightning in the end will sound superior.

In reality, Lightning headphones in more moderate price ranges will likely have crappier DACs than the iPhone and sound worse than good analog headphones with the Apple DAC.

It's not like people will have to lug around some massive adapter to use their 3.5mm sets. Does extending the cable 2-3 inches with the adapter really inconvenience people that much?

Yes. The problem with small adapters is that you tend to lose or forget them. I travel a lot and have lost my headphones several times. Since headphones with 3.5mm plugs are ubiquitous, it has never been a problem to buy a replacement at the airport etc. Proprietary Apple headphones or adapters will not be that easy to find.

 

[cycomiko]

well... my iphone4s is coming to the end of its life, and between the idea that the 3.5mm plug needs removed and the current exchange rates screwing pricing, I wonder what android can offer me.

 

[The Game 161]

So judging by a lot of comments in here angry about no headphone jack, you off to Samsung?

 

[dan110]

This will be a monumental mistake corrected in the iPhone 7S or the 8. "All this has happened before, and all this will happen again"?

 

[teknikal90]

you could also just keep the adapter attached

oh man do you honestly believe that that is better than simply...not having any adapters required??
Listen, I'm all for bluetooth.
But I'd like both. and the iPhone 6 is plenty thin enough that I wouldn't sacrifice anything to make it any thinner. In fact I'd like it to be thicker and more grippable and have more battery.

 

[lagwagon]

Yes. The problem with small adapters is that you tend to lose or forget them. I travel a lot and have lost my headphones several times. Since headphones with 3.5mm plugs are ubiquitous, it has never been a problem to buy a replacement at the airport etc. Proprietary Apple headphones or adapters will not be that easy to find.

How do you lose an adapter that you could near permanently keep attached? As for losing the headphones themselves...how is that any companies fault if someone is neglectful and lose their items often?

Maybe not RIGHT away but over a fairly short amount of time Lightning headphones will be easily found in any store. (Or have included in the package a 3.5mm to Lightning just like for years many have included a 1/4 to 3.5 adapter)

More Lightning headphones have been coming out, and most headphone companies are planning already to come out with a Lightning by the end of the year.

Plus don't forget Apple owns one of the most popular headphone companies out there (not best, but popular) which are available in many places for sale. Owning Beats will also drive other headphone companies to compete.

Is the move by Apple bold. Yes, very! But they have the power to do it (insanely popular phones + very popular headphone company) Apple wouldn't do it if they didn't have good enough intentions behind it. (Looking beyond thinner devices, selling adapters, removing redundancy, adding 2nd speaker, purposely making people angry just for kicks) It's a forward thinking maneuver quite frankly. Digital port + wireless is where everything is going, not just audio. Apple is just making the move first and using its assets to lead the way.

 

[marty1980]

you could also just keep the adapter attached

At that point Apple has just upset the customer because the customer must remember this adapter in order to listen to their music on anything that is not bluetooth enabled or that doesn't have a lightning port.

The switch from 30-pin connection to Lightning is very different. The 30-pin connector was only used for communicating with Apple devices. 3.5mm headphone jacks have been a standard on nearly every audio device since...

The 3.5 mm connector, which is the most commonly used in portable application today, has been around at least since the Sony EFM-117J radio which was released in 1964

You can't just off and replace such an universally used connector with a proprietary one only used on specific devices and expect people to be happy about it.

 

[Ghost31]

oh man do you honestly believe that that is better than simply...not having any adapters required??
Listen, I'm all for bluetooth.
But I'd like both. and the iPhone 6 is plenty thin enough that I wouldn't sacrifice anything to make it any thinner. In fact I'd like it to be thicker and more grippable and have more battery.

Dude. You're preaching to the choir here. If I had my way, the iPhone would be as thick as he iPhone 4 with more battery. I don't see the reason to get rid of the headphone jack. Just saying... If it happened a lot of people could work around it.

Personally I use a good pair of Bluetooth headphones. So nomatter what happens I'm covered

https://us.store.parrot.com/en/casq...3072757.472408421.1456723384#/color-zik_white

 

[mantan]

I still see this as fixing a problem that doesn't exist and not adding additional value. The comments about a digital connection and better sound is laughable. The last generation has been raised on compressed music files with crappy earbuds, quality doesn't matter.

I don't see the point in adding an adapter (and having to keep up with another piece of hardware) as a plus. Nor do I see having to invest in earbuds/headphones that will only work with Apple equipment.

Apple can pretty much do any thing they want and a lot of you will run to blindly defend it. It's like the people who are still trying to say that a dongle/hub hanging out of their new shiny MacBook isn't that bad - and that one port makes sense.

As consumers it's OK to say we don't like a feature and don't see the value...not just accept it because 'Apple knows best.'

 

[fmalloy]

Great so now we'll have two sh*tty sounding speakers.

 

[shaunp]

Apple's stance on removing perfectly good standards so you now need an adaptor drives me nuts.

Take the Macbook Pro make it marginally thinner, but not significantly lighter, just so thin that there's no longer space for an ethernet port. I can understand the Macbook Air not having one, but the Pro being a desktop replacement should have one. It's not exactly a light machine, so I don't get why ethernet was removed - adaptors work loose, break, etc., and WiFi is slower and not always available on the sites I work in. You may not personally need wired Ethernet, but plenty of others do and on this class of machine it should be there.

Now remove the 3.5mm jack from the iPhone (and later the iPad too, and possibly laptops). Why? BlueTooth headphones require batteries and/or charging, and are a pain in the ass. I prefer a wired connection as it just works. And I cannot imagine that for one second you can create an audio experience that is so much better than a pair of high-end headphones connected through a wired connection playing lossless quality music. I don't see how removing the 3.5mm jack and forcing me to use an adaptor will improve this for me.

It seems to me that Steve Jobs left his reality distortion field behind when he departed. If any Apple execs think adaptors are a good replacement for standard hardware, I tell you what, bend over and I'll show you where to shove your damn adaptors!!

 

[HVDynamo]

1 adapter=drawer full

Damn. Do people always talk in these apocalyptic exaggerations?

and the ethernet one for the retina macbook pro, and the adaptors for USB on the new macbook, need I go on? This is a trend with apple, remove the functionality and replace with an adapter. It's really easy to end up needing 5-6 different adapters when using a current apple product. If this 3.5mm jack rumor ends up being true, that will be another one. So yeah, I can see the drawer full argument. I think you are the one who needs some perspective.
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well... my iphone4s is coming to the end of its life, and between the idea that the 3.5mm plug needs removed and the current exchange rates screwing pricing, I wonder what android can offer me.

Buy a 6S now and hold onto it for a while. I sprang for the 128GB, and intend to keep it for more than 2 years. I was going to keep my 5S for another year until AT&T decided to dump contracts, so I got one last subsidized phone to keep my unlimited data plan.

 

[Ghost31]

and the ethernet one for the retina macbook pro, and the adaptors for USB on the new macbook, need I go on? This is a trend with apple, remove the functionality and replace with an adapter. It's really easy to end up needing 5-6 different adapters when using a current apple product. If this 3.5mm jack rumor ends up being true, that will be another one. So yeah, I can see the drawer full argument. I think you are the one who needs some perspective.
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Buy a 6S now and hold onto it for a while. I sprang for the 128GB, and intend to keep it for more than 2 years. I was going to keep my 5S for another year until AT&T decided to dump contracts, so I got one last subsidized phone to keep my unlimited data plan.

If you need an adapter, it means the product probably isn't for you. If you're a tech professional that needs more ports, there's always the MacBook Pro or any of the desktop macs.

 

[HVDynamo]

If you need an adapter, it means the product probably isn't for you. If you're a tech professional that needs more ports, there's always the MacBook Pro or any of the desktop macs.

Ok, so I'll buy a mabook pro because I want portibility, but I need to connect to wired ethernet... oh wait. I need an adapter for that. Oh, I want to connect my pro tools rack to my new macbook pro with firewire, oh another adapter. See where I am going with this? Even the pro machines make too many compromises. I guess I should just stop buying anything apple, and there would be a customer lost. Granted if it was just me, they wouldn't care. But this **** is going to push more and more people away until suddenly the only customers they have left are the idiots who just buy whatever they are selling and praise it as the best thing ever, and if this trend continues we will eventually be back to apple failing like the pre Steve Jobs return era. This isn't going to happen over night, but it's decisions like this that begin to push them down that path.

 

[shaunp]

If you need an adapter, it means the product probably isn't for you. If you're a tech professional that needs more ports, there's always the MacBook Pro or any of the desktop macs.

The Macbook Pro requires adaptors too. Just try plugging in an RJ45 cable... This machine is too heavy and too big not to have an ethernet port. I also don't trust adaptors not to work loose when I least need them to and cause problems, and wifi isn't always an option for me.

This is the largest laptop Apple make there are no choices to 'get the bigger one with all the ports', like you would with Dell if you were comparing the Precision 5510 and 7510.

I really like OS X and how well it integrates with iPhone, but if Apple continue to make poor hardware choices that make my working life harder then I'll have to go back to a PC. I have a rMBP, a nMP, iPhone, etc. and it's only the software that impresses me.

As for the iPhone, I'd forgotten about the 3.5mm jack rumour. But if it does turn out to be true it's yet another thing that will make me look elsewhere for my IT kit. I absolutely detest adaptors when there is no good reason for having one - i.e. style over substance.

 

[d656]

Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter available. Yours for only $69.99!

Don't forget the proprietary wireless charging pad for only $99.99

 

[Ghost31]

Ok, so I'll buy a mabook pro because I want portibility, but I need to connect to wired ethernet... oh wait. I need an adapter for that. Oh, I want to connect my pro tools rack to my new macbook pro with firewire, oh another adapter. See where I am going with this? Even the pro machines make too many compromises. I guess I should just stop buying anything apple, and there would be a customer lost. Granted if it was just me, they wouldn't care. But this **** is going to push more and more people away until suddenly the only customers they have left are the idiots who just buy whatever they are selling and praise it as the best thing ever, and if this trend continues we will eventually be back to apple failing like the pre Steve Jobs return era. This isn't going to happen over night, but it's decisions like this that begin to push them down that path.

I'm a big proponent the of voting with your wallet. If it doesn't suit you, stop buying their products and leave them feedback. It might not make a world of difference, but the more people that do it the more Apple would take notice.

But look at the trend. Apple removes **** all the time and yet Mac sales numbers are great. So what does that tell us?

 

[Rigby]

How do you lose an adapter that you could near permanently keep attached?

Simple: I wouldn't be able to keep it permanently attached, since I use my headphones on other devices (such as my MBP) as well.

Maybe not RIGHT away but over a fairly short amount of time Lightning headphones will be easily found in any store.

I don't think so.

 

[T4R06]

A new product, apple bluetooth earphones for $199!

 

[JoEw]

yep, SBC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBC_(codec) was actually pretty aweful, ...
beside recompression introduces even more additional artifacts anyway
Only in the last years the situation became a little better with aptx and direct AAC streaming, ...

but still, why would I not want a cable that just works without pairing hiccup and wifi interference, ... and in an airplane and wherever, ...?

Have you used bluetooth headphones? Or bluetooth speakers or stereo airplay?

It's time to ditch the decades old headphone jack. Apple is the only company that will push the industry forward.

 

[dampfnudel]

4 years ?
Current iPhone design is from late 2014...
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I still have to see an iPhone with LESS battery life than its predecessor ...

FUD spreaded on such a continuous way that people start believing it.

It would be 4 years if Apple released a 7s next year with the same design. If Apple decided to skip the s-cycle next year and release a redesigned iPhone 8 in June 2017 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the original iPhone and have the same number as the Galaxy S8, it would be 3 years of the same design.

 

[lagwagon]

Simple: I wouldn't be able to keep it permanently attached, since I use my headphones on other devices (such as my MBP) as well.
I don't think so.

Temporarily detach the adapter while using in your MBP and re-attach when done? Or keep the adapter plugged into your MBP?

Many headphone companies are already committed to releasing a Lightning version headphone later this year. Some have already. So yes, it won't take long to see them offered anywhere that sells headphones.

These people who complain that their high end headphones that they've spent so much money on will be rendered useless are funny. Depending on the type of headphone, you probably aren't even driving your high end headphones fully when using them in the 3.5mm jack of the iPhone. The AMP is too weak and it doesn't draw enough power to drive them to full potential. Some headphone speakers require far more power than what the internal AMP can give them. Through the Lightning port they will be able to draw the power to drive them. Resulting in actually hearing what your headphones are capable of.

 

[Fishels]

Have you used bluetooth headphones? Or bluetooth speakers or stereo airplay?

It's time to ditch the decades old headphone jack. Apple is the only company that will push the industry forward.

Are you kidding? Headphones you have to charges pushes the industry forward??? Lol. How about some options? We both know Apple will price gouge with this. I own a few headphones that are worth 300-500$ each. Won't be buying a phone that doesn't let me use a basic feature.

 

[danpawlovich]

So, there's room for stereo speakers instead of a 3.5mm audio pin. I love it.

i wonder who the board will appoint as CEO to bring back the 3.5mm pin for the 7s.

Here here. Stereo speakers so close together are as good as mono. And the list of analogue audio jack qualities are infinite. This isn't like floppy discs or firewire that come and go. Show me a truly latency free, adapter free and more elegant answer to this move and I'll stand corrected.

 

[dampfnudel]

Have you used bluetooth headphones? Or bluetooth speakers or stereo airplay?

It's time to ditch the decades old headphone jack. Apple is the only company that will push the industry forward.

You're right, but the pain during the transition for a lot of people will still be real.