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I am not a frequent MR poster anymore. But I must comment on this article...Under no uncertain terms will I continue to buy Apple products if Apple removes the jack from the phone. It is a boneheaded idea that will shave off a critical sector of the user base, including a full Apple guy like myself.

Then I recommend you abandon ship now, because the probability is quite high of the 3.5 jack being deleted, secondly; if it's not deleted by the iPhone 7, it surely will be on the 2017 iPhone. It's where the industry is leading to. Bluetooth and wireless will be the standard, not the option anymore. Apple is one of the many players in this game.
 
Then I recommend you abandon ship now, because the probability is quite high of the 3.5 jack being deleted, secondly; if it's not deleted by the iPhone 7, it surely will be on the 2017 iPhone. It's where the industry is leading to. Bluetooth and wireless will be the standard, not the option anymore. Apple is one of the many players in this game.
Can you prove your statement about the industry abandoning the 3.5mm jack in any way please?
 
Can you prove your statement about the industry abandoning the 3.5mm jack in any way please?

Sure can. Motorola already has abandoned the 3.5 Jack on their newest device for an example on a Cell Phone. The industry is leading into an era where Bluetooth is here, it's around you and has been for years, but it's more prevalent than ever with Bluetooth headsets, televisions are Bluetooth capable, gaming consoles connect via Bluetooth to other devices, computers access Bluetooth from other devices, Vehicles are becoming fully opitmized for Bluetooth, wearable technology with smart watches is fully Bluetooth capable.

Hospital heart rate monitors are connecting Bluetooth for patient views and health assessments. Let me know if you have any other questions.


https://www.bluetooth.com/marketing-branding/markets/medical-health
 
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Tech is certainly moving more towards Bluetooth and no wires. Apple are doing this and knowing it will upset many people and could hurt their sales in the short term. I’m sure Samsung won’t be removing theirs until they see how it affects apple sales. If it does? They will keep it for as long as is possible as they could be stealing many IOS fans for this reason. I’ve seen quite a few on here saying they are not upgrading and buying the note 7 this year then seeing what 2017 brings. Which I get on one hand but on the other is the main reason you are leaving is due to the headphone jack? Well if it is then why would 2017 change anything? It will be missing then as well.
 
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Tech is certainly moving more towards Bluetooth and no wires. Apple are doing this and knowing it will upset many people and could hurt their sales in the short term. I’m sure Samsung won’t be removing theirs until they see how it affects apple sales. If it does? They will keep it for as long as is possible as they could be stealing many IOS fans for this reason. I’ve seen quite a few on here saying they are not upgrading and buying the note 7 this year then seeing what 2017 brings. Which I get on one hand but on the other is the main reason you are leaving is due to the headphone jack? Well if it is then why would 2017 change anything? It will be missing then as well.


That's basically what I stated a few posts above yours. Times are changing. This will be one interesting Key Note in September.
 
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Yep. These will be included in the box.

Lightning to 3.5mm adapter? $19-$29
Wireless EarPods? $129-$149

Waterproofing? Included with the iPhone 6SE. Worth it.
Another stupid myth that the 3.5 is needed to be removed to get the iPhone waterproof... (
Sure can. Motorola already has abandoned the 3.5 Jack on their newest device for an example on a Cell Phone. The industry is leading into an era where Bluetooth is here, it's around you and has been for years, but it's more prevalent than ever with Bluetooth headsets, televisions are Bluetooth capable, gaming consoles connect via Bluetooth to other devices, computers access Bluetooth from other devices, Vehicles are becoming fully opitmized for Bluetooth, wearable technology with smart watches is fully Bluetooth capable.

Hospital heart rate monitors are connecting Bluetooth for patient views and health assessments. Let me know if you have any other questions.


https://www.bluetooth.com/marketing-branding/markets/medical-health
Ok, Samsung just mocked Apple about dropping the audio jack in their galaxy note 7 conference, so maybe they'll keep the jack. Motorola and others ditching the jack are going USB-C, not apple proprietary lightning connector. So, if it WOULD make sense to drop the jack, then Apple should switch to USB-C to be inline with a more possible industry standard and even their own line-up (MacBook). Bluetooth is great for all the things you called, but it's not great for audio and therefore it's not an alternative to a wired audio cable.
 
Another stupid myth that the 3.5 is needed to be removed to get the iPhone waterproof... (

Ok, Samsung just mocked Apple about dropping the audio jack in their galaxy note 7 conference, so maybe they'll keep the jack. Motorola and others ditching the jack are going USB-C, not apple proprietary lightning connector. So, if it WOULD make sense to drop the jack, then Apple should switch to USB-C to be inline with a more possible industry standard and even their own line-up (MacBook). Bluetooth is great for all the things you called, but it's not great for audio and therefore it's not an alternative to a wired audio cable.


I agree Bluetooth audio is not nearly the quality of wired headphones, but it is improving. I guess we will have to see what Bluetooth 5 brings when it gets here. But in any situation, it is an alternative, just not the preferred for some. It won't sway me away from Apple though.
 
That's basically what I stated a few posts above yours. Times are changing. This will be one interesting Key Note in September.
One thing I will say about the keynote if it comes with a new colour
Waterproof
Amazing camera

People, some not all will still get it anyway
 
Obligatory "Can't innovate, my ass!"

Seriously though... besides what I suspect will be a much improved camera on both the 7/7+, what will be the selling point? Wireless charging? New/improved haptics? I'm scratching my head on this one. I hope we are pleasantly surprised next month.

There's nothing innovative in taking away something which virtually every iPhone user uses daily, and for which the replacement is proprietary and will involve buying expensive dongles to allow existing headphones to work. It's brain dead enough to remove the headphone jack, but to replace it with another speaker is beyond retarded. Who listens to music through their phone speakers? I can only think of one group - moronic kids on busses who revel in annoying other passengers. So way to go Apple, you've dropped audiophiles in favour of obnoxious, selfish kiddies. Classy move.

I think this is Apple's jumping the shark moment. iPhone sales are already in decline and it's hard to imagine that the 6SS, or whatever it's called, won't accelerate that trend. It's a phone which for all intents and purposes looks identical to a phone from 2 years ago, but has a critical piece of functionality removed. Mind bogglingly stupid.

Maybe Tim Cook is really a Samsung mole?
[doublepost=1470471215][/doublepost]
From looking at it...you have to do one thing at a time.

That's going to work great for in car GPS. So you have a stupid dongle plugged into the lightning port (assuming you haven't lost it), which connects your audio cable to the AUX in on your car's stereo. You fire up Google Maps and start driving, but the phone can't charge as the lighting port is being used for audio...

I look forward to Apple removing the screen from the iPhone 8, so they can make it 1mm thinner again.
 
There's nothing innovative in taking away something which virtually every iPhone user uses daily, and for which the replacement is proprietary and will involve buying expensive dongles to allow existing headphones to work. It's brain dead enough to remove the headphone jack, but to replace it with another speaker is beyond retarded. Who listens to music through their phone speakers? I can only think of one group - moronic kids on busses who revel in annoying other passengers. So way to go Apple, you've dropped audiophiles in favour of obnoxious, selfish kiddies. Classy move.

I think this is Apple's jumping the shark moment. iPhone sales are already in decline and it's hard to imagine that the 6SS, or whatever it's called, won't accelerate that trend. It's a phone which for all intents and purposes looks identical to a phone from 2 years ago, but has a critical piece of functionality removed. Mind bogglingly stupid.

Maybe Tim Cook is really a Samsung mole?
[doublepost=1470471215][/doublepost]

That's going to work great for in car GPS. So you have a stupid dongle plugged into the lightning port (assuming you haven't lost it), which connects your audio cable to the AUX in on your car's stereo. You fire up Google Maps and start driving, but the phone can't charge as the lighting port is being used for audio...

I look forward to Apple removing the screen from the iPhone 8, so they can make it 1mm thinner again.
LOL. That's what it appears..but we will have to wait and see.
 
So much whining.

I look forward to wireless and I have a feeling many problem are especially the younger demographic as well.

What's hilarious is if this becomes successful somehow and you start seeing the uniformity of it adopted by others.

What's hilarious about this headphone removal thing is the iPhone is known for being exactly like the whiners are mentioning in the comments. Changing and doing things differently for no apparent reason other than the Apple way. But they finally draw the line at headphone jack removal. I can't write this hilarity or make it up
 
Far too many posts to read every one, so sorry if any of this has been mentioned before (as it almost certainly has. This seems to be a prickly topic)

Comparisons being made between the (still only rumoured) removal of the headphone jack / introduction of Lightning earbuds and the removal of the 30 pin connector aren't really equal. In both cases many many people have probably bought non-Apple things to use with them - from expensive headphones to longer, practical 30 pin cables so you can still actually use the phone when charging and you're sat more than 3 feet from a wall socket. In the case of the 30 pin, when Apple removed it they supplied a fully functional cable to charge / sync with that everyone could use quite happily and it did not in any way remove functionality from the phone itself. Even using an adapter / USB extension didn't really matter because the use case of the phone at the time means that aesthetics or connector durability was not really a big thing. I realise there's a use case of external dock/speakers but adapters came out that while definitely not elegant by any means, did not generally mean having to actually carry around an extra piece of equipment or make the phone look that much worse from an aesthetics point of view while actually in use.

In the case of removing the headphone jack everyone who has bought (possibly expensive) non-Apple headphones that they prefer to the horrible Apple ones will likely have to buy an adapter (if they get the new jack-less phone), which with Apple's history will cost $30/£25 at least. Arguing that "well, they're supplying Lightning Apple earbuds in the box" doesn't really cut it, since they are still the worst, most uncomfortable, useless bit of kit (if they're identical to the current ones except for the connector) that I've ever had the misfortune to use. I saw someone refer to them earlier as iconic of the Apple brand and hence why it's unlikely they'd ever not supply them in the box and bring the price down. I can't remember the last time I actually saw someone using the Apple earbuds/pods except in an emergency. Most people I see these days are either walking along with Beats style headphones on or, yes, using Bluetooth. Personally I have never used the Apple supplied earpods/buds since they have never sat well in my ears. They fall out, sound tinny, and hurt my ears. So from day one, any new iPhone that might not have a headphone jack renders all wired headphones/ connections I have for use with my audio players useless unless I pay Apple even more for an adapter that shouldn't be needed. I don't get my iPhones on contract, I always buy them outright so I feel I'm giving them enough money every couple of years without having to fork out another £25 for an unnecessary dongle.

Before anyone jumps in with "the first one will be in the box", leaving aside the fact that this is New Apple that only seems to have profit at the forefront of its mind not user experience, even if they do include it with the 7 I can almost guarantee they won't with the next one which is when I'm due a new phone. My headphones I use now will still be fully functional by that time. They won't have mysteriously died and require replacing.

As for adopting Lightning for this new connector style, I tend to agree with what others have said, that even if the rest of the industry follows suit and slowly kills off the 3.5mm jack, every other phone on the planet will almost certainly go USB-C not Lightning. So USB-C will be the new 'standard'. Lightning never will become standard across the industry and so Apple will be in the position of possibly being the only device maker to be using a proprietary headphone connector that requires an expensive adapter to be used with any make of headphones on the planet that isn't Apple, or owned by Apple.

Can't remember who said it now, but with the increasing march towards requiring unsightly, fragile dongles to use any Apple kit (MacBook only having one USB-C port, MacPro requiring almost all storage to be Thunderbolt attached) which I have a horrible feeling will only accelerate, and the gluing together of the Mac line so the only way to get anything like a future proof Mac is to pay way over the market price to upgrade at the time of purchase, I too can't see me staying in the Mac/iPhone universe once my current kit starts to fail or gets dropped off Apple's arbitrary upgrade path. This year 2 iPads, a Mac mini, and a MacBook Pro I'm responsible for will become non-upgradeable as far as the OS is concerned. With Apple's pricing and lack of user upgradeable parts (on the Macs) I can't afford to replace them so they'll just get used until they die then I'll have to look at alternatives.

I don't know why this constant push to thinner and thinner (especially for desktops) but someone needs to give Jony a good kick and tell him to stop. The phone is that thin already that if I try holding it without a case I almost drop it every single time. Or they could do a Forstall on him and just get rid.

Rant over.
 
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So much whining.

I look forward to wireless and I have a feeling many problem are especially the younger demographic as well.

What's hilarious is if this becomes successful somehow and you start seeing the uniformity of it adopted by others.

What's hilarious about this headphone removal thing is the iPhone is known for being exactly like the whiners are mentioning in the comments. Changing and doing things differently for no apparent reason other than the Apple way. But they finally draw the line at headphone jack removal. I can't write this hilarity or make it up

Wireless is here now. Hilarious that people are looking forward to iPhone 7 to utilise it ;) ha ha ha

If only there was a way to have wireless BT audio and 3.5mm jack now.....
 
Why do people think ranting will help? Did it help when Apple removed ports and features in the past? No. Will people still buy the devices in droves? Yes. Will other manufacturers follow? Most likely.
This isn't about using the Lightning port instead, it's about using wireless headphone or ear buds. For the first time Bluetooth headphones/buds have outsold wired, and the trend won't change.

I don't like it either, but there's nothing I can do about it oher than buy an android device. Will I? No chance. Will everyone else who's saying they will leave? Some, but not many.

Not that it matters, it's a tech device, I don't feel the need to tell everyone which brand of microwave I'm buying, I'm not sure why anyone would care which phone I'm going to buy. Apple certainly doesn't care, it will still sell in the tens of millions and you all know it. This years new iPhone is already expected to sell badly as its no much of a change from last years. Without a headphone jack even more so. Next years 'totally new' iPhone will sell better than ever, and it may even come with the new Bluetooth earbuds Apple is rumoured to be working on.

Times change, if you don't like it you have more choice than ever before, there are some seriously good devices out there now, we all know the iPhone is far from the best and is really lacking in features compared with the competition, and the others have headphone jacks! The best thing the iPhone has done is make other manufacturers work harder to make the best devices they can. Look where we were 10 years ago, even just 5 years he market offers us some really great products.

I like iOS, so I won't be changing, and I've been looking for a new pair of headphones at the high end of the market, I wasn't sure if I wanted Bluetooth or wired, I guess it's helped me to choose.
 
I never charge and listen to music at the same time. For one I certainly wouldn't need to due to my battery life being great.

I get that people use the reason as they charge it and listen to music as they go sleep but to me why would you do that? risk your phone falling on the floor? I would rather not wake up to that at night.

I get why this is an issue for many but some of the reasons for SOME won't matter at all.
 
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maybe he doesn't need to?

I never charge and listen to music at the same time. For one I certainly wouldn't need to due to my battery life being great.

I get that people use the reason as they charge it and listen to music as they go sleep but to me why would you do that? risk your phone falling on the floor? I would rather not wake up to that at night.

I get why this is an issue for many but some of the reasons for SOME won't matter at all.

Many people while working in an office charge thier phones and listen to music .

If you are a lighter user , it's a non issue , there is no way my iPhone can last a whole day without charging during the day.
 
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It's funny reading the cultists fawn over wireless while forgetting you still have to charge the phone with a WIRE....

Although I agree, it is a different use case. I don't remember the last time I charged my phone during the day. Of course I have, but it will have been years ago. I've had iPhones since they were first released, i simply charge it overnight on my bedside table, I don't need to charge it during the day, so the wire isn't an issue for charging and I'd have little use for wireless charging. I wouldn't pay extra to charge wirelessly if it was a feature.

Headphones without a wire though, that's different. Walking about, at the gym, sat in the garden, the wire gets in the way. I've never charged my phone at the gym, walking about, sat in the garden.

Two different use cases.
 
Your arguments about this issue are thoughtful. Many of the other naysayers seem reactionary and hysterical. Your point about timing is interesting, and is obviously relative to each individual, depending on the status of other technology that you own. If your car already has Bluetooth, if you have an Apple TV with airplay, if you have few Jawbone Jamboxes, and you already use wireless headphones like the Jaybird X2, then this transition will go almost unnoticed. That's my situation. If you still use a wired connection with all your existing gear, you'll need an adapter until that gear is upgraded.

But considering that the entire industry is an order or magnitude bigger than it used to be, and how exponentially faster new technology is rapidly prototyped and implemented, I actually think the "relative effect" of the timing of elimination of the 3.5mm jack and the shift to wireless audio will be about the same as the optical drive change. Also, I remember that back "then" wi-fi wasn't nearly as good/reliable a replacement, relatively, as Bluetooth audio is today. Transferring important files (especially big ones) wirelessly was a pain in the arse! So in that respect I think we're actually ahead of the curve.

I'm not an Apple fanboi that believes everything that comes out of Cupertino is beyond reproach. But in this case, I think they are getting it as right as they can. Plus, I believe part of the reason for this timing is that Apple is laying the groundwork for radical formfactor changes to upcoming iPhones that will be predicated on not having that extra port (e.g. eliminating the "forehead" and the "chin" in order to have the entire front face of the phone be screen).

It takes balls to push things forward, and Apple takes a lot of flack for it. Thank god someone is willing to do it. It's always a bit of a hassle when change happens, but we all adapt. I respect that sometimes, depending on your other ancillary gear, it can feel like more of a hassle than for others. Sounds like that may be the case for you, which is a slight bummer. I'm a filmmaker, with dozens of 3.5 mm audio cables/adapters/gear I've invested in over the years, so I get it. Hopefully, in a few years, we are all looking back at this kerfuffle with a smile.

Great post. I would, at a personal level, like to add another point that I hope Apple "fixes"; the quality of Apple's BT design.
Of all the devices I have with BT capability, Apple iDevices are by far the poorest. Comparing the claims of strength, range, quality, etc, Apple is the trailer of the group when it comes to actual use. Whether it's 4, 4.1, or 4.2, the range of devices I link all show a shortfall when it comes to Apple. If (likely) Apple moves to a 3.5 plug free option on the next iPhone, they need to fix their implementation of bluetooth.
I predominately use wired. It isn't I couldn't go wireless, rather I have found wireless to be far less in consistency and quality.
 
Many people while working in an office charge thier phones and listen to music .

If you are a lighter user , it's a non issue , there is no way my iPhone can last a whole day without charging during the day.
Wish I had the time or to be allowed to do that during working hours. Surprised companies would even allow such a thing. Do that many do this? what kind of headphones are people using this with? guessing not the earbuds.
 
Wish I had the time or to be allowed to do that during working hours. Surprised companies would even allow such a thing. Do that many do this? what kind of headphones are people using this with? guessing not the earbuds.

Depends on the job of course . I'm referring to office workers that use desktops during the day.
 
Depends on the job of course . I'm referring to office workers that use desktops during the day.
Well I'm an office worker and only time i've seen anybody do that is on a night shift when it's quiet. Maybe in other countries it's normal. Just surprise the amount of people that have said this.
 
Yes because a Multi-Billion Dollar Company haven't thought about it at all. I bet there's been no research into the effect replacing the audio jack will have and the advantages to gain.

I'm quite sure they have done the sums, made the presumption that sales wont fall, but their profit margins will increase substantially.

Do you still play records....?

All the time. I continue to expand my vinyl collection very year, it's great fun - and to me - money better spent than upgrading a phone every year.
 
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