Fully Functional iPhone 7 Lightning EarPods Shown Off in New Video

[BorderingOn]

But you still cannot receive an analog broadcast even though there are "legacy" connectors on the TV is the point.
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Maybe that's already been thought of. I don't know.
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Unfortunately there may be some who have to go back to the drawing board, if this doesn't work for them. I'm keeping an open mind until after the announcement.

Still a tough parallel to draw. FM (music) is broadcast in analog. Very low adoption of HD radio.
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Sorry no. Most inexpensive consumer TVs cut out most legacy ports. No VGA, no headphone jack, and no analogue audio outputs.

Also, there were plenty of HD TVs on the market before the conversion. But they weren't very popular. Sound familiar?

There was little HD content before the switch, and what there was was hard to find. A little like lossless audio and the iPhone. If someone wanted a Lightning headphone now, I wouldn't recommend it because it's nowhere near plug and play even though it has the potential to sound much better than what the iPhone is capable of outputing through its headphone jack -- and that's not because of the DAC, but mainly the amp.

What is the change this is supposed to drive? We already have digital content which seems to be an argument you are making. And why would a tiny amp hanging on your earphone cord have so much more quality potential?

By legacy ports on TVs I mean for analog content. RCA and s-video inputs. And analog tuners.

 

[calzon65]

You're saying United only offers a 3.5mm Jack in the armrest for their in-flight entertainment? Are there individual screens at each seat? I haven't flown United in a long time. Do they have USB for charging at the seats?

Since I mostly fly United I'm a bit more familiar with their equipment so I can say that on most of their Boeing and Airbus models they have a 3.5mm audio jack, and the aircraft with the 3.5mm jack usually have individual seat screens. A huge percentage of the United Aircraft have also been upgraded with WiFi that offer access to a bunch of satellite content. Finally, some of their aircraft have USB, mostly in first and business on international flights but also on some aircraft that make long East/West flights across the US. They even have a fair number of aircraft with 110V outlets in coach as well as first/business. With potential hacking, pointed out by a previous poster, I would be surprised if passengers are allowed to do more than get power via a USB port, at least for a long time. Delta is the carrier that has/had (still in use on some equipment) the dual audio plug.

As a previous poster pointed out, bring your own content is also preferable, which is what I try do with my iPad (sometimes I'm stuck with in-plane content plugged in via the 3.5mm jack). Yes I too hate the constant announcement interruptions when watching in-flight content, especially when flying to/from non English speaking countries because the 5 to 6 minutes of English announcement has to be repeated in the departure/destination country language (don't forget the lame flight attendant that pauses constantly keeping the mic button depressed while reading notes ... they are the worst).

 

[400]

How do two people who want to listen to music together share one iPhone?

They do it with a splitter. Does the splitter live in the iPhone all the time? Not likely. Are they messy? Yes. Anybody who wants to share with a friend has to carry around a splitter to be ready to do it, or prepare to carry it on a trip. And the wires from the headphones can become tangled depending on where the phone is placed and who is holding it.

But that's wires for you. Charging and listening to music at the same time right now is hardly a mess-free experience. The user is the tethered to the phone which is tethered to the wall, and may not even be able to sit completely back in a chair depending on the proximity to the charging outlet. Running two wires into the iPhone can result in tangles as the phone is accessed during the charging. A splitter is not necessarily any more problematic than that, other than another thing to carry.

On the other hand, a simple pass-through connector on the power cable will allow a headphone jack to piggyback onto it. No extras to carry at all. And that same pass through connector on the headphones allows a friend to piggyback and listen at the same time with you, no extras to carry at all. Now in both cases, you'll still have the same mess of wires to deal with, but I guess the plus is that there's no splitters?

To be honest, never thought of that.

On reflection I could live with the idea of a pass through or splitter that is extremely well made and simple however it still seems undesirable to me personally, replacement will be expensive and you know a cheap knock off will fail (not in. All cases though).

I don't relish the idea of bluetooth as I use a few items that need the 3.5mm however I am not policy director at Apple so it will be interesting what comes out. I hope it is simple and just works. I do not like the idea of having to use an adapter to fit with what I have now.

I should add that its mobile out the house stuff as at home I use hifi kit for music mainly CD and Vinyl.

 

[leroypants]

My self, and most people I see using headphones with iPhones use the white ear buds that come with the phone. So as long as a new iphone 7 comes with earbuds that work with the phone, I wouldn't have any issue, nor would millions and millions of other users.

It will be a problem for the millions and millions of people who aren't satisfied with using complete garbage ear buds that sound like crap.
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The same could be said for floppy disks.

The only ones saying that are clueless fanboys who ignore facts and reality.

 

[The Game 161]

It will be a problem for the millions and millions of people who aren't satisfied with using complete garbage ear buds that sound like crap.
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The only ones saying that are clueless fanboys who ignore facts and reality.

i highly doubt millions and millions are unhappy with the earbuds. the sound are good enough on them. You don't want it too loud anyway

 

[leroypants]

i highly doubt millions and millions are unhappy with the earbuds. the sound are good enough on them. You don't want it too loud anyway

Yes because quality = volume...

 

[MacBergin]

Bad idea to remove the ubiquitous 3.5mm audio jack that works on laptops, desktops, automobiles, music players, mobile phones, even the in-seat audio connections on airlines.

Millions of people have spent good money on high quality headphones and earbuds that use the 3.5mm standard to be left out in the cold.

There have been almost a half dozen articles posted over the past few weeks that talk about the rumor of Apple removing the 3.5mm jack. If you look at those articles, the numbers of posts are astounding, more than most other articles, and the vast majority of reader responses are from people angry about the potential removal of the 3.5mm jack.

We are not talking about simply upgrading from floppy disks to CDs, from CDs to USB sticks, etc. I know people love to compare removing the 3.5mm jack to eliminating the floppy or CD drives. We are talking about the total elimination of one of the most reliable and useful audio standards that virtually all manufactures embrace.

Apple will take this proven and reliable open standard and give us their proprietary standard, and I'm confident no other equipment manufacture will ever embrace Lightning (No I'm not talking about headset manufactures, I'm talking about other desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, automobile, and aircraft manufactures).

So Apple does not move us forward, they lock us into a standard they control/own and move us away from the mainstream into a segregated solution that is not even available on their own computer line ... which uses the 3.5mm audio jack.

I think Apple's cult like mantra of making their phones thinner and thinner will go too far with the elimination of the 3.5mm jack.

Actually they are moving us forward. the 3.5mm jack is analog technology from 1970. The lightning is digital and will produce a cleaner sound. As for not having it on the computer line...they've got to start somewhere so why not with a device that already has a lightning port. And if you are so concerned about your old 3.5mm headphones, buy an adapter or get a bluetooth pair.

 

[elmaco]

Apple will take this proven and reliable open standard and give us their proprietary standard, and I'm confident no other equipment manufacture will ever embrace Lightning (No I'm not talking about headset manufactures, I'm talking about other desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, automobile, and aircraft manufactures).

So Apple does not move us forward, they lock us into a standard they control/own and move us away from the mainstream into a segregated solution that is not even available on their own computer line ... which uses the 3.5mm audio jack.

The future is digital and wireless, and it is a wide industry standard supported on desktop, tablet, phones, speakers etc. This is similar to when Apple removed DVD/Blu-ray in favor of network access. People complained, but now everybody likes their thin laptops.

 

[leroypants]

Actually they are moving us forward. the 3.5mm jack is analog technology from 1970. The lightning is digital and will produce a cleaner sound. As for not having it on the computer line...they've got to start somewhere so why not with a device that already has a lightning port. And if you are so concerned about your old 3.5mm headphones, buy an adapter or get a bluetooth pair.

Exactly, lightning headphones will make compressed MP3s and streamed audio sound cleaner, plus I hated charging my phone and listening to music at the same time.

 

[Burger Thing]

Actually they are moving us forward. the 3.5mm jack is analog technology from 1970. The lightning is digital and will produce a cleaner sound. As for not having it on the computer line...they've got to start somewhere so why not with a device that already has a lightning port. And if you are so concerned about your old 3.5mm headphones, buy an adapter or get a bluetooth pair.

And you are moving us backward. After months of debating this, you still manage to have absolutely no clue how sound signals are stored, converted and transported to your ears.

You will be the perfect audience and customer for the dog and pony show next month.

JESUS

 

[macduke]

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.

Well, my Apple Watch has muffled, low-volume audio with it's waterproof speakers. As I've said before, perhaps Apple needs two speakers on the bottom to get the volume output up to par. IDK. Also Samsung has had issues with waterproofing their phones over the years, with customers ruining devices. Apple wants to do it right, so eliminating points of entry (headphone jack and home button) helps with that. Furthermore, Apple isn't changing anything based on what Samsung said. That's absolutely insane. The iPhone specs have been locked in since around March at the latest. They always do hardware verification test early in the year and finalize it so they can work out all the parts logistics ahead of time and ramp up production in the summer so they can ship millions on launch day.

 

[melendezest]

I don't think this will go "unchecked". There's already massive vitriol from lots of people and the product hasn't even been released yet. That, coupled with what will likely be low sales of iPhone compared to previous years and Apple will feel the hurt. I don't think it'll change their minds tho. We'll see whether they were right or wrong in two or so years. I think the bigger mistake here is making people invest in lightning accessories, which will make the switch to usb c even harder to swallow, assuming they do make the switch to usb c on phones and iPads. It'd be silly if they didn't.... But that'll either happen with next years hardware refresh or in 4 years with the next one.... Damn

I can get your mad with the decision, but that doesn't mean everybody feels the way you do (but many do). I'll be upgrading to this new iPhone cuz my 5s has been freaking out on me almost everyday and the battery life has degraded over time. I can live with no headphone jack, personally, cuz I'm gonna keep my 5s plugged into my stereo at home via 3.5mm as a dedicated audio device. And I've got Bluetooth headphones that I'll use for my phone and iPad during the day and at class.

So if I'm not the most hardcore fanboy, and I'm not a snob, what am I?? Tell me!!!

What exactly are you going to do with the new iPhone you cannot do with something else (even your current one, which will prpbably get the latest OS)? We're talking hardware here.

In my mind, you buy an iPhone without a headphone jack, you ARE (at least) a hardcore fanboy.

Own it.

 

[chrisbru]

Upgrade to BT?!? What are you talking about?!? When is lower quality called an "Upgrade". I have a idea, wait for BT 5.0 or some future version which will allow uncompressed audio delivery and then call it an upgrade.

People who have invested in quality headphones aren't going to "upgrade" to bluetooth. It's a downgrade because it is compressed. It's like "upgrading" your flac files to mp3s.

Anybody who cares about audio would not see bluetooth as an "upgrade" over great wired headphones.

If you feel BT isn't an upgrade, you may continue to use the adapter until a sufficient upgrade is available. Which was exactly my point.

While a dongle may be an option, I still do not see any solution for charging+listening. And dongles are simply ****** ways of getting me to pay an extra $29.95 to use my phone how I want to use it (and have been using it.)

We'll have to wait and see what actually gets announced. If there is no way of charging it while headphones are plugged in, and the adapter doesn't come standard, I'll be just as frustrated with the decision as you are. But since we don't know, yet, I'm holding off on any assumptions.

You have no idea that you "don't know what you don't know", do you?

I have no idea what you're trying to say here.

 

[melendezest]

Well I wish you well in your quest to tilt at windmills. I'll enjoy my new phone.

I'm just calling it like it is, just like my signature. Apple is doing stupid, unnecessary crap just to call something "new" or a "feature".

I already tilted way away from iPhone, into Samsung's loving hands.

But hey, enjoy your jackless phone.

I'm already enjoying mine.

 

[pkginstall]

If something is pre-exists on an older device and is removed from a newer device, it's considered deleted. But thanks for defining the term deleted for me.

Deleted was, and is, used in reference to text and literature (and more recently, to files and folders too), NOT to physical objects. Folks with a LOT more full time knowledge regarding the English language, comment on the word, here:

http://english.stackexchange.com/qu...word-delete-get-before-the-technological-boom

More:
http://www.word-detective.com/2010/06/delete/

Regardless of this possible pedantry regarding use of the word, it just SOUNDS stupid in this context, regardless of any counter-points either/any of us might supply.

 

[DakotaGuy]

One of the things that could have motivated Apple to remove the 3.5mm jack is profit on the phone. We all know the iPhone 7 is going to sell like crazy whether it has the jack or not. Even if removal of the jack only saves Apple a $1-2 on each phone imagine how much money that adds up to be? This shows that Cook is a good business man when it comes to squeezing all the profit he can out of the iPhone. Also there will surly be a dongle for another $20 or so which can help with Apple's bottom line. Last surely a lot of customers will upgrade to bluetooth headphones. A good chunk of those will be the Beats brand. So I can see how removal of this jack could be quite a profit maker for Apple. They know the phone will sell like crazy no matter what they do to it because of the Apple brand and the fact it is an iPhone.

 

[44267547]

Deleted was, and is, used in reference to text and literature (and more recently, to files and folders too), NOT to physical objects. Folks with a LOT more full time knowledge regarding the English language, comment on the word, here:

http://english.stackexchange.com/qu...word-delete-get-before-the-technological-boom

More:
http://www.word-detective.com/2010/06/delete/

Regardless of this possible pedantry regarding use of the word, it just SOUNDS stupid in this context, regardless of any counter-points either/any of us might supply.

If you want to discuss something pertinent to the article or have a meaningful conversation that actually has substance to the topic besides the frivolous ideation you have, I would be happy to do so. The way I use the term deleted is appropriate and in context.

But thanks for taking the time to read your dictionary and providing a definition of deleted. But that doesn't change how I will use it in context on Macrumors or anywhere else for that matter.

 

[Michael Goff]

I'm just calling it like it is, just like my signature. Apple is doing stupid, unnecessary crap just to call something "new" or a "feature".

I already tilted way away from iPhone, into Samsung's loving hands.

But hey, enjoy your jackless phone.

I'm already enjoying mine.

You owning a Samsung phone makes the whole push for people to not buy iPhones make more sense.

 

[melendezest]

You owning a Samsung phone makes the whole push for people to not buy iPhones make more sense.

Sounds like an Apple-apologist response. So, to clarify:

#1: I'm not advocating that people don't buy iPhones, I'm advocating that they don't buy iPhones without a damn headphone jack. Keep your iPhone, or buy a 6S if that's what you like.

#2: My choice of Samsung has nothing to do with this, only Apple's decision does. This is the second time they've done something completely non-sensical to save a few bucks per device (1-port on the MacBook being the other one).

 

[Michael Goff]

Sounds like an Apple-apologist response. So, to clarify:

#1: I'm not advocating that people don't buy iPhones, I'm advocating that they don't buy iPhones without a damn headphone jack. Keep your iPhone, or buy a 6S if that's what you like.

#2: My choice of Samsung has nothing to do with this, only Apple's decision does. This is the second time they've done something completely non-sensical to save a few bucks per device (1-port on the MacBook being the other one).

Wow. That second one just proves you have no clue what you're talking about. The one port MacBook isn't about saving money. If you paid attention to the announcement, you'd know it was about wanting as few ports as possible to push wireless. If they do the same here, it'll likely be for the same reason.

Apple has always pushed wireless as hard as possible.

 

[Mac 128]

One of the things that could have motivated Apple to remove the 3.5mm jack is profit on the phone. We all know the iPhone 7 is going to sell like crazy whether it has the jack or not. Even if removal of the jack only saves Apple a $1-2 on each phone imagine how much money that adds up to be? This shows that Cook is a good business man when it comes to squeezing all the profit he can out of the iPhone. Also there will surly be a dongle for another $20 or so which can help with Apple's bottom line. Last surely a lot of customers will upgrade to bluetooth headphones. A good chunk of those will be the Beats brand. So I can see how removal of this jack could be quite a profit maker for Apple. They know the phone will sell like crazy no matter what they do to it because of the Apple brand and the fact it is an iPhone.

That's not a realistic view. Yes the next iPhone is likely to sell like crazy, just like every iPhone before it. However:

iPhone sales are already slowing dramatically over the iPhone 6S that offers little more than an incremental update from the 6, which the rumors suggest with the next model. Given that, and the knowledge that the removal of the headphone will definitely have a detrimental effect on existing customers, as well as new customers migrating from other platforms, there is absolutely no way that increased Beats sales, additional MFi licenses, more adaptors, and cost savings on a 3.5mm jack (which will be much less than $1 considering Apple's volume), will come close to making up the staggering losses.

Apple is going to lose money from those chasing to wait and not upgrading, or from customers upgrading to a 6S or SE instead. They're going to lose money from those defecting to Android, which has already shown they are prepared to capitalize on Apple's lack of a headphone jack. And they're going to lose those new customers who would have switched to the iPhone had the jack not been removed. They're going to lose money from people buying adapters from cheap unauthorized Chinese imports. They're going to lose money from customers buying third party headphones instead of Beats. And they're going to lose money from already slowing sales, slowing even further without even removing the headphone jack.

Apple is much smarter than that. This move is not about increasing short term revenue, nor is it about long term revenue based on such a flimsy profit scheme. There is much more going on here.

And don't call me "Shirley" ;-)

 

[melendezest]

Wow. That second one just proves you have no clue what you're talking about. The one port MacBook isn't about saving money. If you paid attention to the announcement, you'd know it was about wanting as few ports as possible to push wireless. If they do the same here, it'll likely be for the same reason.

Apple has always pushed wireless as hard as possible.

Riiiiight.

And who made the announcement? It wasn't Apple, was it? And who benefits from having a 1-port computer vs a 2-port computer? Apple, and Apple only.

Take another sip, friend.

 

[Michael Goff]

Riiiiight.

And who made the announcement? It wasn't Apple, was it? And who benefits from having a 1-port computer vs a 2-port computer? Apple, and Apple only.

Take another sip, friend.

So you see a conspiracy where I see a principle that started with Jobs and moved forward as an Apple guiding principle. Even as early as the original MacBook Air, they were pushing wireless as the biggest way of doing things.

 

[drummingcraig]

I've been firmly on the fence about everything we've heard about the iPhone 7. As a musician, I place a fairly high priority on being unencumbered in listening to material on my phone. It is looking like it's increasingly likely that the use of the lightning port for headphones will not be mated to a method of charging by some other non-lightning means.

That's simply infuriating to me. And - get this - it's actually a deal breaker. I know, so many talk the talk about abandoning the iPhone, but I am willing to walk the walk. I will wait until the iPhone 7's official announcement before finalizing my decision, but since my contract's expiring this fall, I'm fully anticipating purchasing a Nexus device instead of a new iPhone. Further, the 6P is $0 from my phone provider; I'll save a couple of hundred bucks in the process.

In no way does the inconvenience of migrating some of my iCloud information to Google's cloud suite outweigh the inconvenience of not having the 3.5mm headphone jack on my phone.

Shame on you, Apple! While you may think the elimination of the 3.5mm jack is innovation or progress, I only see a reversion to the pre-smartphone era of awful proprietary earbuds bundled with flip phones. Except you could charge and listen simultaneously with those.

I am in the same boat as you (musician) and feel the same way. I have custom molded in-ear monitors which are what I use to listen to music on my iPhone (when not in my car or at home). I only very rarely use the Apple buds for phone calls when I need my hands free and speaker is not an option.

I am watching the iPhone 7 closely as this fall is when my NEXT plan is up and I would typically upgrade. However I have not been thrilled with my iPhone 6 (especially the battery which has been unreliable for a couple months now). Unless the iP7 knocks me out I can see myself moving away from Apple for my next phone (and I have had an iPhone since day one).

 

[Burger Thing]

One of the things that could have motivated Apple to remove the 3.5mm jack is profit on the phone. We all know the iPhone 7 is going to sell like crazy whether it has the jack or not. Even if removal of the jack only saves Apple a $1-2 on each phone imagine how much money that adds up to be? This shows that Cook is a good business man when it comes to squeezing all the profit he can out of the iPhone. Also there will surly be a dongle for another $20 or so which can help with Apple's bottom line. Last surely a lot of customers will upgrade to bluetooth headphones. A good chunk of those will be the Beats brand. So I can see how removal of this jack could be quite a profit maker for Apple. They know the phone will sell like crazy no matter what they do to it because of the Apple brand and the fact it is an iPhone.

Yes, it appears to be profit driven but probably not so much by removing a $1-2 jack and replacing it with a second $1-2 speaker.

As there are no improvements in sound quality achieved with this move whatsoever (don't believe the cringe worthy and pathetic stuff posted by the usual culprits here) and other manufacturers have managed to build similar sized, waterproofed devices with a memory slot, headphone jack and even a stylus it appears that this move is mainly driven to lock you into the Apple Eco System as you will probably hardly find any other Lightning port outside the Apple world.