Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 7 Again Said to Ship With Lightning-to-3.5mm Headphone Dongle
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I still don't buy this rumor about shipping with a dongle. I think if they drop the 3.5mm jack they will ship with lightning EarPods. Shipping with a lightning to 3.5mm adaptor and the same old EarPods will make people think that nothing has changed soundwise and make them mad at Apple for dropping the port. If Apple announces "New and improved" lightning EarPods included with the iPhone 7 with digital sound people will automatically think that they sound way better (even if they don't in reality). That is the power of marketing.
I'm also thinking it will ship with the lightning to USB-C cable and a new USB-C power adaptor.
If you want to keep using your old headphones you will need to buy a lightning to 3.5mm adaptor, that will probably cost somewhere between $20-30.
I'm also thinking it will ship with the lightning to USB-C cable and a new USB-C power adaptor.
If you want to keep using your old headphones you will need to buy a lightning to 3.5mm adaptor, that will probably cost somewhere between $20-30.
Yup. How about ditch the "stereo speaker" nonsense and keep the tried & true industry standard mini jack AND have lighting audio capability? But alas, Apple is so often in hurry to nix commonly used tech while leaving people in the lurch and needing to buy 3rd party add-ons (i.e. CD drive for my iMac.)
Depends how small your head is.
It's stereo...for an ant - specifically if L vs R audio is separated.
You guys are correct, two speakers only a few centimeters apart won't give much stereo separation, however they will probably be louder, and most people equate louder with better.
Don't take this the wrong way but Bluetooth is wireless. You can still charge your phone with Bluetooth connected headphones. And because I don't have a MacBook I have to figure that Bluetooth is built in. It would be criminal if it's not.
I personally believe that wireless is the way to go. So I'm all for a new Bluetooth standard or even a new standard that brings far superior audio with extremely low power consumption. I'm one of those people that want to see connectors go. In addition to my iPhone 6S I also have a Samsung S7 and I find the wireless charging to be better than any power connector because I can just place my phone on a wireless pad in pitch darkness without fumbling for cables.
No, Apple aren't sold on the idea of lightning being the replacement for 3.5mm likely since it isn't a universal standard. They know that Bluetooth is the replacement but there is the issue of cost when including it with every iPhone. This is the better option as it can be used with the included headphones and existing headphones, and is much cheaper than including Bluetooth earphones. The USB C thing is likely to happen with this model or the 10th anniversary model although I expect it will be standard for the next iPad Pros.
"Many aftermarket Lightning-to-3.5mm adapters are bulky and clunky looking due to the need for a digital-to-analog converter, however, so it remains to be seen if Apple could create a dongle that meets its high standards of design."
Haha... A sexy dongle! Get serious.
Cheap (as in pennies) DAC ICs are the bane of good analog conversion. It takes a proper design to achieve good sound, one with not inexpensive parts. So if Apple goes this ridiculous route to satisfy shallow trendy folk, your traditional headphones will sound worse than before once plugged into a cheap lightning converter.
Haha... A sexy dongle! Get serious.
Cheap (as in pennies) DAC ICs are the bane of good analog conversion. It takes a proper design to achieve good sound, one with not inexpensive parts. So if Apple goes this ridiculous route to satisfy shallow trendy folk, your traditional headphones will sound worse than before once plugged into a cheap lightning converter.
Here's the dongle with a built-in powered digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital (for the mic) converter:
It will fit in your backpack without any major issues, you won't even notice it! It will sound slightly better too, which you will definitely notice with your Apple Earpods!
Sold separately. Only $99.
It will fit in your backpack without any major issues, you won't even notice it! It will sound slightly better too, which you will definitely notice with your Apple Earpods!
Sold separately. Only $99.
I had a feeling my 6S+ would be my last iPhone for a while.
These fancy specs mean nothing to me until Apple gets with the program and starts offering an AMOLED panel and [hopefully] a higher resolution.
Both of those are VERY short-sighted solutions. The problem with dongles is that they're easy to break and/or lose. I'm willing to bet a replacement dongle for those who lose it will be in the range of $25-$35, which isn't cheap. Unless Apple offers lightning technology to competitors for virtually no cost you likely won't see any dongles for less than that.
Wireless is also very short-sighted. I travel a fair amount, and I like to be able to easily switch my headphones between my iPhone, my tablet, and the entertainment system of the airplane I'm flying in. I also like the ability to plug my iPhone into my rental cars AUX port so I can listen to my music while driving. Yes, I know a dongle could potentially address all that, but see above. And I also don't see airlines offering either wireless support or lightning support in their entertainment systems anytime soon.
Optical Image Stabilization for the basic 7 - I'll take that (hadn't noticed that rumor before).
Grin and bear it with the headphones, although I carry them around with me to use at work so it should be low impact in my case. Looking forward to the update.
Grin and bear it with the headphones, although I carry them around with me to use at work so it should be low impact in my case. Looking forward to the update.
I'm not sure why people would be upset about a rumored second speaker. Also, I'm not exactly sure if anyone is upset about a rumored second speaker. To be fair, I haven't read every comment so there may be someone upset about it.
Sounds great, I can't wait to have to carry a dongle around with me whenever I want to plug my headphones into my phone and then to not be able to listen to music when I need to charge my phone.
Seriously, this isn't like dumping the 3.5" floppy drive or the parallel port, this is about something you carry about with you on a daily basis. I have four other devices I plug my headphones into and the inconvenience of having to carry some small connector whenever I want to use them with my phone is real.
If Apple want to improve the quality of headphones audio that's great, but don't shaft users who don't need that level of audio quality.
Edit: One more thing, all the Bluetooth headphones I've tried on iOS have tonnes of lag which makes them worthless for gaming, Apple badly need to improve their Bluetooth stack for wireless headphones to be an option.
Seriously, this isn't like dumping the 3.5" floppy drive or the parallel port, this is about something you carry about with you on a daily basis. I have four other devices I plug my headphones into and the inconvenience of having to carry some small connector whenever I want to use them with my phone is real.
If Apple want to improve the quality of headphones audio that's great, but don't shaft users who don't need that level of audio quality.
Edit: One more thing, all the Bluetooth headphones I've tried on iOS have tonnes of lag which makes them worthless for gaming, Apple badly need to improve their Bluetooth stack for wireless headphones to be an option.
Last edited:
I think they're doing it wrong to move towards Lightninh headphones. The right move for the iPhone 7 would have been to keep the 3.5mm jack, but include Lightning earbuds.
[doublepost=1469217891][/doublepost]
I think it's more people being upset at Apple to "justify" removing a universal connector and trying to smooth it out with "but we gave you stereo speakers instead".
[doublepost=1469217891][/doublepost]
I think it's more people being upset at Apple to "justify" removing a universal connector and trying to smooth it out with "but we gave you stereo speakers instead".
With the use "believes", what you say has far more merit.
As for the dongle itself, they're easily breakable. Every added joint is a point of contention. But fofr what will probably be $20 for a replacement dongle, it's another hidden market.
A bank have said this? I smell . It would be un-Apple like though.
We're getting close now however. Can't wait for the dual-camera's and water-resistant on the Plus. And regardless of what people think, it'll sell like hot cakes.
As soon as you see the promotion pictures, you'll be all over it.
We're getting close now however. Can't wait for the dual-camera's and water-resistant on the Plus. And regardless of what people think, it'll sell like hot cakes.
As soon as you see the promotion pictures, you'll be all over it.
And a larger battery.
And a 4.7" screen instead of 5.1"... nice way to cut corners too...
Very!
It would be like an admission that the 3.5 mm jack is still a necessity for most but that they have removed it anyway. I will be amazed if this happens. They will ship it with lightening earpods I think
What would you do with the much larger opening that is lightning port, or the multiple openings of the speaker (rumored to be even more than currently)? If Samsung can get an IP68 rating with a headphone jack, it was not an impediment to adding water resistance. That IP68 rating is the highest practical rating for phones. I say practical because there is IP69K, but qualifying for that rating is impractical in a phone. Although, if Apple did try, I don't think anyone would complain. That would definitely be innovative.
Is Apple now taking direction from Metallica?
(I Kid, i'm a metallica fan, don't hate, but the "loudness" on death magnetic was pathetic)
I know I'm probably pouring gas on the fire but 3.5mm jacks for headphones are essentially legacy (read - obsolete) technology for smartphones. Here is one article of several that is on-point. Food for thought: is 3.5mm audio plug the new floppy drive?
I don't know that I've seen the bezel on the dual camera shown in this "leaked" image. Previous images were similar to the single camera version. I like the recessed bezel shown here.