WIth a dual lighning connector...wich most headphones will come with ...
Like dis......
but with 2 lighinng
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iPhone 7 and the Audiophile Case For Lightning Headphones
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Like dis......
but with 2 lighinng
And what would the extra space be for? A stereo speaker that's a half inch away from the other speaker? You'd literally have a pin head to hear the stereo.
Can't wait for this. I almost pulled the trigger on the Audeze Sine headphones (they have many great reviews), but decided I can wait a few months to see what else comes to market.
I'm also curious to see if Apple makes music available in a higher quality format to coincide with the (rumored) switch to Lightning headphones. They've done it before as technology progressed, so it's not a stretch to think they will again.
Why? Then people will complain about having to pay for a cable they won't use. Audeze has it right - separate out the cable so only those who want it can buy it.
I'm also curious to see if Apple makes music available in a higher quality format to coincide with the (rumored) switch to Lightning headphones. They've done it before as technology progressed, so it's not a stretch to think they will again.
Why? Then people will complain about having to pay for a cable they won't use. Audeze has it right - separate out the cable so only those who want it can buy it.
For me it's not the transition
I agree. I believe more attention should have been made to the Bluetooth standard with devices having better sound, battery life and distance. Or some type of new wireless standard that blows Bluetooth out the water but can be deployed on any type of device including car stereos. Going to a new "wired" proprietary option is going backwards. USB-C makes more sense especially if Apple is using it in their computers as well. The iPhone 7 should have ditched Lightning port and use USB-C in a totally revised phone.
And as someone that uses Android as well as Apple I won't be lining up to buy headphones based on a proprietary connector.
I agree. I believe more attention should have been made to the Bluetooth standard with devices having better sound, battery life and distance. Or some type of new wireless standard that blows Bluetooth out the water but can be deployed on any type of device including car stereos. Going to a new "wired" proprietary option is going backwards. USB-C makes more sense especially if Apple is using it in their computers as well. The iPhone 7 should have ditched Lightning port and use USB-C in a totally revised phone.
And as someone that uses Android as well as Apple I won't be lining up to buy headphones based on a proprietary connector.
Ouch, well played.
If Apple are doing this, its for their own benefit, not ours. When was the last time they announce a product/price combo which didn't make our eyes water? They spent $3B on a headphone company. They've patented up on headphones. Now they want their payday.
There's a false dichotomy here:
A: Digital headphones are good.
B: 3.5mm jacks are still useful.
Adding A does not require B. The phone will need a D-to-A converter anyway in order to function as a phone. The size of the phone is mostly limited by the screen size and battery.
It really comes down to:
The 3.5mm socket is a mechanical weak point
vs.
Carrying a 3.5mm-to-lightning dongle is a pain
Seeing as iTunes supports ALAC, why would Apple be interested in supporting FLAC?
Apple haven't tried to justify this as a move for audiophiles, they haven't even announced it. The reality is that they're probably interested in dropping 3.5mm so they can make thinner phones.
At least while the 3.5mm headphone jack breaking off you only lose the ability to listen to music while a broken lightning connector means a 'bricked' iPhone once the battery goes dead.
"If all future Lightning headphones are designed as thoughtfully and in the same integrated manner as Audeze's, then we'll have nothing to fear from the future,"
Because all headphones are built like $800 headphones /s
Because all headphones are built like $800 headphones /s
I don't think thickness of the device will change much if any. Because of this I don't see that approach to marketing either. But we'll see!
Is lightning connector an Apple proprietary connector? If so, is there any reason why professional audio company such as AKG and Sennheiser would swap over? At the moment my HD650s and HD25s can connect to my iPhone, Mixer and audio interface headphone socket. Would Apogee and Metric Halo go all Lightning ports, or will this simply separate Pro from consumer?
USB headphones I could get behind. Lightning no way. Especially since usb will be standard port of connectivity for the Mac still.
More and more rumours that come out the more I'm hesitating purchasing another iPhone.
More and more rumours that come out the more I'm hesitating purchasing another iPhone.
But right now the iPhone is thicker than the 3.5mm because of apparently the phone parts. That means it's possible to keep making thinner phone parts until we get to the point of a phone as thin as the headphone port. So until we actually are at that point, removing the port for the argument of thinness has no basis.
If Apple goes down the path of ditching the headphone port (which I still see no benefit of removing it) Then Apple needs to make a requirement for any certified lightning devices, that they cannot be terminating. They need to all allow pass-through/daisy-chaining. Similar to how the lightning to HDMI/VGA adaptors still allow another lightning cable to attach to them. OR **shudder** some sort of lightning connection hub accessory/attachment (not preferred).
The reality is that they want to ignite more phone sales. Lightning headphones means proprietary but is finally something that sets them apart. Maybe Apple has a shot with it if they can sell the benefits. I don't see the mainstream caring enough though. I haven't had the best luck with lightning cables though. They become frayed at ends. If this was USB-C I'd be much more for it.
Reading this I just imagined headphones with a Lightning Cable going up to the left ear cup and then a Lighning Port on the right ear cup for daisy chaining...
(Not what you meant, I know - somehow that's what I thought of though)It's a classic case of manipulating the masses into thinking something else is a better alternative. I suspect Apple is behind this to influence people into going that direction.
It's a fluff opinion piece, but not entirely factual. Audiophiles do not make up the entire demographics of iphone or smartphone users. Those who aren't audiophiles and prefer to keep their headphones will want to use the 3.5 jack.
Those who are wishing or wanting the 3.5 jack to go away are juvenile Apple fools. Especially if this is Apple looking for an excuse to make the phone thinner is pathetic. They need to revert back to the old thickness of the iphone 4 or 5.
Lightning is, I don't think, the answer. If they have an adapter from 3.5 to lightning, that would be obvious. There's only one way they can charge the phone while it's plugged to lightining.
Wireless charging.
There are many phones from other companies that both have the port and are thinner than the iPhone. Personally unless the next iPhone has some practical purpose for being thinner (becomes some flexible, rollup-up phone or something crazy awesome) then the current phone is thin enough. I'm much more interested in increased battery, processing power, memory, etc... decreased size at this point is pretty much the bottom of the concern list. I'd take keeping the 3.5mm over decreased size any day.
Sorry, I will never spend $800 on a set of headphones. I know that they are surely better than the headphones I use, but I honestly don't care. I know some people do care and that is great, but I am not one of those people and I would rather be able to plug in a cheap set of earbuds that if I lose them on an airplane I won't care and I can afford to have 10 sets kicking around in case I need to find one in a hurry for some reason. I am assuming the dollar store won't sell lightning earbuds and I just don't want any headphone to lightning dongles
WIth a dual lighning connector...wich most headphones will come with ...
Like dis......
but with 2 lighinng
But that is almost as big as an external DAC itself!! Where's the benefit?!
They do sell 64 and 128 gb you know?
That could have the dac inside of it.... it is just an example it could be all seamless....
it could be as little as
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Lightning will never work on anything but Apple devices, that is enough of a downside to outweigh any possible improvement in audio quality that is already good enough.
I've actually listened to audio using the lightning to 30-pin adapter. The DAC in the adapter is terrible. Sound quality is really dead in the high end. The low end is really boomy.
You can also have headphones with cheap DACs as well. It sorta runs both ways. No one has mentioned this. All that has been mentioned is 'the companies have control over the DAC!' Well... that may be good or bad. Watch out for cheap headphones, people.
I've gone back to listening to an iPod in my car, simply because the lightning adapter's sound quality is so bad. At least the iPod still has an analog output with decent sound quality.
You can also have headphones with cheap DACs as well. It sorta runs both ways. No one has mentioned this. All that has been mentioned is 'the companies have control over the DAC!' Well... that may be good or bad. Watch out for cheap headphones, people.
I've gone back to listening to an iPod in my car, simply because the lightning adapter's sound quality is so bad. At least the iPod still has an analog output with decent sound quality.