iPhone 7 and the Audiophile Case For Lightning Headphones

[joeblow7777]

It's like asking why Apple couldn't have both the iOS App Store and allow flash back in 2008. The reality is that nobody would pay for native apps if free flash apps were a thing.

How many people do you think would continue to use Apple maps if Apple allowed you to set Google maps as the default app? Yet it was necessary to give Maps the time to grow and allow Apple to break away from Google's dominance.

Sometimes, a standard takes off only with enough people pushing for it, which very often means removing some degree of choice from the user.

I don't believe that this is one of those cases. As I said, pack the Lightning earbuds with the phone. If they're so superior, everyone with an iPhone 7 will get to find that out, but it doesn't make all of their other headphones useless over night. Other companies have no problems keeping legacy technology while a new standard is introduced because they don't expect an industry standard to change instantly just because they say so.

 

[danielwsmithee]

Ignoring for a moment that other devices with 3.5mm have been made that cover waterproofing issues (I'm certain Apple can do it too)...

A little round hole makes it have waterproofing issues but a bigger rectangular hole just millimeters away doesn't? Water only wants to enter round holes?

Waterproofing any orifice will require it to be sealed and isolated internally. That requires extra space. The 3.5 mm jack is already the limiting factor in the thickness of the device.

So I say again yes it is possible to waterproof the 3.5mm jack, it is not possible however to waterproof the 3.5mm jack without increasing the thickness of the iPhone. It is quite simple, Apple's view is that the 3.5mm jack is a limiting factor in the future device designs. That is the main driver pushing Apple to consider this.

 

[joeblow7777]

What, you mean like a 3.5mm jack can break off? There will be good quality and bad build quality headphones, just like there is now. Was there an incredible rush of broken lightning connectors when it was introduced? (Answer: no).

To hate on lightning connectors for that reason is just outright silly.
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Not a bad idea, but that's not the Apple way. It would probably have no effect moving people into the new standard though, so in the end we achieve nothing.

Except, every time anyone but Apple moves to a new standard they do it in a more gradual way (usually continuing to offer and support the old standard) and it still works. When DVDs became a thing every company didn't totally stop offering VCRs and VHS tapes. If the new standard is clearly and objectively superior people will adopt it. You don't have to eliminate all other options so they don't have a choice. If it is the better choice, people will choose it. Only Apple seems to think that they need to make choices for people.

 

[Belgique]

Yeah, no thanks.

That connector looks ridiculously fragile with the way it's sticking out. One wrong move and you'll snap off the lightning connector inside the phone, rendering both devices inoperable (or damaged, depending on if anything shorts out).

Of course, I'm sure Apple is banking on this. It's a great way to sell more iPhones and headphones while they're at it.

-SC

EXCELLENT observation.....if something is NOT broken....Apple will fix it and it will cost you.

 

[joeblow7777]

Then you misunderstood - it clearly found that a Lightning connector can allow for better audio quality. What it didn't do (and what might be confusing you) is that it didn't say Lightning is better than the 3.5mm connector overall.
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The whole point is that the 3.5mm port takes up space and restricts how thin the phone can be, so apple are rumoured to want to remove it. Similarly the optical drive/floppy drive in the computers etc.
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Why do people have such poor comprehension? the $800 headphone may not be for you but arguing that there's no point due to the audio quality from an iPhone when the whole point of the article is that Lightning headphones allow the use of an external DAC, thereby potentially vastly increasing the quality just shows a lack of understanding.

Because everyone is always complaining that the latest iPhones are too thick and heavy, and they need to remove hardware features to cut down the bulk...

 

[danielwsmithee]

Good, thickness isn't an issue. A mm here and there has never been an issue outside of Cupertino.

Do we really need/gain anything from a phone being thinner than the iPhone 6?

Other than the marketing spin of being the, 'thinnest device ever'.

I can agree with an understand that argument. My only point is we need to look at all the features and design decisions Apple is trading here and not just limiting it to Apple trying to force SQ improvements on everyone.

 

[Abazigal]

I don't believe that this is one of those cases. As I said, pack the Lightning earbuds with the phone. If they're so superior, everyone with an iPhone 7 will get to find that out, but it doesn't make all of their other headphones useless over night. Other companies have no problems keeping legacy technology while a new standard is introduced because they don't expect an industry standard to change instantly just because they say so.

Other companies also (rightly) think that they have little ability to effect such a change. If any one other company had dropped the vga port to a laptop, the customer would simply have gone to a competitor's laptop which did offer such a feature.

What company had a vocal and loyal user base willing to stick around and adopt whatever new standard they might introduce? Apple removed all display ports from the MBA and introduced the thunderbolt port (which to be fair, wasn't even propriety to Apple) and ... sales of the Thunderbolt Display went crazy.

So it's not that the other companies willingly keep legacy tech around, it's that they have no choice but to do so.

The hard truth is that people don't always make tech choices based on what is best or superior. Even if lightning is better, people may not be willing to toss out perfectly good headphones and spend money buying new ones unless they felt they had no other choice.

I can see why, if anyone is to push for a new standard, it would be Apple, and why it has to be done in this manner.

 

[KPandian1]

99% of the people will use whatever comes in the box... for the rest there are forums where they can b*tch about it ..in a year it won't be a problem anymore... as it was the 30 pin connector to the current one.

My earbuds still sit in the Apple retail box - I am no way a 1%er!

We are not bitching about Apple's wonderful inventions like FireWire (with Sony the other major adapter), that 30-pin connector that did do a lot of things that professionals loved for A/V. As are thunderbolt and lightning, etc.

This 3.5 port is a stereo connector to audio outputs over several decades, present in almost every home! Why would 100% of people who own these and are Apple fans give it up for a connector and special headphones that has audio processing outside the source player/amp? If headphones sellers want to sell (Beat influence?) more high priced headphones, they can still manufacture headphones that process the audio outside the player and in the headphone itself - if that is possible, technologically - it is, as far as I am aware.

Apple changed from 30-pin to lightning - the entire Apple consumer world whined. At the same period, Samsung, Nokia, etc., had their own propriety connectors, about 10 different connectors or more, even as the micro-USB was being adapted by everyone else except Apple!

Apple was almost dissolved in the late 90's - why would I switch my headphone to a company that might repeat that feat?

The 3.5 jack is so old, and yet so functional as a delivery system for "STEREO" music. I also have 5.1 headphones that are wireless and wonderful, the connection is fiber-optic, and the delivery is Infra Red, and 2.4GHZ. Not really a best option, but wireless means no cable for someone to trip over.

So, unless Apple makes lightning connector (throw in thunderbolt, FW800, MagSafe, etc.) license free for anyone to use, (open source) this headphone scam will not work.

 

[steve62388]

Except, every time anyone but Apple moves to a new standard they do it in a more gradual way (usually continuing to offer and support the old standard) and it still works. When DVDs became a thing every company didn't totally stop offering VCRs and VHS tapes. If the new standard is clearly and objectively superior people will adopt it. You don't have to eliminate all other options so they don't have a choice. If it is the better choice, people will choose it. Only Apple seems to think that they need to make choices for people.

Yeah, but that's never been Apple's modus operandi. It seems to have served them pretty well so far and I don't envisage a change any time soon.

I would like to get rid of cables altogether, I have so many of the darn things around the house getting tangled up it's stupid. It looks like a jungle behind my television and bedside table. If all manufacturers could come to an agreement on standards then we could already be living in a cableless utopia, but real world says 'no chance'.

 

[Lepton]

I have a feeling Apple would really like to ditch Lightning (and older USB and display connectors) for USB-C, and just doesn't do it because of the outcry of people having to buy more new cables. But they will do it as soon as they can. The lure of one connector ruling them all is too strong.

 

[Karma*Police]

If you are an audiophile looking forward to Lightning connections, why haven't you already embraced it? It's ALREADY available. Getting rid of the 3.5mm jack doesn't make it more available or better than it is now. Go get your Lightning-based phones now. Those referenced in this article are considered an exceptional set of headphones connected via Lightning.

And the masses will be affected. They'll be carrying adapters or another set of buds so they can easily unplug from a new iPhone Lightning and plug into anything else... even their own Macs. This will affect everyone that uses any audio device other than iDevices. As soon as one needs to plug into ANYTHING else, they better have an adapter... or ANOTHER set of earbuds or headphones with them.

If rumors are true and iPhone 7 removes the headphone jack, I suspect we'll see a flood of vendors supporting it so I'm willing to wait a few months. Maybe I'll pick up my new iPhone and headphones on the same day... That would be great!

I'd wager the "masses" listen to their music primarily on their smartphones if device sales and anecdotal evidence is any indication. Regardless, for those who listen on multiple devices using Apple's default buds, I highly doubt the headphone jack will impact their upgrade decision which was my original point... not that there won't be some users who may be inconvenienced. Most will get a cheap adapter for their computer and be done with it.

 

[StoneJack]

Battery is the price of evolution. Yes, we want lighter, thinner phones. Kick the battery out and Apple can make the next iPhone much lighter and much thinner.

Camera is the price of evolution. Yes, we want lighter, thinner phones. Kick the camera out and Apple can make the next phone lighter and thinner.

Both technologies are older, more "antiquated" than 3.5mm. So where should that line be drawn?

Just because you have some old iPhones that came with the battery & camera INSIDE, doesn't mean iPhones without batteries & camera should not be offered. If you don't like it, you may not buy the iPhone 8 (or 9). No one force it. You may have an easy and elegant camera and/or battery adapter/accessory. You don't like it- don't buy.

See how that works? It's so easy to tow the company line here. But much of the very same arguments can be tweaked to apply to pretty much everything else INSIDE the box now.
OK. So very clearly, what's in this change for us consumers?

Almost every other part built inside an iPhone can be spun as "legacy" technology. So should camera and battery get jettisoned to accessory items next? Both are older technologies than 3.5mm and kicking out the battery would be especially helpful at making an iPhone much thinner & lighter.

Adapters in place of built-in utility is a poor tradeoff. That lets Apple have their 10 seconds to spin "thinnest & lightest ever" spiel in exchange for all us buyers getting to carry these adapters with us so we can use our Apple gear with anything else... even Apple's own Macs.

This shows that you fundamentally don't understand what you really talking about. Aside from straw man argument of talking about camera and batteries, which were not focus of the discussion, you don't seem to get that music playing ability of iPhone is still there. The possibility to listen to music is still there. The possibility to use headphones is still there. The only changed way is delivery. Adaptors are needed only if you want to use older cans. With newer cans, you won't need them, from Philips or maybe from Apple themselves. Perhaps you heard about wireless technology. Yes, you can listen to music wirelessly, without 3.5 mm jack. Even now.
And maybe some day there will be ability for smartphone to catch images not using glass lenses and store energy not using lithium batteries. That day, both traditional camera lenses and batteries might be gone. But functions remains.
You mix functions with delivery methods and thats your fundamental flaw.

 

[ksnell]

Delegating DAC/amp job to the headphone, especially considering power delivery from the phone to the amp for proper headphone amplification, is a welcome change (sorry I'm an audiophile), BUT Lightning connector for that purpose? Nope.

Gotta be USB-C or it's going to flop.

Paying Apple tax even for headphones? Expensive headphones ONLY usable on iPhones and nothing else? There will be many other platforms that will be serving digital audio over USB-C in the near future, and these Lightning headphones are going to be very niche, narrowing choices, and unnecessarily expensive. No thanks.

USB-C to Lightning adapter or vice versa?

 

[doelcm82]

Seeing as iTunes doesn't even natively support FLAC, and iPhone storage starts at 16GB, they'd have some nerve to justify this move as being for audiophiles.

I wonder if there's a way to get an iPhone with more than 16GB. That would make it pointless to worry about. Does anyone know if Apple offers iPhones with larger storage? If we settle this once and for all, maybe no one will need to bring it up again.

 

[StoneJack]

In isolation of using some kind of earbuds with only an iPhone, nobody feels much effect with how the buds terminate. And "crappy" will likely nullify any arguments of actually hearing better sound.

It's when you try to get more utility out of your crappy or non-crappy headphones that will make a population care. I just took a business trip. I took one set of good headphones. In the course of travel and because they terminated with a thoroughly ubiquitous standard, I easily jacked into many devices I encountered:

• My own iDevices
• My Mac
• The clients Windows computer
• The airlines seatback video screen
• A video conference call device
• A video monitor

Now go on my same trip in this "the future" with the crappy (or non-crappy) earbuds included. Are you carrying 2 sets of headphones/earbuds? Are you carrying adapters? Hassle. For what exactly?

Will all the non-Apple players adopt Lightning so that we can go through this transition and get back to what we have now- a ubiquitous standard that doesn't require us lugging adapters or multiple sets of headphones? NO, because the cheaper "replacement" standard will be USB3 (because Intel is going to build that into their own chipsets). Lightning will never be as ubiquitous, so those who embrace this change will always be rolling with adapters or multiple sets of buds or phones.

The whole long argument can be summarized as not wishing to carry an adaptor. Carry a wireless phone and you're set, except of course, if your Windows bluetooth stack works somehow. But if you want your 20 year old phones to carry, you can just put adapter in headphone cable or have an extension. I had an 3.5-2.5 mm adapter extension for Nokia E71, with 2.5 mm ensuring thinness of device and I understand Nokia's reasoning. The extension was put once on headphones and forgotten. BUt I guess its too difficult for you and you still watch VHS tapes and have 15 inch tube black and white TV in your living room.

 

[dk001]

The whole long argument can be summarized as not wishing to carry an adaptor. Carry a wireless phone and you're set, except of course, if your Windows bluetooth stack works somehow. But if you want your 20 year old phones to carry, you can just put adapter in headphone cable or have an extension. I had an 3.5-2.5 mm adapter extension for Nokia E71, with 2.5 mm ensuring thinness of device and I understand Nokia's reasoning. The extension was put once on headphones and forgotten. BUt I guess its too difficult for you and you still watch VHS tapes and have 15 inch tube black and white TV in your living room.

Sounds more a push-back against unneeded change just for the sake of change. Make it non-standard to enforce control and monetize.

 

[niun]

BUt I guess its too difficult for you and you still watch VHS tapes and have 15 inch tube black and white TV in your living room.

Fall back on insults why don't you..

There was a point in time when people were trying to get away from having to carry a multitude of adapters around. They are nearly always amazingly expensive, easy to lose and generally a pain.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Adaptors are needed only if you want to use older cans. With newer cans, you won't need them

Yes you will, unless you limit your consumption to ONLY iDevices. In extreme isolation (using 1 product) you are right. But how many of us use only 1 product with our headphones? Try plugging your new Lightning "cans" into your Mac without an adapter. Bluetooth? Try making that work with the airline's seatback screens so you can watch the big game (as I just recently did when traveling)... or the movie... or live television.

Perhaps you heard about wireless technology. Yes, you can listen to music wirelessly, without 3.5 mm jack. Even now.

Point? Both of these alternate options are available "even now". Killing the 3.5mm is not necessary to make them available. Those who see them as better can embrace them now (or for a long time already). Those who don't see them as better don't have to manage adapters.

And maybe some day there will be ability for smartphone to catch images not using glass lenses and store energy not using lithium batteries. That day, both traditional camera lenses and batteries might be gone. But functions remains. You mix functions with delivery methods and thats your fundamental flaw.

OK. I stand by my point- "straw man" or not. If we can so easily rationalize Apple choosing to eject 3.5mm, I'm sure "we" will be right back to rationalize Apple ejecting battery, camera, etc. Both are older technologies than 3.5mm. Both stand in the way of "thinner" (too). Both stand in the way of "lighter" (too). Both already have external options for taking better quality photos and a wide variety of battery capacity (too). So why not? Look how passionately you are supporting this decision which- regardless of which jack you want to use yourself- has no effect on you whatsoever. This 3.5mm jack decision actually affects how I use my Apple & non-Apple hardware.

Apparently, since Apple is not rumored to be ejecting those yet, such speculation makes no sense at all. But since Apple is rumored to be ejecting 3.5mm, that makes perfect sense. As usual, those who tow the company line are ready to roll with anything Apple wants to do... and spin why it makes so much sense for everyone else too.

 

[langis.elbasunu]

typical deluded apple. trying to "fix" a problem that doesnt exist

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

The whole long argument can be summarized as not wishing to carry an adaptor. Carry a wireless phone and you're set, except of course, if your Windows bluetooth stack works somehow. But if you want your 20 year old phones to carry, you can just put adapter in headphone cable or have an extension. I had an 3.5-2.5 mm adapter extension for Nokia E71, with 2.5 mm ensuring thinness of device and I understand Nokia's reasoning. The extension was put once on headphones and forgotten. BUt I guess its too difficult for you and you still watch VHS tapes and have 15 inch tube black and white TV in your living room.

 

[avanpelt]

People need to remember Apple is not removing the 3.5mm jack to improve everyone's audio quality. They want to remove it because it 1) limits the thickness of the device and 2) Makes it much more difficult to make waterproof device. Those are the criteria that Apple is trading.

Somehow, Apple seems to have made the 6s virtually waterproof (at least under certain conditions) even with the headphone jack. There are many videos on YouTube showing the iPhone 6s being dunked in a foot or two of water for upwards of 10 minutes (sometimes even longer) and coming out seemingly unscathed.

 

[OllyW]

Point? Both of these alternate options are available "even now". Killing the 3.5mm is not necessary to make them available. Those who see them as better can embrace them now (or for a long time already).

It's telling that Apple have not yet embraced Lightning headphones through their Beats subsidiary even though it has been an option on the iPhone since the release of iOS 8.

 

[WinstonRumfoord]

I do this all the time with my lightning charging cable.

/s

So you exercise while you charge your phone, wiseass?

 

[Alexyoe]

Whats better

Being able to plug in my £30 headphones and listen to my compressed spotify/apple music audio

or

Forcing me to spend £40 regularly on a adapter lighting to 3.5mm which then means I can't charge while listening to music.

How long is this adapter really going to last being pull out of a pocket multiple times a day?

I know people will say "wait until sept to pass judgement" but this story has happened too many times.

Early in the year "Rumor's of Change"
Later in the year "More analysts say change is coming"
Leaked parts.
Apple denies changes.
September: We've reinvented the iPhone with the major change and call it innovation.

If Apple really want to innovate then how about you start listening to your customers about the things we would really want.

Why would you have to spend $40 regularly? Are the adapters one time use? How don't most people have Bluetooth headphones by now. 3.5mm is ancient and time for it to hit the road. That's why half the Bluetooth speakers don't have a 3.5mm jack for non-Bluetooth devices.

 

[flux73]

When the iPhone 7 comes out I'll be waiting with my tub of popcorn to read all the whining about change while simultaneously declaring that Apple doesn't innovate anymore.