iPhone 7 May Feature Thinner, Waterproof Body With No Headphone Jack and Wireless Charging

[newlifer]

So it sounds like you would benefit from an extended battery case. With that in mind, instead of an adapter, how about something you can really use.

What if Apple offers a 3.5mm port integrated into this?

no way!! ;-) this is too ugly for me to buy.. I have a spare lightning cable in my car & charge it using the usb

 

[RyanDudeH6]

Apple's iPhone 7 may feature wireless charging and a thinner waterproof body with no headphone jack, according to a new report from Fast Company that is in line with previous iPhone 7 rumors from the Asian supply chain.

Citing a source with "knowledge of the company's plans," Fast Company says the iPhone 7 will not include a headphone jack in an effort to make the device even thinner than the iPhone 6s. The device will also "very likely" be waterproof and support some form of wireless charging.

Apple is said to be working with Cirrus Logic to adapt the audio chipset in the iPhone to work with the Lightning port. With no 3.5mm headphone jack, the Lightning port, which is currently used for charging, will also be used to transmit sound to wired headphones. The chipset may also include new noise-canceling technology to remove background noise during music playback and phone calls.

According to Fast Company's source, Apple may not ship Lightning-connected EarPods alongside the iPhone 7, instead opting to sell noise-canceling Lightning-connected headphones separately under its Beats brand. It is not clear if that means the iPhone 7 will come with no EarPods or if Apple will ship standard EarPods with some kind of adapter.

​

While Fast Company's source sounds sure of the removal of the headphone jack, there is a caveat about the potential inclusion of wireless charging technology and waterproofing. Apple is said to be working on these technologies at the current time, but Fast Company warns that the features could be pulled ahead of when the iPhone 7 goes into production.

Wireless charging is a feature that has been long rumored for potential inclusion in the iPhone and it's certainly technology that Apple has been exploring for many years, based on patents and earlier iPhone and Apple Watch rumors. A waterproof iPhone 7 body made from a new non-aluminum composite material is a rumor that first surfaced a few months ago. Further rumors have suggested the new material will also allow Apple to do away with the prominent antenna bands that were included on the iPhone 6s.

The removal of the headphone jack was first reported by Japanese site Mac Otakara and has since been backed up by a supply chain rumor, but Apple has been laying the groundwork for the elimination of the jack for several months. In 2014, the company introduced a new MFi program to allow third-party manufacturers to develop headphones that connect to iOS devices over Lightning, paving the way for Lightning-equipped headphones like the Philips Fidelio M2L.

Mark Sullivan, who penned today's rumor, has a bit of a mixed track record in the pieces he's written for Fast Company and VentureBeat. His sources accurately predicted some iPhone 6 features like the Qualcomm MDM9825 LTE chip, but he also reported that Apple was working with Swatch to develop the Apple Watch, a rumor that turned out to be untrue.

Apple's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are expected to be released in September of 2016. Along with the above-mentioned rumored features, the device will also include an upgraded A-series processor and it could include features like an improved camera. Other rumors specific to the iPhone 7 Plus have suggested it could include a 256GB storage option, a 3,100 mAh battery, and 3GB RAM.

Article Link: iPhone 7 May Feature Thinner, Waterproof Body With No Headphone Jack and Wireless Charging

If the iPhone 7plus has 256gb storage then iPads better have Tha storage too so I don't have to have 2 iPad pros.

 

[Burger Thing]

So it sounds like you would benefit from an extended battery case. With that in mind, instead of an adapter, how about something you can really use.

What if Apple offers a 3.5mm port integrated into this?

This is another reason, why probably many of us are worried about the future of Apple. You are constantly repeating like a broken record that the future of Music is wireless. Currently is doesn't look that way and by looking at the case above and other latest design calamities like the Magic Mouse 2, the gimped Mac Minis, the handicapped iMacs, the one port MB, the awkward charging of the Pencil, I am just not convinced that Apple under its current leadership is capable of pushing the industry forward by developing anything new and ground breaking.

After all, your future minded Apple is offering a 5400 RPM HD in a desktop computer as base configuration.

Sadly, it doesn't look like a company with a strategic interest in future proving to me.

More like forcing people into spending money on either proprietary connectors, adapters, upgrades etc.

Like many mentioned: welcome to the future. Can't wait.

 

[Mac 128]

no way!! ;-) this is too ugly for me to buy.. I have a spare lightning cable in my car & charge it using the usb

So you're opposed to just Apple's case because it's way too ugly, or you're opposed to any manufacturers cases? Because third party companies will offer cases with integrated 3.5mm jacks as well. Mophie is already the defacto standard in the business, and a pretty popular choice for many. And it doesn't even have to be an extended battery case, just a regular one that integrates a 3.5mm jack. A spare lightning cable in your car sounds much less convenient than adding a larger battery to your phone, especially if your phone runs low at a bar you're mixing at, and your car is parked far away.

 

[newlifer]

So you're opposed to just Apple's case because it's way too ugly, or you're opposed to any manufacturers cases? Because third party companies will offer cases with integrated 3.5mm jacks as well. Mophie is already the defacto standard in the business, and a pretty popular choice for many. And it doesn't even have to be an extended battery case, just a regular one that integrates a 3.5mm jack. A spare lightning cable in your car sounds much less convenient than adding a larger battery to your phone, especially if your phone runs low at a bar you're mixing at, and your car is parked far away.

if we're talking about a beautiful case which looks like apple spent a lot of time designing it, offering battery, jack & iOS integration I'm thinking about it

 

[Burger Thing]

So you're opposed to just Apple's case because it's way too ugly, or you're opposed to any manufacturers cases? Because third party companies will offer cases with integrated 3.5mm jacks as well. Mophie is already the defacto standard in the business, and a pretty popular choice for many. And it doesn't even have to be an extended battery case, just a regular one that integrates a 3.5mm jack. A spare lightning cable in your car sounds much less convenient than adding a larger battery to your phone, especially if your phone runs low at a bar you're mixing at, and your car is parked far away.

Just for environmental reasons alone most of your suggestions are pure nonsense.

Adapters, external additional (presently) Lithium batteries, etc, to achieve something similar what has just worked for decades.

I find it remarkable that a single person finds so much time to be present in these kind of threads -almost 24-7- and seems to have an incredible verve in trying to convince others.

Boy, I wished you had the same verve in trying to be more aware of some environmental aspects of your wireless or adapter filled future as well.

 

[reivinz]

I'm ok losing the 3.5mm jack. I used to be a Sony Ericsson/cybershot phone user back in 2004-2006. They had one port for data transfers, charge and audio. It wasn't much of an issue. I just had to get an adapter on ebay to use with my on ear headphones.

 

[OllyW]

Wait, what? Why do people who have headphones with internal DACs need a lIghtning adapter that outputs analogue audio? If they don't have a Lightning connector, then they would need a custom USB to Lightning adapter for instance.

Have you read the article?

Apple is said to be working with Cirrus Logic to adapt the audio chipset in the iPhone to work with the Lightning port. With no 3.5mm headphone jack, the Lightning port, which is currently used for charging, will also be used to transmit sound to wired headphones.

It's got a bit lost in the discussion but keeping and modifying the internal DAC to output analogue audio through the Lightning port is one of the the rumours along with Apple ditching the 3.5mm jack.

 

[Mac 128]

Have you read the article?
It's got a bit lost in the discussion but keeping and modifying the internal DAC to output analogue audio through the Lightning port is one of the the rumours along with Apple ditching the 3.5mm jack.

While I agree it's possible, since Apple can route whatever signal they wish through the Lightning connector, I don't see it as likely and have addressed this point at length previously. In order for Apple to route the analogue signals through Lightning, they might have to break backward compatibility with legacy Lightning 9-pin connectors, or otherwise obsolete existing devices, even if the new 17-pin standard on the iPP makes this easier for them to do.

And Apple has now designed and sold 4 docks which use built-in DACs for use with a 3.5mm jack which I would wager was used by a minority of dock purchasers to begin with. If Apple had the capability, the Lightning connector is smart enough to flip the signal for two of those pins when docked, and save the headache and cost of including the DAC hardware -- as well as a ton of negative press, and customer backlash about the cost.

But who knows, maybe Apple has learned their lesson after making four different docks this way ... but I doubt it. I think Apple wants to push digital only, and frankly if I were them, I'd want to eliminate the responsibility over sound quality from my device, and allow the headphone and speaker manufacturers to control it by custom matching the DAC and amp to the equipment.

 

[Burger Thing]

It's got a bit lost in the discussion but keeping and modifying the internal DAC to output analogue audio through the Lightning port is one of the the rumours along with Apple ditching the 3.5mm jack.

In Apple's quest to go minimalistic, (*looking at you*: one port MB, iMac's suffering of anorexia), of all the rumours regarding the removal of the Audio Jack this, while I still don't like it, this makes the most sense.

In order for Apple to route the analogue signals through Lightning, they might have to break backward compatibility with legacy Lightning 9-pin connectors, or otherwise obsolete existing devices, even if the new 17-pin standard on the iPP makes this easier for them to do.

And Apple has now designed and sold 4 docks which use built-in DACs for use with a 3.5mm jack which I would wager was used by a minority of dock purchasers to begin with. If Apple had the capability, the Lightning connector is smart enough to flip the signal for two of those pins when docked, and save the headache and cost of including the DAC hardware -- as well as a ton of negative press, and customer backlash about the cost.

I'm a bit confused about your sudden lack of imagination. After proposing them in literally dozens of postings, Apple could in this case, you know, offer an ADAPTER for you and your dock - similar to this:

For just 29$.

 

[Elvergun]

if we're talking about a beautiful case which looks like apple spent a lot of time designing it, offering battery, jack & iOS integration I'm thinking about it

A smart battery costs $99 from apple. How much do you think it will cost if they stick a DAC and an amp in there? Will it cost $150 or $200?


Hmm...

$150 (low estimate) + $650 = $800 ($150 iPhone "tax" so you can listen to your music)


$200 (high estimate) + $950 = $1150 (for an iPhone 6S plus, 128GB)


You will pay around $150 to do something you can do for free right now.


THANK YOU APPLE!!!!!

Oh, and thank you Mac 128...for thinking of ways I can spend my money. You gotta find ways to make your favorite company richer and richer, I guess.

 

[Burger Thing]

A smart battery costs $99 from apple. How much do you think it will cost if they stick a DAC and an amp in there? Will it cost $150 or $200?


Hmm...

$150 (low estimate) + $650 = $800 ($150 iPhone "tax" so you can listen to your music)


$200 (high estimate) + $950 = $1150 (for an iPhone 6S plus, 128GB)


You will pay around $150 to do something you can do for free right now.


THANK YOU APPLE!!!!!

Oh, and thank you Mac 128...for thinking of ways I can spend my money. You gotta find ways to make your favorite company richer and richer, I guess.

And 4 years later they move the camera to external devices as well. Because as you know, an optical lense is already more than a century old, is NOT digital and takes up 167.23 mm^3 space inside the phone. Space, which could be used by Apple to pack constantly "additional features" into your phone (where are they, BTW?) or make "room for additional battery life" (unfortunately never happened - device just got thinner).

And heck, without a optical lens the phone's waterproofing could be improved.

Introducing the iPhone Media Case:

Available in 32 and 128 GB (iPhone 9 is only available with 16 GB. BUT IT'S REALLY THIN. And nobody stores stuff on the phone anymore anyway. The feature is wireless and the cloud!) starting at just 499$

 

[dotnet]

A smart battery costs $99 from apple. How much do you think it will cost if they stick a DAC and an amp in there? Will it cost $150 or $200?

Unlikely. This dock, which contains a DAC and an amp, costs USD39: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MGRM2AM/A/iphone-lightning-dock-white
[doublepost=1452673263][/doublepost]

REMOVE THE JACK. Apple if you listen to people...probably even now we had floppy disk and optical drive...so dont listen do what do you best. THe other companies can keep the jack but we all know that after 2 years they also will remove it

Well, maybe – just maybe – they'll make a MacRumors Armchair Designers edition, which would look somewhat like this: http://www.joyoftech.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/2236.html

 

[gobenji]

I've recently moved to bluetooth headphones. Love them for music but they need to find a solution to the audio lag when watching video that I've been experiencing. Only media player I can use on my iPad with my AKG Y45BT headphones is VLC using the audio offset.

 

[Elvergun]

Unlikely. This dock, which contains a DAC and an amp, costs USD39: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MGRM2AM/A/iphone-lightning-dock-white

This case, which does not contain a DAC or an amp, costs USD100:
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MKXW2ZM/A/iphone-6s-leather-case-black?fnode=99

This other case, which does not contain a DAC, an amp or a battery, costs USD35 :
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MKY02ZM/A/iphone-6s-silicone-case-charcoal-gray?fnode=99

Unlikely?


This battery case, with a DAC and an amp, will cost around USD200:

 

[Mac 128]

Unlikely. This dock, which contains a DAC and an amp, costs USD39: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MGRM2AM/A/iphone-lightning-dock-white

While I agree a simple 3.5mm adapter will cost $29 or less (the list price of the iPhone 5 Lightning dock), the fact Apple charges $99 for their battery case, means adding a 3.5mm adapter to such a case will likely cost at least $119. But I'm not sure Apple will make such a case. Third parties will offer them however -- Mophie makes a case for $59, so adding a 3.5mm adapter may put such a case into the $69-79 range.

Well, maybe – just maybe – they'll make a MacRumors Armchair Designers edition, which would look somewhat like this: http://www.joyoftech.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/2236.html

Yep, that sums up this thread perfectly!

 

[Sefstah]

Apparently you don't realize that you can still use a wired charger. Problem solved.

Apparently you didn't understand the last sentence of my post. Im all about the wired charger.
[doublepost=1452812840][/doublepost]

that's not why i want it, i want it because it'll be easier to be universal and share chargers this way. though apple will probably make some ridiculous protocol that no other contact chargers will have

Universal charging would be awesome! But Apple will never allow that. It's a shame.

 

[Tech198]

Contrary to the belief of the elimination of the 3.5 inch headphone jack on iPhone 7, and would be good for True Audio HD, or any other HD audio that Apple may implement on iTunes, Apple has also just doomed themselves here too.

What happens currently when u bring a busted phone into the Apple store..? They shine a flashlight into the headphone jack to see what color the strip it...

With the elimination of this port they cannot do that.... They must open it up first to see, so their will be no longer a "quick fix" to troubleshoot.

I wonder if Apple actually thought of this through.

 

[Mac 128]

Contrary to the belief of the elimination of the 3.5 inch headphone jack on iPhone 7, and would be good for True Audio HD, or any other HD audio that Apple may implement on iTunes, Apple has also just doomed themselves here too.

What happens currently when u bring a busted phone into the Apple store..? They shine a flashlight into the headphone jack to see what color the strip it...

With the elimination of this port they cannot do that.... They must open it up first to see, so their will be no longer a "quick fix" to troubleshoot.

I wonder if Apple actually thought of this through.

Haha. Good one. But with respect the article title, the water damage indicator may well be a moot point. If Apple offers a water-resistant product, they can no longer use water-damage as a warranty issue. Just like the Watch. How can they possibly know that the watch didn't fail while being subjected to normal, sanctioned, water exposure. The only reason it works now is because the iPhone is not supposed to be exposed to ANY water of any kind (and even then that determination has been known to be contentious with customers).

If the 7 does not offer increased water resistance, then this may just be Apple's way of giving up on that assessment in preparation for eventual water-resistance ratings. Since the 6S is already more water resistant than its predecessors, I would imagine that 7 will have improved water resistance over the 6S, and so on until they offer official certification. The Watch is the same way -- far more water-resistant than its current rating, which will surely improve.

 

[Michael CM1]

It's more like Napster killed the cd but that's a topic for another day

You're on to something. I guess a better way would be to say Apple killed the optical drive -- or at least is pretty far in it. Napster began the process by serving like a black market iTunes 1.0. Apple came in and made iTunes a profitable thing that worked way better than other similar services out there. I know because I bought an album or two from MusicMatch. But my main point was how optical drives are kind of legacy devices. I have two in my home, one SuperDrive in an iMac and a BD reader attached to my iMac. Why? To get my movies onto hard drives.

So basically I'm a person who's ready for change that "does it better." I hated dropping $250 on Beats headphones with a wire a year or so ago. But the wireless ones were $380, and I wanted some good headphones. I saw the wireless at $300 on Black Friday. Man, wish I had the cash for that.

I've gone longer than probably anybody cares. I do that. I just love how Apple has no trouble killing off things that don't work if there is something better on the horizon or just a much more needed reason elsewhere. The optical drives disappeared in part to make devices lighter and have more room for battery and ports. I'm stoked the same way about the MacBook if it can make almost all of those technologies it did away with wireless. Inductive charging, wireless video, wireless audio, wireless peripherals. You're down to just power cords, and we've already seen solutions to needing a wire for each device.

 

[Zellio]

You're on to something. I guess a better way would be to say Apple killed the optical drive -- or at least is pretty far in it. Napster began the process by serving like a black market iTunes 1.0. Apple came in and made iTunes a profitable thing that worked way better than other similar services out there. I know because I bought an album or two from MusicMatch. But my main point was how optical drives are kind of legacy devices. I have two in my home, one SuperDrive in an iMac and a BD reader attached to my iMac. Why? To get my movies onto hard drives.

So basically I'm a person who's ready for change that "does it better." I hated dropping $250 on Beats headphones with a wire a year or so ago. But the wireless ones were $380, and I wanted some good headphones. I saw the wireless at $300 on Black Friday. Man, wish I had the cash for that.

I've gone longer than probably anybody cares. I do that. I just love how Apple has no trouble killing off things that don't work if there is something better on the horizon or just a much more needed reason elsewhere. The optical drives disappeared in part to make devices lighter and have more room for battery and ports. I'm stoked the same way about the MacBook if it can make almost all of those technologies it did away with wireless. Inductive charging, wireless video, wireless audio, wireless peripherals. You're down to just power cords, and we've already seen solutions to needing a wire for each device.

I found your problem. You bought beats headphones.

Should've bought Sennheiser or some other good or decent brand

 

[Wadadli_Cooler]

Apple's iPhone 7 may feature wireless charging and a thinner waterproof body with no headphone jack, according to a new report from Fast Company that is in line with previous iPhone 7 rumors from the Asian supply chain.

Citing a source with "knowledge of the company's plans," Fast Company says the iPhone 7 will not include a headphone jack in an effort to make the device even thinner than the iPhone 6s. The device will also "very likely" be waterproof and support some form of wireless charging.

Apple is said to be working with Cirrus Logic to adapt the audio chipset in the iPhone to work with the Lightning port. With no 3.5mm headphone jack, the Lightning port, which is currently used for charging, will also be used to transmit sound to wired headphones. The chipset may also include new noise-canceling technology to remove background noise during music playback and phone calls.

According to Fast Company's source, Apple may not ship Lightning-connected EarPods alongside the iPhone 7, instead opting to sell noise-canceling Lightning-connected headphones separately under its Beats brand. It is not clear if that means the iPhone 7 will come with no EarPods or if Apple will ship standard EarPods with some kind of adapter.

​

While Fast Company's source sounds sure of the removal of the headphone jack, there is a caveat about the potential inclusion of wireless charging technology and waterproofing. Apple is said to be working on these technologies at the current time, but Fast Company warns that the features could be pulled ahead of when the iPhone 7 goes into production.

Wireless charging is a feature that has been long rumored for potential inclusion in the iPhone and it's certainly technology that Apple has been exploring for many years, based on patents and earlier iPhone and Apple Watch rumors. A waterproof iPhone 7 body made from a new non-aluminum composite material is a rumor that first surfaced a few months ago. Further rumors have suggested the new material will also allow Apple to do away with the prominent antenna bands that were included on the iPhone 6s.

The removal of the headphone jack was first reported by Japanese site Mac Otakara and has since been backed up by a supply chain rumor, but Apple has been laying the groundwork for the elimination of the jack for several months. In 2014, the company introduced a new MFi program to allow third-party manufacturers to develop headphones that connect to iOS devices over Lightning, paving the way for Lightning-equipped headphones like the Philips Fidelio M2L.

Mark Sullivan, who penned today's rumor, has a bit of a mixed track record in the pieces he's written for Fast Company and VentureBeat. His sources accurately predicted some iPhone 6 features like the Qualcomm MDM9825 LTE chip, but he also reported that Apple was working with Swatch to develop the Apple Watch, a rumor that turned out to be untrue.

Apple's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are expected to be released in September of 2016. Along with the above-mentioned rumored features, the device will also include an upgraded A-series processor and it could include features like an improved camera. Other rumors specific to the iPhone 7 Plus have suggested it could include a 256GB storage option, a 3,100 mAh battery, and 3GB RAM.

Article Link: iPhone 7 May Feature Thinner, Waterproof Body With No Headphone Jack and Wireless Charging

Reasons Apple is ditching the 3.5mm headphone socket:

The on-board DAC, and associated 3.5mm jack on the current iPhone range is extremely good and an essential integral part of the package - so why get rid of it?

Apple's likely reasons:

1. Save cost
2. Reduce weight
3. Reduce heat
4. Reduce power consumption.
5. Enable a thinner handset.
6. Externalizing the DAC creates new possibilities for a wide range of devices with sound quality and output power options - and of course new revenue streams for Apple.

Impact on consumer:

1. You will need an external DAC with lightning to 3.5mm jack connectors - cost £50 - £100?
2. OR you will need new lightning headphones with built-in DAC - cost £100 plus?
3. OR You may get lightning connected buds included?
4. OR You will need some kind of wireless solution with the reduced sound quality and powering issues that brings.
5. To connect to a HiFi eg for streaming you will need another external DAC - cost £200 plus

 

[OllyW]

The on-board DAC, and associated 3.5mm jack on the current iPhone range is extremely good and an essential integral part of the package - so why get rid of it?

They can't completely get rid of the DAC unless you also want to lose the internal speakers, which would mean it's not very good at being a phone.