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iPhone 7 May Feature Thinner, Waterproof Body With No Headphone Jack and Wireless Charging
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I'm hoping Apple throws a curve ball and doesn't do inductive charging but resonant charging at a distance
Bluetooth is the way to go for now. We should expect wireless technology will advance. I expect Apple will play a key role in translating advances in the physical sciences and engineering for consumer electronics.
First, it will likely be USB C, not Lightning. That will open the doors to all sorts of options, including much better audio.
If you're fine with 100+ year old technology, that's fine. Switch to a different phone - I dare you. I'm stoked to find out what Apple has planned. Their decision is not arbitrary or motivated by so-called "greed."
"Wireless charging" is an ironic name since the wire is still there, attached to a dongle. My "wireless" Apple watch charging cord is more bulky than my lightning iPhone charging cord. The obvious advantage to wireless charging is not having to plug it in -- a relatively small advantage in my opinion compared to the hassle of a bigger charging cord. The only reason I'd like "wireless" charging is if they did away with the lightning port all together to make the whole thing a sealed-device that was truly waterproof in the same way as the watch.
All I will say for now is: "I don't know what I think."
Maybe Apple will do it right, retaining audio quality and/or shipping a small adapter with the phone. If not, I might not buy it. I have a pair of Sennheiser IE80s. If I can't use them with my phone, I will probably bow out of the Apple ecosystem.
Maybe Apple will do it right, retaining audio quality and/or shipping a small adapter with the phone. If not, I might not buy it. I have a pair of Sennheiser IE80s. If I can't use them with my phone, I will probably bow out of the Apple ecosystem.
Problem. What if the wireless charging pad is sold separately for an exorbitant price? Worse yet, what if it isn't using the Qi standard but a proprietary one (very unlikely but possible)
But... that doesn't make sense...
Wouldn't it be wonderfully perverse if this was pushed by the physical limitations of the Apple Watch?
The average consumer may not consider the that they can interact with their watch with Bluetooth headphones. But when every iPhone ships with a Bluetooth headset, suddenly it becomes much more viable to use the microphone and audio through that, making the watch a much more versatile, personal and engaging item.
I know I'm way off base here, just a funny thought. I can't wait for an untethered Apple Watch with an eSIM, we'll all be living like Futurama.
The average consumer may not consider the that they can interact with their watch with Bluetooth headphones. But when every iPhone ships with a Bluetooth headset, suddenly it becomes much more viable to use the microphone and audio through that, making the watch a much more versatile, personal and engaging item.
I know I'm way off base here, just a funny thought. I can't wait for an untethered Apple Watch with an eSIM, we'll all be living like Futurama.
Can somebody help me understand the great appeal of wireless charging. Other than being able to charge multiple devices simultaneously (assuming that's possible) - what's the big benefit of putting a phone by a wireless charging base station that's plugged instead of plugging it into a wall adapter.
And I imagine for people who charge in the car or at the office, they'll still need to do that...or buy multiple wireless charging adapters?
And I imagine for people who charge in the car or at the office, they'll still need to do that...or buy multiple wireless charging adapters?
Like so many others here, you don't seem to understand that it is weight, not thinness, that Apple is driving down.
Do you really want a phone that weighs substantially more in order to have a two day battery? I don't, nor do I suspect most other people. For those that really need a two day battery there a plenty of third party cases that will provide that.
Agree, most iPhones you see are in a case.
I would bet most users would gladly sacrifice thinness for a little more battery life.
Its not at all necessary. Its just a neato party trick. PS its possible to charge multiple devices with a large enough mat.
You can't think in terms of only whats necessary or purely beneficial. Wireless charging is exactly that, wireless charging. You put your phone down on a puck and it starts charging your phone. Pick it up when you need it and put it back down when you don't so it can charge some more
The only downside to wireless charging, other than the price, is that your phone gets hot. Not a big issue since fast charging will heat your phone up too.
It isn't the 100+ year old tech that is the problem - it is that they are going to arbitrarily force me to give up my headphones that will work on tens of thousands of other devices for something that only really works [for now] on theirs. This is analog transmission of electrical signals, and it will still be AC heading to the drivers in the end, no matter the intermediary DAC. The jack is actually the most universal and [reasonably] efficient way to do that, without resorting to wireless, which has its own problems (and lots of them, at that)...
To be fair, this probably doesn't even effect me. I use external DACs a fair amount of the time, mostly because the one in the iPhone is merely OK (though better than most competitors in integrated devices, including some $$$ standalone DAPs). I'm ok with the extra bulk and cabling - most won't be...
...But the thing that really bothers me is trying to force consumers to give up a connector for another that is doing the same thing. Not a similar thing, as with the USB transition, but exactly the same thing. There is only one way to get electricity from a source to a driver (not counting electrostats) - and by forcing users to go to the USB-C or Lightning connector, they are just creating an arbitrary barrier to use of the consumer's existing devices. In the end it will still be sending AC to a magnet through a wire!
This is just a ploy to control 3rd party accessories again. That has slipped quite a bit with the rise of Android. You want to use a normal headphone jack? Awww. Buy beats one instead. Sure others will come to the market a few months later but if you want to listen to music on your phone, you have to buy in the eco system.
Cha-CHING$$$
Cha-CHING$$$
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Conceptually, if everyone would adopt ONE wireless charging standard, pads would pop up everywhere (think of how it is with wifi now). Eventually, it would get to a point where you could confidently leave home for a trip and not have to lug along the brick and cord because you would have faith that the hotel where you are staying or the airport where you have the long layover or the restaurant where you'll get a bite of food, etc will have a charging pad that works with your phone. It might take a long time to get to that point, but the strength of Apple iDevice sales volume could speed it up once Apple adopts a standard OR implements a proprietary standard that somewhat presses the rest of the world to adapt... or pay up for 2 pads at all those locations.
This is a much bigger deal than going from 1/4" to 1/8" (which were electrically compatible) - this is arbitrarily adding a digital layer into the process, one that they can control...
Bingo. You forgot "at the cost of the consumer", which is why this idea scares me so much - THIS IS APPLE ACTING LIKE SONY!!!
$30?! Dude that would be a steal!!! Have you seen how much Apple charges for those damn things?
[doublepost=1452212353][/doublepost]I actually want to see the headphone jack removed. And as long as they include wireless EarPods I'll be very very happy
It moves NOTHING forward, nothing, all it will do is make more money for Apple under the reality distortion field of it's 'unapologetically thinner!" that you will love. Apple will attempt to force a change that literally just means more cash flow for them.
I am fully aware of Apples history thank you, they haven't changed anything in the industry, no one else makes a desktop computer lacking a blueray drive? They also make laptops with them in for those, you know, "pro's", oh and they make desktop computers where you use a screwdriver as opposed to a heat gun to take apart and replace the components to upgrade, or Pro workstations with the same features! I see NO ONE else making a Mac Pro machine, it's hardly revolutionized that industry.
Apple also didn't invent SSD drives, or USB drives, or the internet, or cloud storage, or cordless keyboards and mice like WTF?? You think Apple drove the industry by including wireless keyboards and mice???
Oh and many audiophiles still use vinyl let alone CD's! They would scoff at the merest suggestion Apple's iTunes is better in any way.
The only thing they have driven lately, as in the last few years, is finger printer scanner tech and linking that to payment options and apps.
So your suggesting Samsung will be fitting lightning ports to their phones for lightning headphones then? That is what you are saying? Or are you stating the entire headphone industry will start making USB headphones just so every other phone manufacturer can ditch the headphone jack to copy Apple?
Somehow I don't think that will ever happen...
It appears you are not aware. Yes, other manufacturers dumped their optical drives. Apple lead the charge. Same with floppy disks, SCSI ports, and including wireless keyboards/mice, and more.