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iPhone 7 Rumored to Ship With Standard 3.5mm EarPods and Lightning Adapter
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You say no audiophile will buy a DAC, but then talk about a DAC in the same post. Evidently Dragonfly thinks that people will buy a DAC, as do the other companies that are coming out with them.
You really think the people around here complaining about how they spent $500, or $1000 on headphones with a 3.5mm jack aren't going to buy a $20-30 adaptor to allow them to keep using those same headphones?
Other phone manufacturers are now dropping their 3.5mm jacks and going with USB-C. Most high end headphones already come with detachable 3.5mm cords. It's pretty easy to see that very soon we will start seeing a lot of the high end headphones start building in their own DAC, and then just have a USB-C jack on the headphones. They you either get a USB-C to USB-C cable to hook up to your Samsung/HTC/LG phone, or a USB-C to lightning cable to hook up to your iPhone/iPad. Doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me.
As far as this rumor goes, I don't see this happening at all. If Apple drops the 3.5mm jack, they will include a newer set or earpods with lightning cable and the DAC built in. That way all the people can tell their friends how much better the new earpods sound and how awesome audio over lightning is (even if in real life there is little or no difference in sound quality). Leaving the earpods the same and making everyone use the adaptor would create a much larger backlash in my opinion.
Perhaps I'm just being stupid, but if the iPhone 7 is indeed the same dimensions as the 6s (as rumoured), then what is the point of removing the 3.5 jack? Soon we will have to wear a chainmail gauntlet to hold our phones as they are too thin and sharp.
No one responded to this, but the Beats Studio Wireless (released in 2014) have active noise cancellation and came out long before the Bose. Their noise cancellation isn't as good, but it's there.
Literally everyone on these forums has been discussing this over the last several months, but thanks a million for the bolded reminder.
I meant no audiophile will buy a DAC that only connects via lightning as the port is restricted to iPhones. Even if it expanded to Macs I don't see it developing much traction as they won't be able to plug into receivers and what with the market being stagnant for decades, most will opt for used Marantz, etc that don't have any usb-c or lightning ports for home-fi. And yes quite frankly I think they will complain because I know for my system I try to minimize adapters and connections as every thing it needs to go through will degrade the signal, even if it's marginal.
Also I think built in DACs remove part of the fun of high quality audio. Part of the allure of a high end set up is that you have your own spin on it. You can add and remove components to affect the character of the sound and get closer to what fits your personal taste instead of it being entirely dictated by one component.
I'm sorry... absurd adapter prices didn't exist under Jobs? The revisionist history around here is totally insane. (And I'm a huge Jobs fan.)
It's pathetic that Apple may, according to the rumors, ship a phone without the ubiquitous 3.5mm audio jack. Of course the so-called audiophiles will argue the alleged benefits of audio pumped through the lightning port versus an analog signal. The 3.5mm audio/mic jack is one of the few standards that spans the vast array of manufactures from computers to phones ... loosing this "standard jack" sucks! If Apple ships earbuds with a 3.5mm to lighting converter, it just adds insult to injury.
There were times when I would have said the same & bet everything I own against such rumors. Then recent products with really sloppy solutions to crucial design problems were released: like the latest Magic Mouse or Apple battery case…
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Apple Pencil lightning adapter? None of it's free, it's all included in the price.
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I don't under the Magic Mouse complaints. If you own one, you'd realize it's not a issue. It last for months, if you get a low battery warning, you still have hours of use left, if it's that critical you get a day long with two minutes of charging, and top it up overnight. Heck, plug it in when going to the restroom if you get a low battery warning. I use mine all the time and it hasn't been an issue with charging.
Now I will agree on software - it's becoming more windows like. ( last iTunes update )
This is classic accountant driven product shipping. Apple probably has millions of 3.5-mm earbuds they want to liquidate. Also a Lighting to 3.5-mm adaptor will become a staple in Apple stores in the next few years just like the magnetic power connector converter. When Apple's 3.5-mm earbud stock is gone, then the Lighting earbuds will show.
No kidding!!!
Obviously people who think they sound fine are listening to highly compressed mp3's or talk shows. Upgrade, use a lossless file (yes, I know they have some loss ), some decent in ear headphones, and you will hear a huge difference.
The rumors are all over the place with this one. Obviously, some will be true. Will it be because the source of the leak was in the know, or a lucky guess?
Now, I can see an argument for Bluetooth headphones with Bluetooth 5. If apple really wanted to innovate, the iPhone 7 would have Bluetooth 5 with apt-x support. But as of right now, wired or bust.
I really can't believe that this rumor has any merit. If they do this with the headphone jack and handle it this way it is a really bad sign.
Cost. I am sure there will be a wireless headphone accessory also launched with the iPhone 7. A pair of buds with a joining wire is probably the configuration with the volume / play controller hanging down from the right ear to pectoral height.
I am not saying the new mouse is a bad product per se. But the charging process was designed in a very sloppy way. It's not what I'd expect from a premium product, to lay like a poor dead piece on its back. Not being able to use it immediately after it ran out of battery just adds to it feeling unfinished – it would fit a prototype or 10 bucks item from some Chinese rippoff seller. Apple didn't design the new mouse with all important aspects (which charging is for a mouse on battery) in mind – it feels like they realized last minute: "damn we need to find a way to charge this thing actually…"
You will not see anything Bluetooth 5 for 12 to 18 months on the retail market. The standard was just released and there is no silicon for mass market. My take is Bluetooth 5 will be in the iPhone 8 toward end of next year.