Lightning-to-Headphone Adapters Appear Ahead of iPhone 7 Launch

[Keerock]

So when my phone is in my pocket, that box is going to be flapping around awkwardly outside of my pocket. Wonderful.

You won't need that dongle. (That's what she said).

 

[H2SO4]

Who uses cords to listen to music, this is 2016. And wireless headphones are better then ever. I'm assuming they will announce no plug and people
Will gasp and then they will say included in the phone box is wireless ear buds and everyone will cheer. Apple is not stupid

Everyone suggests that I too am included. I am not.

 

[BMcCoy]

Every pair I've ever received with an iPod or iPhone has been relegated to the depths of the junk drawer.

I think Apple know that there are millions of abandoned white earpods/earphones in drawers globally.. and so perhaps future iPhones will no longer come with any earphones at all? Saves waste. Reduces cost/increases profit (to Apple).

 

[Keerock]

Wow, so THESE are those tiny adapters everybody was telling me about I won't even notice when I want to keep using my $1000 custom in-ears on my iPhone?

These are those cheap Chinese adapters without using state of the art tech. Shouldn't we assume much smaller chipsets will be built into the Apple earbuds?

oh dear lord.. talk about a backwards step. Taking something that is embedded inside the phone, and making it a dongle flapping about attached to the phone.. how is that possibly progress?

No, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that if Apple really are pushing for the end of the 3.5 jack, they'll be going with wireless as the (only) solution. Even knowing the short-term controversy over the sudden redundancy of wired headphones, they'll go for the long view, of completely wireless systems.

Another boneheaded move by Apple. If they are going to insist on removing the audio jack, they should at least move to a common port, such as USB-C, rather than a lightning port.

I read somewhere that there are plans to use USB-C as a replacement for the 3.5 mm audio port. If Apple were to use USB-C instead of a lightning port like the rest of the industry will, I would at least feel like I would have more opportunity for a better selection of headphones.

Still, this seems like change for the sake of change (or yet another money grab). I won't be recommending iPhones to others if they lack the 3.5 mm port.

A very reasonable thought, of course they should use USB-C, and perhaps they even will. But of course if they did that, the "I hate change"-ers would lose their minds that Apple was switching from Lightening to USB C.
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If there's no plug, I'm selling all my AAPL as soon as it's confirmed.

People cried when Apple removed the floppy drive, people wailed when they excluded the CD/DVD Drive in Macbook Pros , people lost their bowels when they didn't use mag safe on the new Macbook. There was no click wheel on the iPhone? Absurd!

Is it ok for us all to move forward without you?

 

[unplugme71]

If there's no plug, I'm selling all my AAPL as soon as it's confirmed.

You should do it the day before

 

[x-evil-x]

As for my 2¢ about bluetooth headphones in general, they definitely have a long way to go to be a replacement for wired. As others have noted, maintaining a solid connection is still an issue for nearly every bluetooth device, and the quality of sound just isn't there. Again, as already noted, there's the added inconvenience of having to charge the flipping things.

.

which ones have you tried that lose connection all the time and sound bad? There are good ones out there for 150-200

 

[arkmannj]

If Apple really is dumb enough to get rid of the headphone jack they should:
1) At least for iPhone 7 & 7s generations, include an adapter
2) Make a requirement that any certified lightning device (Dongle, adapter, charger, device, etc...) cannot be a terminating device, they must have a lightning port for pass-through / daisy-chaining.

But really, why ditch the headphone jack, there is nothing being held back by keeping it, nothing lost by keeping it. The phone is thin enough for my uses, so that doesn't appeal to me. I just don't see the "benefit" to losing the headphone jack, there are already water resistant phones and thinner phones that still have it, we can already listen with Bluetooth devices if we want.

 

[unplugme71]

I think Apple know that there are millions of abandoned white earpods/earphones in drawers globally.. and so perhaps future iPhones will no longer come with any earphones at all? Saves waste. Reduces cost/increases profit (to Apple).

This. I rarely see people use the white buds. To me, it could save Apple $1.19 per set. Plus the reduced weight in packaging would potentially save $0.001 per phone shipped which quickly adds up when millions are sold.

Of course this major change wouldn't drop the cost of the phone at all because it'll cost millions to stop manufacturing the iPhone, create new packaging, remove the text "includes EarPods" on the website.

 

[oldmacs]

Call me paranoid but I don’t like the idea of yet more radio energy right near my head. Yes, you’ll say it’s been tested as safe but 10-15 years from now they’ll be saying that the levels were in fact too high.

I wonder about this as well - I mean I'm semi confident about it not being an issues, but we don't know! Back in the day, Asbestos was seen as wonder material, and now we know the opposite.

 

[unplugme71]

If Apple really is dumb enough to get rid of the headphone jack they should:
1) At least for iPhone 7 & 7s generations, include an adapter
2) Make a requirement that any certified lightning device (Dongle, adapter, charger, device, etc...) cannot be a terminating device, they must have a lightning port for pass-through / daisy-chaining.

But really, why ditch the headphone jack, there is nothing being held back by keeping it, nothing lost by keeping it. The phone is thin enough for my uses, so that doesn't appeal to me. I just don't see the "benefit" to losing the headphone jack, there are already water resistant phones and thinner phones that still have it, we can already listen with Bluetooth devices if we want.

Removing it saves money. Simple.

But I'm also tired of this thin trend. There was a survey done, forgot which website, that said 68% don't want a thinner iPhone and prefer Apple to increase battery life instead.

I can barely get 10 hours for example if my work is demanding throughout the day and I have a lot of meetings. All those notifications, checking what room I need to go to, sending follow up emails, and sometimes having to setup a bridge on my phone for people to join the call when not in the building drains the life out of it.

 

[Mac 128]

Wow, so THESE are those tiny adapters everybody was telling me about I won't even notice when I want to keep using my $1000 custom in-ears on my iPhone?

Apple really will be doomed if they remove the headphone jack and don't offer a much better adapter than these.

Any company who is trying to get ahead of this is likely to get burned. There's no guarantee that the way Apple currently implements audio output via Lightning will remain the same when they decide to remove the 3.5mm Jack. While I suspect these presumably cheap adapters will work, there will likely be a much better, and more elegant solution offered by Apple and official licensees that most customers are probably going to prefer.

 

[Shirasaki]

There was a similar uproar when Apple got rid of the 30 pin.

No. It's different. 30-pin is Apple proprietary standard. No one else other than Apple and those accessories use it.
3.5 mm headphone jack is being used virtually everywhere. The "uproar" would be more significant.

Should I install apps in the cloud ?

Or better yet, just run apps from browser?

Every pair I've ever received with an iPod or iPhone has been relegated to the depths of the junk drawer.

Same for two of my Apple earpods came with iPhone. I just use it to make a phone call when needed.

 

[lars666]

Apple really will be doomed if they remove the headphone jack and don't offer a much better adapter than these.

Any company who is trying to get ahead of this is likely to get burned. There's no guarantee that the way Apple currently implements audio output via Lightning will remain the same when they decide to remove the 3.5mm Jack. While I suspect these presumably cheap adapters will work, there will likely be a much better, and more elegant solution offered by Apple and official licensees that most customers are probably going to prefer.

I'm sure the optional $79° adapter by Apple will look and work beautifully.

° because, you know: VERY high quality DAC chip inside!

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Well, at least we'll be able to see more lightening DAC/amps that will improve SQ over the built-in jack.

Will we? It's not an automatic that buying a second DAC OUTSIDE an iPhone in a dangling iPhone "tail" like one of these devices is going to be a higher quality DAC than the one INSIDE the phone. In fact, the classic run to "cheapest" may- and probably will- result in LOWER-quality DACs in these kind of devices. Sure, some iPhone "tail" makers will use higher-quality DACs and price those accordingly but it won't be automatic and/or all encompassing.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Who uses cords to listen to music, this is 2016. And wireless headphones are better then ever. I'm assuming they will announce no plug and people
Will gasp and then they will say included in the phone box is wireless ear buds and everyone will cheer. Apple is not stupid

Charging wireless headphones is a pain in the ass not worth the wireless feature. Plus they all sound like garbage and are way overpriced when they sound decent.

I'm sticking to my 3.5mm Sennheiser Momentum headphones FOREVER.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Could someone with sufficient Photoshop skills mock up the combination of iPhone with one of these hanging out of the bottom? I think the pictures are helping us imagine this incarnation of "the future" but a picture would really paint the picture for those that need to see one. As much as we can gripe about camera lens protrusions measured in a few millimeters, wait until there is one of these hanging out of our iPhones. Even a "thinnest" & "lightest" design of this kind of thing is still going to be sticking a tail on the bottom of iPhone. But welcome to "the future."

 

[bladerunner2000]

It's one of the first appearing 3rd party accessories. You can bring your shuffle if you prefer buying low-end accessories from China. Knowing Apple, and Ive's team, it'll be beautiful, slim, and work to the point of what will you be I am assuming just a small step to a giant revolution in finally updating audio standards that have been dated and inefficient for quite some time now.

3.5mm plug is inefficient? Lol. You're kidding, right?

 

[GlenK]

This is great!! Already have a similar connector on my $300 noise cancelling earbuds, now we get another extender. Going to look like a train in my pocket. I am sick of thinner!! Don't need or want thinner!!!

Just bought a new MBP before the new ones came out because I don't want thinner!!!!

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

oh dear lord.. talk about a backwards step. Taking something that is embedded inside the phone, and making it a dongle flapping about attached to the phone.. how is that possibly progress?

No, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that if Apple really are pushing for the end of the 3.5 jack, they'll be going with wireless as the (only) solution. Even knowing the short-term controversy over the sudden redundancy of wired headphones, they'll go for the long view, of completely wireless systems.

Wireless has so many compromises:

• Sound quality
• Another thing to charge and keep charged
• Video sync lag
• Lack of much ubiquity- go wireless now for a month and try to connect to everything you encounter as easily as you can connect to everything with 3.5mm
• Complications in a crowded environment (like the train/bus)

Etc. Relative to having a physical tail hanging out of the phone (and having to carry such a thing around), I prefer your suggestion too... but it would need to address the above list, meaning we need to see some rumors of Apple rolling out a new wireless audio standard superior to the Bluetooth options available now. I've not seen one such rumor. And even then, the "one more thing" to charge hangs over any such solution.

If- as the article implies- this change is about "thinner"- a problem that seemingly no one has now- is ejecting such common, thoroughly-ubiquitous utility worth it? One can't argue about "the future" as both Bluetooth wireless and Lightning connection options are ALREADY available in iPhones with a 3.5mm jack. If either option was tangibly better, those who believe so can already move on them.

And is a device "thinner" & "lighter" if what is ejected to achieve that becomes something else you pretty much need to carry around all the time just in case you need the "just works" ubiquitous connection for anything else you encounter (like- say- Macs)? In my opinion, if this is how we get "thinner" & "lighter" we need to start counting the thickness & weight of such accessories in the tally. Else, Apple can eject the battery & camera next and make them accessory add-ons too... all in the name of additional "thinner" & "lighter" objectives. Eventually, we will be buying an empty box.

 

[djeeyore25]

This still reminds me of the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle. The controls were integrated to the included headphones so you had to buy an adaptor to use your own headphones. Apple went back to the previous design with the controls built in to the device the following year. Maybe we've come far enough with headphone technology to allow such a change. Time will tell.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Wow, so THESE are those tiny adapters everybody was telling me about I won't even notice when I want to keep using my $1000 custom in-ears on my iPhone?

Sarcasm? Else, these don't look "tiny" to me.
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I'm sure the optional $79° adapter by Apple will look and work beautifully.

Yes, and next year's phone will offer a variety of beautifully designed adapters housing batteries- sold separately of course-so that THAT phone can be powered (because why wouldn't Apple kick the battery out next, so they could really "thin" out the next one).

And the year after that's phone can eject the camera, then offer a variety of beautifully designed camera add-ons also sold separately.

Some of this crowd will rationalize that too. After all, both battery and camera are OLDER technologies than 3.5mm... so if 3.5mm ejection is about getting rid of the "antiquated", it should be easy to guess what goes next.

Ahhh "the future"... thinner & thinner... eventually leading to us paying about $1,000 for an empty box... and then another approx. $1000 to buy the accessories to stick together create a future device that used to arrive already assembled inside a very similar box for only $1,000 about 5 years ago.

 

[lars666]

Sarcasm?

Yep.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Thought so, but you never know for sure around here. The "Apple is always right in all things crowd" would marginalize Apple deciding to make an iDevice out of razor blades if that came to be...

"Regularly turning over our blood supply is good for us"

"I feel younger & more vigorous now that my body has to keep replenishing me with higher volumes of new blood"

"I like the social aspects of all the medical professionals I now get to meet"

"Now that I'm forming such thick callouses on my hand, things like trying to play guitar is easier than ever. This is perfect for Garageband. Apple is genius."

And on and on. As the heavier phone users bleed out because they'd rather die than put down their phones...

"World is too crowded anyway"

"More bandwidth from less users is good for me"

"They were bleeding it wrong"

"Apple's genius is driving down the cost of housing for everyone"

And, of course, their deaths would be ONLY their own fault. Anyone who suggested fault with the device would be called "trolls" and shouted down.

Etc. Joking, but barely.

 

[AVEGA]

It will be hilarious if iPhone 6S dramatically out sell iPhone 7 this fall because of headphone jack issue and lower price . I can see many yearly upgraders who have iPhone 6S owners not upgrading either. I think Apple needs to have some compelling features for the iPhone 7 or else it could potentially be a disaster for them . These adapters will only piss people off . I really doubt most people can really tell the difference between digital connection and 3.8 mm headphone jack for music or something so that won't be a selling point unless Apple can sell it as a huge leap in quality.

 

[timber]

Who uses cords to listen to music, this is 2016. And wireless headphones are better then ever. I'm assuming they will announce no plug and people
Will gasp and then they will say included in the phone box is wireless ear buds and everyone will cheer. Apple is not stupid

I do. And I don't really care about quality above a certain point (i.e. I'm not an audiophile).
I just strongly dislike to have more batteries to charge and to manage. I also like the (literally) plug and play nature of regular phones. In fact regular phones don't bother me in any way.
The only wireless speakers that I use have wheels.