Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Possible iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Depicted in New Image
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
If Apple believes this changes must be made, I'd personally be more for going THAT (USB-C) way than this proprietary way. Headphones are used in MANY places beyond just Apple stuff. The makers of those many devices are going to face the decision of sticking with 3.5mm or adopting USB-C and/or Lightning to "change with the times". 3.5mm is a given because it's already there and thoroughly ubiquitous. Those manufacturers that will want to adopt one of the other options will be facing adopting the cheaper public standard vs. paying up for the proprietary Apple non-standard. Is it hard to imagine which way they'll go?
See Lightning vs. USB already.
See Thunderbolt vs. USB.
Hop forward to when you own your new Lightning-terminated headphones and find yourself in a situation where you need to listen to some audio on the Mac you already own.
Adapters, adapters, adapters. For what exactly? What is in this change for us consumers?
Waterproof? How can eliminating one small round hole but leaving a much bigger rectangular hole be spun as waterproofing?
Thinner? Can anyone point me to any massive gripe thread ripping the onerous thickness of the existing iPhones? Can anyone point me to maybe even 5 of us here griping about them being too thick?
Antiquated technology? Battery technology is even older than the 3.5mm jack. Maybe Apple should kick out the battery next? Sure the phone wouldn't do anything without power but it would certainly be able to be thinner & lighter. And there will be 10 of us ready to spin how great it will be to buy whatever amount of battery each of us want (sold separately of course).
Not unless Apple tested two versions. One with the headphone jack and one without. That's what immediately came to mind when I saw this. That old abc news interview with Jonny I've where they go into his workshop and he shops just a TON of prototypes makes the case for this. And the way Apple purposefully leaks information to gauge market reaction to things....most likely this is what happened.
They experiment with the idea of removing the headphone jack. They make two prototypes. One with and one without. Both are complete enough to go forward should they decide to. Then they leak the idea on the Internet of a headphone jack less iPhone and do market testing (Apple does more consumer research than anyone) then wait and study people. Later on...decide "screw it. People want it too much" and go forward with the one WITH the jack. It just makes too much sense given HOW many leaks we got saying the next iPhone wouldn't have one. If there was just a little hint...like a rumor on an obscure blog here and there, sure. But this was all but confirmed from supply chain sources, insider analysts, etc. The jack less iPhone WAS happening. Now it looks like it's not.
So now we're left kinda stuck on what to be excited for in the next iPhone. Wtf else is there? So far I'm not dying to upgrade
Probably. Maybe if you tried holding a galaxy 7 next to an iPhone 6S it will help you get over that denial.
The iPhone 6s looks like a copycat of my Galaxy S4 from 3 years ago. Except the Galaxy has smaller bezels, feels higher quality, and runs smoother.
Even iOS 7 and up is a blatant ripoff of the look and feel of android.
Speaking only for me: I still use my headphone jack though the over the ear Sonys are a mess with the iPhone 6s - tangling up a lot easier etc. If I upgrade again in the next year though, it'll probably be a 5SE and some iPad. I need a bigger screen than any iPhones provide, I just have to wait until I am in a position to do something about that.
I know Apple isn't perfect and they've made some changes I did not care for, but I've assumed all along that if they did ditch the 3.5mm jack, they would have a good reason, alternative, etc. I could be wrong, but I've been giving them the benefit of the doubt and honestly I would be excited to see what they could come up with. Also, I only use my LG Tones bluetooth headphones and for talking or working out, they sound great. I never even take my 3.5's out of the box.
Anyone else find this a bit strange and a tad bit convenient? Cook goes on an interview yesterday reassuring essentially that the next phone will be great (Despite the obvious outcry against the new phone because of the lack of the 3.5), and now we have this rumor - the first one that ays that the phone will have the 3.5mm jack still. This stinks of controlled leak.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
What is the "something better"?
There's already abundant wireless (bluetooth) options. Is any of them "better"?
There's already lightning-terminated headphones available. Is any of them "better"?
If either was better, since we already have the options, we'd already be moving on them. If they were obviously better, many of us would already be on them. Black & white televisions did not last so long after color televisions arrived. SD televisions are hard to find since HD arrived. The masses will shift when something is obviously better. Is this obviously better?
Getting rid of the floppy drive and the CD drive only worked because they were replaced by better, UNIVERSAL standards.
Lightning headphones will NEVER be a universal standard because the lightning port is exclusive to Apple products.
The only way I will be happy with them killing the headphone jack is if they also kill the lightning port with it. Replace it with USB-C, so that eventually ALL phones, both Android and iOS, use the same port for charging. This would also allow USB-C headphones to eventually become the new standard across all devices. I don't want to have to have separate headphones for my Apple devices, and adapters are the worst idea. Who wants to carry around an adapter with their phone 24/7? The idea is absurd.
Lightning headphones will NEVER be a universal standard because the lightning port is exclusive to Apple products.
The only way I will be happy with them killing the headphone jack is if they also kill the lightning port with it. Replace it with USB-C, so that eventually ALL phones, both Android and iOS, use the same port for charging. This would also allow USB-C headphones to eventually become the new standard across all devices. I don't want to have to have separate headphones for my Apple devices, and adapters are the worst idea. Who wants to carry around an adapter with their phone 24/7? The idea is absurd.
Why bother even having a release if its going to be practically the same as we have now ? Just have a quite release as some Apple products have been. This is turning out to be a bad year for us and hopefully Apple will suffer so much it will finally learn to get it butt in gear.
But I think it's very unlikely that the lighting port will become industry standard for headphones. I think Apple is currently charging a $4 license fee per lighting connector. I imagine the good ol' 3.5mm jack is license free.
I wouldn't say that adapters make it a non-issue. Having to buy and carry around a new peripheral to achieve the same basic functionality that people have had for years will certainly be seen as an issue to many.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Thinking about the adapter: all the griping about the protruding camera lenses. Now think about an adapter hanging off the bottom of the phone... a iPhone "tail" if you will. If we can find such fault with a relatively minimal protrusion of camera lens, how can we not find at least an equal level of fault with adding a tail to our iDevices?
And do we really want jack space on future Macs to be allocated to Lightning so we can share our headphones there? Wouldn't we rather that jack space be USB/Thunderbolt3 combo which could be headphones and much, much more?
Oh I know. Lightning is here to stay for the next half dozen years or so. The thing that will end lightning will be wireless charging and bluetooth for headphones. But I do think USB-C was a missed opportunity for Apple.
Let's just acknowledge that we really have no idea what iPhone 7 is going to be.
Than why are you here on Macrumors
Eh? Whats the correlation between caring if the next iPhone has a headphone jack or not go to do with being here? I'll be buying the next iPhone anyway, I just couldn't care less if it has a headphone jack or not - won't affect my life, i'll just use the adapter.
We are still here. My latest macbook pro is the 2012 cMBP that still has the DVD drive, and I still use it. Even though I do use it less than I did years ago, I can't give it up yet. Also, all audio you hear is analog. So regardless the signal will have to be converted to analog at some point before it gets to the speakers. There really isn't a good reason to get rid of the 3.5mm connector.
Its just going to be a lightning cable but with a female audio jack at the end. Lightning is able to carry analog audio so it'll be using the same DAC the iPhone currently uses (which lets be honest, isn't exactly fantastic anyway so you're not getting audiophile quality for your custom in-ears or my expensive Senn's anyway) I'm literally not going to notice the difference between plugging into that and plugging into the headphone jack on the phone - which is precisely my point, this minor difference is not going to affect my life or my earphones or my enjoyment or using them in anyway what so ever. Hence why I can't muster up any ignorant or uneducated faux rage like many do on here.
so maybe in other words
OH CRAP THE BACKLASH ISN'T GOOD....lets not do this
OH CRAP THE BACKLASH ISN'T GOOD....lets not do this
I stand corrected, you're right - though according to Wiki Lightning is capable of Analog Audio, but yeah, the Lightning dock has a DAC in too - perhaps they're planning something different (well to be fair it looks like they're just planning a headphone jack at the minute) - mind the DAC is so small in the iPhone and the Dock they could probably easily fit it within a lightning connector shell when thats the only dedicated function it has (eg no charging).
So now there is going to be a headphone jack after all...maybe...I'm confused? Maybe that's how Apple wants it, I don't know. And maybe the iPhone 7 will be an interesting upgrade after all? Here's hoping...