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.
Removal of iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Was Essential for Water Resistance, New Camera System
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Well, then why not include it with the craziness next year, where all the other changes would actually justify the inconvenience?
I think Apple is hiring Trolls to post pro no headphone jack comments here.
The pity is that the camera is awesome and I would have loved to buy this new phone, if only...
The pity is that the camera is awesome and I would have loved to buy this new phone, if only...
Remember when Consumer Reports was terrible, and a tabloid with an agenda? I think those were the iPhone 4 days.
ha, stupid stuff like forgetting the phone on clothes when washing and one time inside a bag on a kayak that flipped over. The water resistance could maybe helped recover it. So I am glad it s a feature now.
Good riddance, I've been waiting for the removal of the headphone jack ever since the iPhone 5... Who the hell wants a big hole that literally does nothing but let you connect headphones to your phone while there's already another connector available next to it and also Bluetooth? Not to mention that it took valuable space and prevented the phone from being symmetrical which constantly bugged me.
The rage in other people's comments only makes me enjoy the whole situation even more.
The rage in other people's comments only makes me enjoy the whole situation even more.
Apple removed the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, a controversial decision that's upset some iPhone fans. On stage at today's media event, Apple executives explained that it had been done to save space and to usher in improvements in wireless headphone technology, but in an interview with BuzzFeed, Apple's Greg Joswiak, Dan Riccio, and Phil Schiller explained in much greater detail why the decision was made to move away from the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The idea for the removal of the headphone jack was raised during the development of the iPhone 7. In a nutshell, the "driver ledge" for the display and backlight, traditionally placed near the camera, was interfering with the new camera systems in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, leading Apple to explore other placement options. It was moved near the audio jack, but it also caused interference with various components, including the audio jack itself, so Apple engineers toyed with the elimination of the jack altogether.
When the headphone jack was removed, Apple realized it was easier to install the new Taptic Engine for the pressure-sensitive Home button, implement a bigger battery, and reach an IP7 water resistance rating, so the elimination of the headphone jack became essential for all of the other features in the iPhone 7.
Apple executives also believe the headphone jack is outdated technology that needed to go to make room for new advancements. According to Dan Riccio, it was holding Apple back "from a number of things" the company wanted to add to the iPhone, taking up space that could be used for camera improvements, battery, and processors.According to Apple's Phil Schiller, there's no ulterior motive behind the move away from the 3.5mm headphone jack. "We are removing the audio jack because we have developed a better way to deliver audio. It has nothing to do with content management or DRM -- that's pure, paranoid conspiracy theory," he said.
To ease the transition away from the 3.5mm headphone jack, Apple is including a 3.5mm to Lightning adapter with every iPhone 7 and it is also offering EarPods with a Lightning connector. Apple's new AirPods, which are fully wireless and are priced at $159, will also make it easier for customers to adapt to a device without a jack.
On the subject of Apple's new AirPods, Apple's Schiller says the earbuds, which are "as advanced a project as Apple Pencil," have been in development since the Apple Watch was conceived. "We knew we needed a great wireless solution for audio," he said. "What if you could design what the future of headphones should look like?' That's we asked the team to do."
The full explanation for the removal of the headphone jack, which is well worth reading, is available over at BuzzFeed.
Article Link: Removal of iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Was Essential for Water Resistance, New Camera System
I am more interested in an ipod touch refresh with the new A10 chipset
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
How do you feel about the rectangular hole that is Lightning?
Or the many little holes for the speaker?
Or was only this one hole that Apple conveniently removed the ONLY one to hate?
And how do you vent the hate at pretty much every other Apple product that still has that very same hole?
The responses about waterproofing help indicate who did not read the article.
And that's exactly the problem.
User's getting screwed by having to shell out more money to achieve something they did earlier for less money and in a more convenient way. But they just have to take it and accept it.
I don't understand why you consider us users getting screwed, and at some point will having to resign ourselves to getting screwed a good thing.
I said that on another thread, and got huffed at by a guy who said it's all about the "directional mic" or something.
Why's it a cash grab anyway? Free adaptor if you have third party headphones you like, lightning earbuds in the box if you don't.
iphone 8 feature - A revolutionary HEADPHONE jack!!!
a lot of people charge and use headphone at the same time. my phone is usually connected to my laptop charging/synching and headphone plugged in. sure they are including adapter for the time being but what if you lose it? replacement cost?
How does Sony and Samsung engineer waterproof phones with headphone jack? mind you, waterproof, not water resistant which is what IP7 is.
a lot of people charge and use headphone at the same time. my phone is usually connected to my laptop charging/synching and headphone plugged in. sure they are including adapter for the time being but what if you lose it? replacement cost?
How does Sony and Samsung engineer waterproof phones with headphone jack? mind you, waterproof, not water resistant which is what IP7 is.
I actually think Phil is insulting our intelligence with the above quote - 99.99% of macrumors member knew it had NOTHING to do with DRM or paranoria or conspiracy theories
We all knew they did it because apple want to have (and they will) a totally wireless iPhone within 24 Months but Phil has to insult us.
Last edited:
Does that mean that you won't have to pay licenses for making lightning headphones or adapters? I think not. Bluetooth won't be as good as whatever W1 is implementing in the new iPhones (bluetooth might even maybe worse than with previous iPhones).
So what do you know... Every company that produces headphones needs to pay a fee to produce a decent headphone, earbud. No ulterior motive, my ass.
I have to say, this is not the explanation I hoped to get. Reading between the lines, it sounds like the engineers didn't want to make it work with the headphone jack, so they took the easy way out. I mean this half-jokingly, but Steve Jobs would have made them figure it out if it was important to him. And I have to imagine there would have been a lot of convincing to make Steve drop the jack.
That said, I much prefer Phil's on stage explanation that there simply isn't room to add all the the things they want to add to the iPhone and keep the jack, which I agree will have to go at some point to make devices ever smaller.
I'm definitely disappointed that this wasn't part of a plan to bring better audio to BT. No doubt they brought better performance to BT, but the audio quality is what needs to improve before it can be a legitimate replacement for the headphone jack. So this announcement falls a bit flat for me today, as it really does inconvenience their customers without giving them a truly viable standard to move to.
That said, I much prefer Phil's on stage explanation that there simply isn't room to add all the the things they want to add to the iPhone and keep the jack, which I agree will have to go at some point to make devices ever smaller.
I'm definitely disappointed that this wasn't part of a plan to bring better audio to BT. No doubt they brought better performance to BT, but the audio quality is what needs to improve before it can be a legitimate replacement for the headphone jack. So this announcement falls a bit flat for me today, as it really does inconvenience their customers without giving them a truly viable standard to move to.
I had a horror vision about a year ago that they would one day remove the headphone jack, I didn't think this fiasco would happen this quick.
People can have different opinions too, I know, it's a SHOCKER! lol
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
There's strong speculation that new Macs will rollout with Lightning jacks in place of 3.5mm. Apparently that will be a bigger hole for pretty much just headphone usage there. Will that be pretty much the same anti-symmetrical move to long for another cut of "good riddance" when it can get kicked out of Macs a few years down the road? Or will that be genius and "shut up and take my money." (rhetorical- I already know the answer)
That thing takes up a lot of room inside the phone, especially the 6/6s. They probably looked at every square millimeter and decided this is the one thing that could definitely go as it could be duplicated by the Lightning port. I believe most people's biggest beef with it's removal is that it did not result in an additional piece of hardware that was 'groundbreaking' or 'a game changer', which is what everyone is always expecting these days. They simply reclaimed some space from a component that had served it's usefulness and now it was time to move on.
