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Removal of iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Was Essential for Water Resistance, New Camera System
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Yes there was, the problem was it was wired and the physical connector took up a lot of space. The PCB connector for the 3.5mm jack is massive relative to the other components and they're functionality. The current PCB connector in the iPhone 6 takes up 1/50 of the board space. A waterproof connector would take up even more space, at least twice as much space. Furthermore, that doesn't even include the board space dedicated for the analog circuitry for the connector.
I remember having a 2.5mm jack on my feature phone all the way back in early 2000s, clearly that standard never took off to supplant the 3.5mm standard. The legacy of the 3.5mm jack is also it's achilles heel, no one wanted to change. From an electrical and mechanical engineering point of view the standard is mediocre when compared to current technologies. The only way to improve on the design is to completely abandon it.
To be honest I don't know what all the fuss is about, I've been using wireless audio exclusively since 2012. Even my stereo receiver has AirPlay, and it was produced in 2011. AirPlay has been a standard since 2004. The fidelity of wireless audio is currently not on par with wired, but the convenience of having the freedom to move around without having to deal with being tethered to a device far outweighs this. Furthermore, the low bitrate of music steamed over the Internet makes audio fidelity a moot point, you would have to go back to compact discs and amplifiers with expensive digital to analog converters, discrete preamp and amplifier circuity, and digital audio connections for high fidelity audio.
Five star bluetooth headphones can be found on Amazon for as cheap as $20. Apple even went to the effort to include a lightening to 3.5mm adapter for free with every iPhone 7. The time to debate this is already over, the phone already exists, now it's time to shut up and move on.
The thing is, nobody is really asking for smaller phones. Just the opposite, in fact. The amount of space it takes up is immaterial. I've been using Airplay since 2004, and it's a great thing. But it's nowhere near as reliable as a cable. We've also had Bluetooth headsets and speakers for years, and they certainly have their place. But same thing, unreliable and need charging, far more frequently than I'm willing to put up with. And I take issue with your characterization that the iPhone pretty much only does low-fi audio. Loaded with ALAC tracks and paired with a great set of in-ear monitors the iPhone has long been a fantastic portable music device. Zero noise, perfectly flat output, and virtually endless battery life when used for music playback made it perfect as a high-end portable music device.
Wireless will come, and it will be ok, but it's not something that's going to improve things in any way that's meaningful to me. Another device with separate batteries and separate (meaning cheaper and poorly designed) DAC's and amplifiers means that this is going to mean a definite down-grade in music quality from the iPhone in the vast majority of cases.
It remains to be seen whether they have modified the Lightning port to receive an analog signal direct from the iPhone or if those of us who want to continue listening with high-end wired headphones will be given the choice between listening to a $9 dongle and all the quality we can expect in a DAC and amp at that price or buying something stand-alone to get back the quality we previously got direct from the phone.
Your argument completely fails when you realise that Sony state to NOT take its devices swimming! And that Apple offer NO guarantee against water damage to the new iPhones, so nothing Apple has done makes them more waterproof, on fact the iPhone 7 has a lower waterproof rating I believe then Samsung and Sony devices.
Are you going to complain about how bad Sony phones are when you shoot them and they get big holes in them because a reviewer said they are rubbish?
Enjoy others being upset because you are an evil little man ? Or do you have some other reason...
I'm using a Note5 right now. Trust me, apps crash often. I rarely saw apps crash on iOS. I'm sorry if my experience doesn't support your wants, but it's true. And I love the typical Android fanboy **** about assuming that I'm using an iPhone currently. It kills me.
And pay no attention to guy behind the curtain. ;-)
There's a real mirror being held up in this analogy isn't there?
No he's not right. Lightning is the present, not the future in any way shape or form. Apple's goal is to offer a completely port-less, wireless iPhone. If anyone thinks the competition isn't going to follow Apple to that logical conclusion for mobile devices they are deluding themselves.
This is my biggest problem with Apple's bungling of the removal of the headphone jack -- the lack of a solution for the loss of key functionality of the headphone jack.
The ONLY solution you have at the moment, will be to use the 3.5mm adapter with a pair of your old headphones. If that isn't the most self defeating move by Apple ever to further their cause, I don't know what is. They give you a pair of Lightning headphones without giving you a means to encourage you to use them with many of Apple's own current products, while simultaneously giving you the ability to continue using your old 3.5mm technology, which is far more convenient to use with all of Apple's current products.
lol.
Absolutely no desire to read any other posts in this thread then?
tldr: it's not a move forward.
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It seems there has to be a DAC in there somewhere, although I haven't heard it confirmed.
It's gotta be worth a Buck(?).
I've heard there are DACs going for $600 and more, but considering the iPhone's output, that would be an utter waste of money.
Huh? (and, no, I'm not 60+)
Apple's keynote maybe... sheesh. Or how about Apple's website....
"Longest battery life ever in an iPhone.
With the A10 Fusion chip, this year you’ll get more time between charges than ever before. Take advantage of up to two more hours on iPhone 7 and up to one more hour on iPhone 7 Plus than the previous generation."
Or, I could just go with having a slight bit of common sense and basic knowledge of physics.
(Or, I suppose I could fall back on my original degree in electronics engineering.)Autonomous vehicles is a qualitative problem, not a quantitative one. We're not moving fast towards anything, besides some big problems.
Aside from the health risks, yes, I'd have to wait and hear them. The last BT headset I bought isn't really loud enough for some of the environments I'd have to commonly use it.
But, my main issue with using a wired headset with the Lightening port, is a mechanical one. I don't think that port will hold up like a 3.5mm.
Depends on the iOS device. ex: Post iOS7, my iPad 2 has become a crashing, laggy, nearly unusable piece of junk. Maybe with the latest and greatest hardware... but if you're running a bit older device, iOS isn't that stable in terms of apps either.
I'm not quite understanding the 'specialized simulated'. There is a DAC in the phone that creates the analog signal that is put out on the 3.5mm. They are just moving that DAC external (well, there still needs to be an internal one for the speakers and such too). Oh, and a headphone amp. So, in a $9 adapter, how good will the DAC and amp be?
That is possible pre-iPhone 7 too. It's not a new feature, it's the removal of an existing one.
What will people do in places that don't allow BT? (I've seen libraries that don't allow it, as it interferes with WiFi. Do airlines allow it?)
Heh, yea. Water resistant, not water proof! Sony got in trouble for having underwater swimming photos in their ads.
That's a good point. How will the DAC in that adapter compare to the DAC in the phone? I'd imagine neither is a very expensive component, but it certainly can't be very good in a cheap adapter or pair of headphones.
Via the transcript of Apple's keynote:
"Now some people have asked: Why we would remove the analog headphone jack from the iPhone? ...We want larger batteries... maintaining an ancient single purpose analog big connector doesn’t make sense because that space is at a premium."
Yes and it is just a digital signal that is put through a DAC to have a simulated analog output. It’s not a real analog output - that’s what you get with a vibrating microphone or cutting record needle, or other true analog sound. It is just a digital one that has been made to look like an analog signal for legacy reasons as Apple described and bobob quoted to you from the transcript. This is a simulated analog signal in a legacy port that comes from a time when sound was analog from the vibrating microphone or needle turned into an analog electrical signal to the vacuum tubes that processed it to the very analog speakers. Now its a digital signal pretending its analog, nothing more.
Since the DAC is cheap and low power it is probably just as good in the dongle as the one in the phone but the wonderful thing is it doesn’t have to be anymore. Better and higher power DACs that don’t have to operate with the concern of the effect both ways on other tightly packed electronic systems can now be created to have DACs that are designed specifically for music performance rather than ‘one size fit all’ for voice communication, etc.
But as another person has pointed out the real complaint is that there is now only one physical port instead of two. My answer was and is that Apple realizes that the majority of their users only use one port at a time and that the real biggest complaining group are those that don’t want two data ports but rather one data and one phone charging port. With Apple researching the best cordless charging options that group will be satisfied someday, maybe even with the next iPhone. Those that actually need two data ports at the same time are a tiny percentage of their customers.
A case with a hub ‘chin’ at the bottom is the obvious solution for those needing more ports like musicians and other niche markets and who doesn’t put a case on their iPhone when they are using it for more than a phone? For all things musical it seems the two port 6s/s+ that are still being sold will fill their needs - there doesn’t seem to be anything music generation essential in the 7 - and again, these port multiplying hub cases will come - it is an obvious need for some, it is just a hub and its an opportunity for profit - someone is going to make them and the grumbling will stop - except for those that love to grumble of course.
Its not hard to find:
- Price of usb cables is cheaper than lightning because Apple charges for the MFI program and lightning chips.
- Can't replace/upgrade memory in laptops
- Apple gives you small memory in iPhones
My iPad 2 works fine on iOS 9.3.5. Still pretty much a work horse.Huh? (and, no, I'm not 60+)
Apple's keynote maybe... sheesh. Or how about Apple's website....
"Longest battery life ever in an iPhone.
With the A10 Fusion chip, this year you’ll get more time between charges than ever before. Take advantage of up to two more hours on iPhone 7 and up to one more hour on iPhone 7 Plus than the previous generation."
Or, I could just go with having a slight bit of common sense and basic knowledge of physics.
Autonomous vehicles is a qualitative problem, not a quantitative one. We're not moving fast towards anything, besides some big problems.
Aside from the health risks, yes, I'd have to wait and hear them. The last BT headset I bought isn't really loud enough for some of the environments I'd have to commonly use it.
But, my main issue with using a wired headset with the Lightening port, is a mechanical one. I don't think that port will hold up like a 3.5mm.
Depends on the iOS device. ex: Post iOS7, my iPad 2 has become a crashing, laggy, nearly unusable piece of junk. Maybe with the latest and greatest hardware... but if you're running a bit older device, iOS isn't that stable in terms of apps either.
I'm not quite understanding the 'specialized simulated'. There is a DAC in the phone that creates the analog signal that is put out on the 3.5mm. They are just moving that DAC external (well, there still needs to be an internal one for the speakers and such too). Oh, and a headphone amp. So, in a $9 adapter, how good will the DAC and amp be?
That is possible pre-iPhone 7 too. It's not a new feature, it's the removal of an existing one.
What will people do in places that don't allow BT? (I've seen libraries that don't allow it, as it interferes with WiFi. Do airlines allow it?)
Heh, yea. Water resistant, not water proof! Sony got in trouble for having underwater swimming photos in their ads.
That's a good point. How will the DAC in that adapter compare to the DAC in the phone? I'd imagine neither is a very expensive component, but it certainly can't be very good in a cheap adapter or pair of headphones.
No, because Motorola doesn't sell any phones in the first place, and on Android you have plenty of other options that keep you in the same ecosystem.
Anyone who thinks Apple removed this due to IP rating is in a cloud, somewhere.
They removed it for one thing and one thing only. Sales of Bluetooth Headsets, no doubt encrypted so that you need Apple headphones.
Saying they removed it for IP rating makes them foolish, why not remove the Lightning conector also, surely that also needs to go.
Apple have fooled people for a long time now, the 80% or so population of the world who use Androids or other manufacturers are not easily played as Fanboys.
Apple have been about as novel and creative in recent times as a potato sack. All the 'new' features in the iPhone 7 are not really new at all. A 2 hour extension in run time on the iPhone 7 is insulting to any wise person. Most recent Androids can charge up much quicker than iPhones and have much larger batteries. They also have power saving modes to extend run time for up to 3 days.
Makes you wonder what they are doing with all that 'tax free' money they have.
At least Android manufacturers try to be creative with bold designs, new displays, huge batteries & faster charging that go with them, wireless charging....
Apple wont even use a SD card slot...everyone knows why.
[doublepost=1473527758][/doublepost]
Apple are talking nonsense, but most of their fans will believe it as the abslute truth.
I work with compliance and certification bodies myself.
They removed it for one thing and one thing only. Sales of Bluetooth Headsets, no doubt encrypted so that you need Apple headphones.
Saying they removed it for IP rating makes them foolish, why not remove the Lightning conector also, surely that also needs to go.
Apple have fooled people for a long time now, the 80% or so population of the world who use Androids or other manufacturers are not easily played as Fanboys.
Apple have been about as novel and creative in recent times as a potato sack. All the 'new' features in the iPhone 7 are not really new at all. A 2 hour extension in run time on the iPhone 7 is insulting to any wise person. Most recent Androids can charge up much quicker than iPhones and have much larger batteries. They also have power saving modes to extend run time for up to 3 days.
Makes you wonder what they are doing with all that 'tax free' money they have.
At least Android manufacturers try to be creative with bold designs, new displays, huge batteries & faster charging that go with them, wireless charging....
Apple wont even use a SD card slot...everyone knows why.
[doublepost=1473527758][/doublepost]
Apple are talking nonsense, but most of their fans will believe it as the abslute truth.
I work with compliance and certification bodies myself.
Well, if you think that extra 2 hours came from the itty-bitty space a 3.5mm jack takes up... I've got this bridge...
Of course, they *could* use the space for a very slight increase in battery size, or for other things (like taptic engine), but no, that's not where the 2 hours came from. It came primarily from the A10.
I see. Well hardly anyone uses LPs anymore, so I thought you maybe were getting at something else.
Note, you're ears are analog, so that 'simulated analog signal' will be the case no matter where you put the DAC or what kind of headphones you use. The question is whether we want a standard port, or a proprietary one for our ANALOG headphones.
It hasn't had to be for DECADES. I used to work with DACs back in the 80s when I got my electronics engineering degree. There have been digital ports on electronic equipment for a long, long time. The iPhone has always had digital out.
Which couldn't be done with an iPhone 6s because???
I doubt that. I've certainly plugged mine in to charge while having the headphones in. I'm sure nearly every user has. Do they absolutely need to? Probably not, if they plan well. But, how many, for example plug their iPhone in to charge while in the car, with a 3.5mm into their aux in on long trips? Yes, there will be adaptors for that, but it's not some small percentage.
Hmm, mine doesn't. It hasn't since iOS 8, though it has improved with some of the updates. The problem is that there is now a pretty big lag for touch input, UI actions, and most importantly keyboard entry. I can still use it, but not productively. Since I've moved to a laptop, it's not as big of a deal. If I hadn't, I'd have had to get a new one to get anything done.
I'm curious to see the tear down of the iPhone 7 when it happens. Apple say they needed the space for other things and that may well be true, until we see it's guts we just don't know what's actually going on in there.
The waterproofing aspect, well yeah, they could have found a way around that while maintaining the jack. But if they really have utilised the extra space freed up by its removal, then fair enough.
But either way, it's done and they're unlikely to do a U-turn so we might as well get used to the idea. I personally don't give a monkeys and we all surely know that after a relatively short period of time we will move on and not care. Just like we have for every other thing Apple has retired or changed in the past.
Eventually we will be singing it's praises for delivering a better sound once their W1 technology matures and ends up delivering a quality signal that surpasses both the analog jack and current Bluetooth headphones. Particularly once Apple Music starts delivering less compressed source material (and it will. I'd stake a reputation I don't have on it) That I'm all in favour of. I don't particularly care what kind of tech delivers my audio signal, I just care about its quality. So if that aspect can be bettered, well bash on Apple, change whatever you need to.
The waterproofing aspect, well yeah, they could have found a way around that while maintaining the jack. But if they really have utilised the extra space freed up by its removal, then fair enough.
But either way, it's done and they're unlikely to do a U-turn so we might as well get used to the idea. I personally don't give a monkeys and we all surely know that after a relatively short period of time we will move on and not care. Just like we have for every other thing Apple has retired or changed in the past.
Eventually we will be singing it's praises for delivering a better sound once their W1 technology matures and ends up delivering a quality signal that surpasses both the analog jack and current Bluetooth headphones. Particularly once Apple Music starts delivering less compressed source material (and it will. I'd stake a reputation I don't have on it
) That I'm all in favour of. I don't particularly care what kind of tech delivers my audio signal, I just care about its quality. So if that aspect can be bettered, well bash on Apple, change whatever you need to.
If I paid about £1000 GBP for a iPhone 7+ (256GB, keeping in mind NAND flash for this is about $10) I would at least expect faster charging , wireless charging or some advanced power saving modes like Samsung have. Not to mention a more advanced display than a LED 750P panel.
Its another example of Apple not being creative or offering customers up to date tech but just ripping them off.
NFC wont even work beyond Apple pay i believe.
Its another example of Apple not being creative or offering customers up to date tech but just ripping them off.
NFC wont even work beyond Apple pay i believe.
The adapter included with the phone is from 3.5mm to lightning, but I'm asking how I can go from lightning to 3.5mm. In other words, if I'm using these new lightning EarPods on my iPhone 7s, how can I then plug them in to my desktop monitor, MacBook or work PCs?
I don't believe it is possible yet.
Apple didn't quite think that one through. Your best bet for now is to put your Lightning EarPods in a drawer and use the included 3.5mm adapter with an old pair of 3.5mm EarPods.
Hopefully the adapter works with all the old headphone controls and Siri as well.
So much for the new Apple digital paradigm. The same old analogue with the added inconvenience of adapters. At least Apple saved you the $9! ;-)
Eventually we will be singing it's praises for delivering a better sound once their W1 technology matures and ends up delivering a quality signal that surpasses both the analog jack and current Bluetooth headphones. Particularly once Apple Music starts delivering less compressed source material (and it will. I'd stake a reputation I don't have on it
The W1 is for wireless, and no doubt, wireless audio quality might eventually improve to MATCH THE QUALITY FROM THAT 3.5mm JACK. Sure, people can sell more expensive external DAC/amp units... JUST LIKE THEY COULD BEFORE APPLE REMOVED THE JACK.
This isn't going to make any difference in audio quality. You're just either going to be inconvenienced by having separate headphones for your iPhone and/or adapters. There's no advantage, only downsides... which I suppose, yes, eventually people will get sick of complaining about.
It's not like you're going to use those Lightening accessories with anything else... they are proprietary. You're just going to have to have dual of everything or adapters.
You don't. That would mean the laptop converts from digital to analog... goes out the 3.5mm port... then gets converted back to digital for the Lightening, which converts it back to analog again for your ears. Best case (for those really wanting to use their silly Lightening accessories) is that someone will make a USB -> Lightening adapter or Apple adds a Lightening port to the laptops. But, if Apple SWITCHES from 3.5mm to Lightening on the laptops, there will be similar outcry. Because it's a STUPID (pointless) move.