Supply Chain Rumors Reaffirm iPhone 7 Will Not Have Headphone Jack

[beanbaguk]

Is the DAC inside the current iPhone which provides signal to the 3.5mm jack crappy then? In which case, your complaint is moot. The DAC will be in the phone, as it currently is for the 3.5mm output, only outputting to the lightning socket.

No, it's actually not. They use a Wolfson (now Cirrus Logic), DAC which is a very decent chip and the iPhone 6 models have been acclaimed by audiophiles for the excellent sound quality:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/iphone-6-plus.htm#measurements

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8554/the-iphone-6-review/11

However, the 6S has had audio quality issues:

Nevertheless, my headphones are not as sensitive as the ones provided by this reviewer (but they are still offer 108dB sensitivity), and I can't hear any noise.

The point I'm trying to make is I would question if the DAC's used in an adapter would be of the same quality. They would be making less so therefore the unit price would go up.

On top of that, I would have to have an adapter to use my headphones which I find irritating and I'm sure many others would too.

 

[inscrewtable]

If Samsung can get away with removing their beloved option to add extra storage, which seemed to give the Android community contact conniptions then I feel sure that Apple will be able to weather the tempest-in-a-thimble that will erupt when the crappy 3.5mm analogue connector is replaced with a versatile modern digital lightning connector on the iPhone 7

 

[mark-vdw]

Additional thought around this one. Dropping the audio jack on the iPhone and forcing people into BT for audio also makes sense in context of the Apple Watch. The Watch will never have room for an audio jack for reasons of size and wrist position, so it's at a disadvantage compared to the iPhone as a source for music e.g. while running. But dropping the audio jack from the iPhone pushes the view that the audio jack is an outdated standard that should go the way of the floppy and the CD, thus removing one perceived disadvantage of the Watch.

 

[Jmacca]

If they ship it with an adapter, I have no problem with this.

Have you really thought about this? If they do, does this mean you will not be able to charge your phone whilst listening with headphones?

I really don't think that Apple will include two lightening ports.

 

[xotigu]

Well, people, just don't buy the next iPhone.
6S will still be pretty good and fast in the next few years.
It's not like Apple is pushing you to buy their iPhone7.
And trust me, Apple will surely support and develop the next Bluetooth version that will be lag-free and include all the special features(for audiophiles) that no average person will ever utilize.

 

[Neil87567]

If Samsung can get away with removing their beloved option to add extra storage, which seemed to give the Android community contact conniptions then I feel sure that Apple will be able to weather the tempest-in-a-thimble that will erupt when the crappy 3.5mm analogue connector is replaced with a versatile modern digital lightning connector on the iPhone 7

Completely offtopic, but nevertheless: Samsung did not get away with it. Sales of the S6 were not nearly as good as they had hoped and it is generally believed that the S7 will have the option to add a SD-card again.

 

[RedBear]

It's funny, because i see RCA/Phono, XLR, 3.5mm Jack, 6mm Jack, mini jack, Speakon - and hundreds of variants therein.

This however is a phone, with a pair of headphones - and I see BT headphones becoming more popular, I can also see (in my magic crystal ball) Apple providing a free pair of headphones with every phone as they have always done.

I also see a return to brilliant breakout cables and adapters for non-distorted line-level audio output for professionals to connect to their mixing desks, just like we had with the 30pin before it too was ditched.

The lightning connector is being rolled out to all Apple peripherals, and is available for licensing by third parties - the new keyboard and mouse, the Apple TV siri remote - it's not going anywhere for some time, and when it is replaced, you'll see all Apple devices with USB-C - consumer level devices all with a single port for data and power and 90% of peripherals connecting wirelessly and charging without cables - it's the future, but feel free to complain about it endlessly.

Here's the thing, if they keep the standard headphone port, you and everyone like you will still have the Lightning port and you can hook up as many dongles and breakout cables and adapters as your little heart desires. If they remove the headphone port, the rest of us who don't need to do any of that will be forced to carry around a dongle just for the privilege of using any of the billions of bog-standard earbuds, headphones or speakers in existence to listen to medium-quality streaming music or 128bps MP3s on our pocketable mobile devices.

Wow, that sounds awesome. Wait... No, no it really, really doesn't. Free proprietary Lightning earbuds, incompatible with any non-Apple device? If ever there was a facepalm moment... "Hey, Jim, can I borrow your earbuds? Oh, wait, I forgot, you have a Galaxy S7, your lame earbuds aren't compatible with my super awesome iPhone 7. Why are you looking at me like I'm an idiot, Jim?"

You're even acknowledging that Lightning will probably be replaced at some point by USB-C, requiring new adapters, yet you're still in favor of getting rid of the standard headphone port. Your position makes zero sense. Meanwhile my position doesn't inconvenience you in the slightest, yet you still feel the need to take time out of your day to argue against me and tell me I'm whining for no good reason. Which of us is being an obnoxious, self-centered jerk, I wonder?

 

[Jmacca]

People also complained when Apple removed the optical disk drive. I sure don't miss mine...

Look to the future people.

True, because people had stop using DVDs. People are still using 3.5mm jack head/ear phones.

 

[Northgrove]

People also complained when Apple removed the optical disk drive. I sure don't miss mine...

Look to the future people.

The future is to not use headphones with 3.5mm connectors? What.

Apple removed the CD-ROM as it was falling out of fashion. Headphones hardly are.

It will be weird to mess with an adapter here while on the run, or when connecting it to a car, or when charging the phone while listening to music. I hope it will at least be the smallest adapter in computing history. And included with the phone. Because this decision comes instead of keeping the headphone jack, and using the enormous thickness of the current iPhone 6 for a maintained battery size instead.

 

[dannys1]

People also complained when Apple removed the optical disk drive. I sure don't miss mine...

Look to the future people.

I was yanking mine out of every Mac 4 years before Apple officially dropped it, haha. Useless devices.

 

[laudern]

I'll just be the ******* on the bus that plays their music from their phones speakers, cause I ain't putting up with this shiz.

 

[sofila]

Remember when everyone complained about the Lightning Connector? Now everyone loves it.

I'm sure no one will miss the 3.5mm headphone jack in 2-3 years.

changing from proprietary to proprietary is one thing
changing from universal to proprietary is quite different
Anyway at Apple they're aware that for 1 customer complaining for this change there are almost 3 that don't care and will slip in the spider's web, read "ecosystem"

 

[thekeyring]

I use my apple headphones with my iPhone. If they remove the port and ship wireless headphones, I'd do the same.

Everyone's going mad about Apple not adopting wireless charging yet. But everyone is clinging to wired headphones!

 

[dannys1]

I rather replace the iPhone. Wireless headphones sound terrible, and I can barely grasp the paper-thin iPhone 6 as-is.

Your move, Tim.

Its not the thinness that stops you grasping it though, its the fact its too big, wide/tall. Id easily be able t have a death like vice grip on an iPhone 5s if it was this thin or thinner.

 

[You are the One]

Be careful with putting a BT transciever on your head. RF is very bad for your health.

Personally I turn off anything wireless if I have an option to do so. I have no wireless at home and yes I know I'm bombarded with RF from everywhere but I don't like to add to it.

Small children are especially vulnerable to RF so please consider the RF environment for your child.

 

[Blujelly]

People also complained when Apple removed the optical disk drive. I sure don't miss mine...

Look to the future people.

I use my apple headphones with my iPhone. If they remove the port and ship wireless headphones, I'd do the same.

Everyone's going mad about Apple not adopting wireless charging yet. But everyone is clinging to wired headphones!

Both well put! I can see why people wouldn't be best pleased about it, but give it a couple of years ever smart phone would be like this, and everyone will come round to the idea that is most likely better.

 

[APlotdevice]

If Samsung can get away with removing their beloved option to add extra storage, which seemed to give the Android community contact conniptions then I feel sure that Apple will be able to weather the tempest-in-a-thimble that will erupt when the crappy 3.5mm analogue connector is replaced with a versatile modern digital lightning connector on the iPhone 7

Versatile though it may be, the fact of the matter is that Lighting is propriety. It will most likely remain proprietary.

People have repeatedly compared this to the removal of the floppy drive on the iMac, but frankly what was more radical about iMacs was the fact that they replaced all the old proprietary Mac connectors with industry standard USB! Now Apple can get away with using a proprietary data/charging connector on the iPhone because it has always been that way, but replacing an industry standard with something proprietary is a completely backwards move!

 

[cardfan]

Much ado about nothing. The 6S will be fine for me until 7S or 8.

 

[Jsameds]

Well one thing is clear. People truly underestimate the quality and versatility of Bluetooth audio.

 

[nelmat]

Does not provide better audio quality.

Except data pass through, the jack does all of those things.

You loose compatibility with almost all other equipment out there.

It is more expensive, now you have to have a DAC in every speaker device.

No you don't, the DAC is in the phone, as it always has been. And yes, audio quality can be better this way.

 

[thekeyring]

I'm hoping the wireless headphones might also ship with Apple Watch 2.

Leave me alone, a man can dream!
[doublepost=1451991104,1451991041][/doublepost]

Looks like I won't be buying the next iPhone.

Is a headphone jack really worth more than everything else that has, so far, kept you using iPhone over the competition?

 

[johnnyenv]

Clearly a move for these reasons.

Watertight
Higher audio quality
Increase hardware sensors in the space occupied by huge jack socket.

 

[nelmat]

I am sorry to inform you, but that makes no sense as it won't work this way.

Lightning port is a digital port. It doesn't transfer analog signals. Why should a DAC be wired to it inside the phone?

Because that is exactly how the 3.5mm port works, there's no reason not to evolve lightning to do the same. It makes plenty of sense.

 

[elpardo]

changing from proprietary to proprietary is one thing
changing from universal to proprietary is quite different
Anyway at Apple they're aware that for 1 customer complaining for this change there are almost 3 that don't care and will slip in the spider's web, read "ecosystem"

And this is the crux of the matter, most people largely don't care and use their included headphones. Those who want a third party one will buy BT 'phones, which provides enough quality.
Those who want better quality will be able to buy a better quality DAC and in fact can buy ones already capable of 96khz/24 bit decoding and uses the lightning audio output. The current iphone DAC is limited to 44.1khz/16 bit which is CD quality, which is still fine for most people.

 

[nelmat]

Oh really?! How did you work that one out?

And it's not a "first world problem" as you put it. Many people like myself have invested heavily in very high-end headphones. The thought of some "evolutionary disaster" making them defunct is not very appealing to those who care about their music.

That, sir, is the very definition of a first world problem. Use the $20 adapted for your $1000 headphones. How are your old 8-tracks doing and those old valve amplifiers?