Supply Chain Rumors Reaffirm iPhone 7 Will Not Have Headphone Jack

[tdiaz]

The whole "one port" thing with Apple is getting to be old.

So you can charge or plug into something. But you can't do both. Not without an adapter to pocket and keep track of.

It may not seem like much, but the headphone jack is fairly well used across the board.

 

[JPamplin]

I, for one, do NOT like this idea. Why not switch to the smaller 2.5 mm jack then? I plug in my iPhone next to my bed and listen to audio/video with various models of earbuds at night. If things go to Lightning, then Apple will have to certify all third-party products (don't they all have chips in them?)

Also, having some sort of adapter sticking out as a charging port passthrough will ADD bulk, not detract from it.

I rarely say this, but this is stupid, Apple. It's frickin thin enough - keep the current thickness and give us a bigger battery, for pete's sake.

 

[cwwilson]

Apple is taking a very serious gamble here, but they have the funds and mindshare prowess to do it.

Of course there will be some adjusting but it's high time we move on. The headphone jack is tried and true and I'll miss it but I'm ready to embrace change if it means better sounding audio. Everything is shifting to digital and this is a huge step in that direction. Apple has changed the game many times before so they're no strangers to attempting stock price suicide but they have come out unscathed many times as well.

So many people threatening to leave but once the dust settles and the all clear is given they'll come back around....they always do.

 

[blut haus]

People condemned Apple for removing the floppy drive from the Macs when the iMac first came out. People condemned Apple for switching to a proprietary cable for the iPods (30-pin). People condemned Apple for replacing the 30-pin with a Lightning port. People will condemn Apple when they remove the 3.5mm headset jack.

We all knew it was going to eventually come.

Apple always seems to be a bit ahead in removing things. I don't know what kind of research goes into it, but I personally find it asinine that people would think Apple makes snap decisions without any thought whatsoever. I'd venture to guess (pure speculation) that they put quite a bit of effort into determining what ports are used by how many users. That's easily done if you don't opt out of anonymous usage info sent to Apple. Maybe they saw a huge decline in the number of folks using the 3.5mm jack. Who knows. I'm not saying it's the right decision, nor am I saying it's the wrong one...it doesn't truly impact me in a huge way. I can understand why some people would freak...never been in Apple's nature to care about backlash...unless we're talking about Maps .

 

[Tycho24]

What functional purpose is there to remove the headphone jack? Surely not to make the phone thinner!

Is this just to sell BlueTooth Beats headphones?! Or just change for changes sake?

If it turns out to be true, it will be the first generation iPhone that I won't be upgrading to, after owning them all so far. I like my new BOSE Noise Cancelling headphones too much to give them up.

Dear God, drama queen!!!!
Do your Bose have some magic cable that REFUSES to fit into an adapter??

 

[DotCom2]

Ridiculously stupid move that has zero benefit for the consumer but makes another cash cow for Tim and his cronies.

I'm sure apple would love to sell 50 dollar adapters and all that juicy lightning licensing money.

Buy some Apple stock.

 

[Dominicanyor]

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

i'll wait for he iPhone 7s.

 

[doelcm82]

Considering my lightning cables get torn up within a year while I have had the same gym buds going on four years, I also don't have much faith in Apple's adapter, should they release one.

I've had the same problems you have with Apple's lightning cables, but never with their adapters. So I'm not ready to pre-judge the quality of the hypothetical adapter that Apple possibly will release if it turns out that this rumor about the 3.5mm headphone jack turns out to be a reality sometime in the indefinite future.

 

[Crzyrio]

What model devices are you using that doesn't make you sound different then without a headset? (I don't care how the other person sounds if they have *any* issues hearing me.)

I speak to my girlfriend over bluetooth in her car(Hyundai) and nothing sound different at all. I also have a few friends that use bluetooth ear pieces and I do not have problems hearing them nor do they sound different.

 

[ateslik]

I not sure I understand people complaining about this. You have no idea what the replacement will be if they do this. You might actually like what they come up with.

I'm not an audiophile, but I like decent headphones and decent sound and have been very happy with my bluetooth Jaybird Bluebuds X (I guess now they call them X2). Going back to wired headphones seems silly now. If a small company like JayBird can engineer a new codec for enhanced bluetooth audio I'm sure Apple can come up with something very decent.

 

[joecool99]

What a dumb move - try to charge and listen with headphones at the same time with 1 port!
APPLE starts to behave as obsessive compulsive anorexia bitch!

 

[kyleh22]

they better supply us with free headphones.....

It will be built into the price of the phone

 

[4jasontv]

I speak to my girlfriend over bluetooth in her car(Hyundai) and nothing sound different at all. I also have a few friends that use bluetooth ear pieces and I do not have problems hearing them nor do they sound different.

Awesome, but could you quote brand and models. If you found BT devices that don't distort sound it would be nice to hear from others who have the same devices, or if the devices are still for sale, I could maybe go to a store to test them. I think there are more than a few of us that have not found quality bluetooth devices, and I definitely don't think functionality is a common factor for devices that use the protocol.

 

[weatherwax]

I don't think I'll miss the jack itself, but it better come as a tradeoff for better battery and not just a slimmer phone.

 

[4jasontv]

I not sure I understand people complaining about this. You have no idea what the replacement will be if they do this. You might actually like what they come up with.

I'm not an audiophile, but I like decent headphones and decent sound and have been very happy with my bluetooth Jaybird Bluebuds X (I guess now they call them X2). Going back to wired headphones seems silly now. If a small company like JayBird can engineer a new codec for enhanced bluetooth audio I'm sure Apple can come up with something very decent.

Thank you for indicating the model, and I will look into them as I am always looking for a good headset. Are you referring to sound you hear or sound others hear when you talk to them? I have a pair of $5 BT headphones that sound decent for music, but are terrible when you are stuck on the other end of a conversation with them.

You are totally right regarding the solution though. We have no idea what Apple might implement. The problem is that bluetooth devices are the standard and most are not very well made. It really only takes one or two people who don't like the sound to make using the devices feel unreliable. That's really where the problem comes in, because if I have to take it off for a few people then I start to wonder if people are suffering through my calls instead of telling me I am hard to hear (or I sound off).

I know I shouldn't care what others think if they don't stand up for themselves, but I do concern myself with inconveniencing people just to make my experience slightly more enjoyable.

 

[AdonisSMU]

If the lightening connecter is better and/or slimmer I'm all for it.

 

[Cyloncat]

My problem is that it's not just about the phone. I use my earpods for my iPhone, iPad, Surface, Roku 3 remote, and desktop Mac and PCs. Apple wants to tell me that it's good for me to have separate headphones for different devices. Hogwash. Or I can have an (easy to lose) adapter so I can continue to use one set of earpods for all my devices. Again, hogwash.

 

[jmgregory1]

The thing is, I have a somewhat specialized issue, meaning that I like to jog. I also like to listen to music while I jog. And the only earphones that I can get to stay in my ears without issue are the old style Apple earbuds. I've tried numerous in ear bluetooth earphones along with other wired earphones after great cost and hours of research, but none of them will stay in my ear, and frankly the quality isn't worth the hassle or price. I leave my high quality listening experiences for my iMac or turntable basically.

Now what happens when Apple decides to change the standard? I'm screwed unless I buy some $50 adapter right? Look, I'm not saying there's a lot of people out there in my situation, but it is relevant to me to discuss these things.

I'm with you on the poor options for headsets that stay in your ears (without jamming in some in-ear plugs) while running / jogging. If you're using Apple's old ear buds, you're going to get to the point where even they won't be available as replacements are needed, so you have a bigger problem than some potential discontinuance of the 3.5mm headset port.

The thing is, I have a somewhat specialized issue, meaning that I like to jog. I also like to listen to music while I jog. And the only earphones that I can get to stay in my ears without issue are the old style Apple earbuds. I've tried numerous in ear bluetooth earphones along with other wired earphones after great cost and hours of research, but none of them will stay in my ear, and frankly the quality isn't worth the hassle or price. I leave my high quality listening experiences for my iMac or turntable basically.

Now what happens when Apple decides to change the standard? I'm screwed unless I buy some $50 adapter right? Look, I'm not saying there's a lot of people out there in my situation, but it is relevant to me to discuss these things.

If you can only use the old Apple ear buds for jogging, you'll have issues regardless of whether the 3.5mm port gets discontinued or not, since they won't be around forever either. I too have issues with headsets staying in my ear when running. It's not a solution, but my Plantronics mono headset at least stays put when running. The old Apple buds and the new EarPods fall out even when I'm standing still, so they've never been a solution.

I'm one of those people who think Apple needs to focus more time and money on wireless headsets - dump the wired models altogether, given they have such a focus on wireless everything else. It's a hold-out for not great reasons, especially as bt has progressed from the poor sound quality of the past. Frankly, I would think they could figure out Airplay headsets and move beyond bt.

 

[Mac 128]

I, for one, do NOT like this idea. Why not switch to the smaller 2.5 mm jack then? I plug in my iPhone next to my bed and listen to audio/video with various models of earbuds at night. If things go to Lightning, then Apple will have to certify all third-party products (don't they all have chips in them?)

Also, having some sort of adapter sticking out as a charging port passthrough will ADD bulk, not detract from it.

I rarely say this, but this is stupid, Apple. It's frickin thin enough - keep the current thickness and give us a bigger battery, for pete's sake.

You obviously weren't around for the launch of the original iPhone, which required an adapter to use with any other headphones besides Apple's own. And all the adapter did was allow the plug to slip far enough down in the hole to make the proper contacts. Huge outcry, and people simply did not buy the adapters. Going to a 2.5mm jack would create just as big an outcry, particularly since Apple's devices will have to break the 5mm threshold to even make that necessary. What you and others don't think about is that for the minimal 3.5mm size required at the opening, the entire connector requires over 184 cubic mm inside the case. And that's a huge amount of real estate for a space challenged device. So it's not about how thin they can make the phone, the 6S is already thicker than the the 6, and the 7 may well be no thinner, and possibly even slightly thicker because more than anything, it's about adding features, and having the available power to support them, to a device that's already jam-packed.

And what's the problem with Apple certified products? In most cases it means they are going to be better products than what you could otherwise buy.

And the adapter will be virtually invisible, adding a slight extension to your headphone cable. There will likely be no noticeable bulk.

 

[gotluck]

unless they are making the phone so thin or adding more parts in the place where the headphone jack was I just dont see the point. just removing features for no reason other than to appear 'edgy' and charge for adapters? Its not like the current lightning port doesnt allow digital audio output right now. If you are just going to use an adapter that defeats the whole point of insisting on digital audio out

 

[scaramoosh]

So I have expensive 3.5mm jack headphones, I use them all day with my iPhone and so what happens for me now? Do I have to buy Apple headphones which aren't compatible with anything else? Do I have to buy an adapter? Does the port even have analogue in and out? If it doesn't it means there will be a new lightning cable... which is even more annoying because I've finally built up enough lightning cables at last, I'm not starting again.

Also what happens if I want to charge? I build myself docks at work that I put my charging cable in and I put my phone on it. This means I cannot charge and listen to music at the same time... maybe I have to buy another adapter to do that?

****ing moronic, I don't want a thinner phone, I want a thicker phone so I can have a bigger battery in it. Right now my battery dies before the day is even out, it's pathetic, my G/F who is always on Facebook has to charge 2/3 times a day. Meanwhile my friend on his Galaxy Note 4 watches movies on his phone all day long and he doesn't charge once because his phone has a battery like 3 times the size.

Plus the lightning cable port isn't even sturdy, you can rock it about in there, especially since it wears over time quite badly. The 3.5 mm jack always stays nice and solid and most people I know get through so many lightning cables, my G/F has never had one Micro USB cable break, but she has 4 lightning cables that are broken in a draw and they look perfectly fine.

 

[Mac 128]

What a dumb move - try to charge and listen with headphones at the same time with 1 port!

Problem solved:

 

[jmgregory1]

Awesome, but could you quote brand and models. If you found BT devices that don't distort sound it would be nice to hear from others who have the same devices, or if the devices are still for sale, I could maybe go to a store to test them. I think there are more than a few of us that have not found quality bluetooth devices, and I definitely don't think functionality is a common factor for devices that use the protocol.

I have been using a Plantronics Backbeat Pro headset for the past couple of months and the sound quality is fantastic, not to mention the noise canceling being super effective. They're big and heavy, but I get a good 24 hours of charge out of them and I can go from listening to music (clean highs, strong lows that aren't oversampled and muddy) to talking on the phone, but they're not made for walking around the city wearing them.

They also are class 1 bt, which provides up to 300' of signal. In my office I can move from being on the second floor where my office is to the ground floor, and even out into the hall with no drop-outs without carrying my iPhone or my rMBP with me. This is the first time I've been able to do this with any bt headset.

 

[Mac 128]

So I have expensive 3.5mm jack headphones, I use them all day with my iPhone and so what happens for me now? Do I have to buy Apple headphones which aren't compatible with anything else? Do I have to buy an adapter? Does the port even have analogue in and out? If it doesn't it means there will be a new lightning cable... which is even more annoying because I've finally built up enough lightning cables at last, I'm not starting again.

Also what happens if I want to charge? I build myself docks at work that I put my charging cable in and I put my phone on it. This means I cannot charge and listen to music at the same time... maybe I have to buy another adapter to do that?

****ing moronic, I don't want a thinner phone, I want a thicker phone so I can have a bigger battery in it. Right now my battery dies before the day is even out, it's pathetic, my G/F who is always on Facebook has to charge 2/3 times a day. Meanwhile my friend on his Galaxy Note 4 watches movies on his phone all day long and he doesn't charge once because his phone has a battery like 3 times the size.

Plus the lightning cable port isn't even sturdy, you can rock it about in there, especially since it wears over time quite badly. The 3.5 mm jack always stays nice and solid and most people I know get through so many lightning cables, my G/F has never had one Micro USB cable break, but she has 4 lightning cables that are broken in a draw and they look perfectly fine.

Addressed the need to charge and listen at the same time above.

As for compatibility, well no you wouldn't need a different Lightning cable is Apple decides to offer analogue over the connector, which they likely won't. The connecter is already capable of switching signal path based on the orientation of the plug as inserted. All Apple would have to do is detect an analogue audio device, and deliver an analogue signal instead of data over one of it's 9 pins.

And yes, of course you'd need an adapter to use a Lightning audio product with a legacy 3.5mm product the connectors are not even the same dimensions.

And I also addressed your battery concerns above, but again, the 3.5mm hardware takes up over 184 cubic mm of space. That's massive and will allow them to add more battery, among other things in the same size phone, without necessarily getting any thinner.

I have never had an Apple brand Lightning cable break, or become lose over time. That's on you. And using your same anecdotal evidence, I've had many 3.5mm jacks break or become unstable. In fact, once the prongs that make contact become lose, good luck ever making a static free connection again, and then getting that easily replaced. So, sorry about your problems with Lightning, but I think it's one of the best connectors of any kind ever made.

 

[nburwell]

What a dumb move - try to charge and listen with headphones at the same time with 1 port!
APPLE starts to behave as obsessive compulsive anorexia bitch!

This I'm not a fan of. Even though I'm sure Apple will sell us an adaptor where we can listen to our earpods and charge our iPhone at the same time.

I'm sure I won't mind this potential move in 2-3 years, but I'm presently not a fan.