Supply Chain Rumors Reaffirm iPhone 7 Will Not Have Headphone Jack

[Mac 128]

Absolutely THIS!!!! Did we really need 27 pages of panic when the solution is painfully obvious?

People don't even read the page they're posting on, much less the whole thread. They just read the headline and post their uninformed knee-jerk options, without giving it a moment's thought. The internet is lubricated on FUD.

Just you wait, there will be 30 more posts that will complain about the impossibility of charging the phone while listening to earphones even after this page, and I'll keep responding to as many as I can ...

 

[friedmud]

Tell you what. Try flying in an airplane with those wireless headphones. What's that? You can't use them? Oops. I guess most people do still need headphone jacks.

What are you talking about? Bluetooth headphones have never been forbidden on planes. And since they've lifted the restriction on electronic devices during take off and landing you can now use them straight through the entire flight.

So now, when your headphones get snagged on something while lifting your luggage to the overhead bin, instead of tugging on a robust 1/8" plug, you'll be tugging on the much-more-fragile Lightning plug, potentially damaging not just the adapter, but also your ability to charge your cell phone.

This is one of the best reasons FOR removal of the 3.5mm jack! More people will then start to use wireless headphones which are WAY more convenient for flying because they don't snag on stuff...
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Good. I can pair my iPhone 7 with my new Macbook Air for more hilarious dilemmas:

1. Do I charge my phone or listen to music?
2. Do I charge my phone or charge my laptop?

I can barely keep any one of my devices charged up.

Or use a pass through adapter... Or use Bluetooth headphones. Lots of options really.

 

[Blaze4G]

Latency for editing video with Bluetooth headphones? Now you're just making stuff up. I edit video with my Beats Studio Wireless all the time... have never noticed even a dash of latency. Anyway, if you're truly a pro you're most likely using waveforms to match markers and the like... not your ears, right?

The only case I've heard on here where latency makes any sense is for a DJ. I can see there that while performing live, timing can be critical. Even then, it's hard to imagine milliseconds making much difference... but I'm not a DJ so it's possible!

Really? Bluetooth has a significant delay for me (roughly .5 milliseconds). I am not sure if you count .5 as significant or not. However when it comes to editing, especially audio I can't use bluetooth headphones.

I just remembered I use to have a bluetooth and 3.5mm headphone jack in one but it broke. That would probably solve my issue.

 

[Mac 128]

And what happens when my wireless headset dies from battery life? Oh, I could charge my headsets from my phone? Oh, is this why we MIGHT get a bigger battery life? So overall, the phone probably won't last any longer. it's just to compensate for a technology that's already working and doesn't crackle when you listen to music

Many wireless headsets also come with an optional hard-wired cable, which can take advantage of the fact that the wireless headphones have a built-in DAC. Even some audiophile Lightning capable headphones, also come with optional cables for analogue audio via a3.5mm jack, as well as other formats, including USB, et al.

The fact there aren't many options at the moment is because consumers can opt for the lowest common denominator -- a patent free interface with a wire.

And yes the phone battery may actually last longer, depending on why Apple wants to reclaim the ~184 cubic mm the 3.5mm hardware occupies. It might make the phone last longer for Bluetooth, it will definitely make the phone last longer with Lightning.

 

[friedmud]

Really? Bluetooth has a significant delay for me (roughly .5 milliseconds). I am not sure if you count .5 as significant or not. However when it comes to editing, especially audio I can't use bluetooth headphones.

I just remembered I use to have a bluetooth and 3.5mm headphone jack in one but it broke. That would probably solve my issue.

I wonder if it's headphone or computer dependent. I'm using a cylinder Mac Pro with Beats Studio Wireless headphones... I can't detect even a hint of latency...

 

[mobilehaathi]

Do not want. At all.

 

[Blaze4G]

I wonder if it's headphone or computer dependent. I'm using a cylinder Mac Pro with Beats Studio Wireless headphones... I can't detect even a hint of latency...

honestly I am not sure. I use Bose Sound Link (can't remember the exact model). I mainly use Adobe Audition to edit my audio too.

 

[Flow39]

i'll wait for he iPhone 7s.

I'd bet they won't bring it back on the 7s. Once Apple gets rid of something, they usually don't bring it back. Look at 30-pin connectors. Once 2012 rolled around, any new products from then on had lightning connectors. I really hope this isn't true though.

 

[Mac 128]

ALL 3 poses inconvenience.

You know what poses an inconvenience for me? Using my MacBook Pro as a mobile computer that requires me to use an adapter anytime I need to connect to an Ethernet network -- something I am required to do any time I want to access my company's secure network anywhere where across its east corporate campus or remote field offices.

This is nothing by comparison. A simple inline adapter similar to the 1/8" to 1/4" adapter that came with many "pro" headphones when 1/8" adapters were proliferating due to the Walkman and other portable technologies that were coming into the mainstream in the 80s and 90s.

 

[hiddenmarkov]

Absolutely THIS!!!! Did we really need 27 pages of panic when the solution is painfully obvious?

Issue its yet another thing to carry.

external battery charger, check (for those who don't have power access full time and use phones alot)

case, check (as I am in the why the anorexic phone trend...gets much thinner I see issues with durability), I actually get a thicker wallet case to hold stuff and give it some structural support.

now adapter for headphones, check. Several...I see these being losable/forgetten in busy times.


Also what happens if one uses that jack for something else. Example:

On my flights back to states if power is available I like to daisy chain if power available in seating. MBP gets the seat power, daisy chain the phone off the MBP. Works nice now, 3.5 headphones and power on the cable. My iTunes library I shifted to my NAS, not local on the MBP. Kind of why I got the bigger memory size gb iphone....I avoid the whole which songs go and just dump the whole thing there. Downside is I get my wife's lousy music but she has some decent stuff as well.

Not seeing apple's slant here. its not like 3.5 is dead or even dying. I know some will say how do you not have BT headphones. Answer...I have expensive headphones I use across several 3.5 supporting devices. I do DSLR video...3.5 audio out (sound level checks as while the bar meter in lcd display is decent I still want to hear what its hearing as I adjust mic sensitivity). Same headset used on MBP for editing said videos. And other things on MBP. And since not in the most spacious of apartments I run an extender cable from TV to run the very same 3.5 headphones. As while I might enjoy a good game late at night...wife or kid 1 (thin) wall on other side of tv room might not appreciate the conversations being blasted that happen in say GTA 5 at 1 in the morning on a weekend.

 

[Flow39]

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.

Seriously, this is my dilemma as well. I use one pair of earbuds for everything. This is getting to be ridiculous. Apple needs to stop with this pursuit of a paper-thin phone and keep the same thickness and give us a bigger battery. Removing the jack is total nonsense in my opinion.

 

[ekholbrook]

I don't think they can totally go to wireless/bluetooth as it would destroy the latency (or lack of) required for such things as Garageband and other music apps. There's enough of a delay with Bluetooth that it makes things like live playing impossible because of the audio delay. Anthing greater than like 5 to 20ms becomes unplayable.

I think this is a very bad idea they are trying to push all for the sake of thinness and money. They will ship a phone one of these days that requires special Apple branded glasses to see and a special electrical outlet we need to install in our house in order to charge the phone. This is getting stupid.

 

[Zwhaler]

If this means waterproof, it might be worth it. At least if a convenient adapter is supplied free of charge...

 

[scott911]

the squareup.com swipe credit card reader will need to accommodate for this, and user of new phones too...

 

[ekholbrook]

I wonder if it's headphone or computer dependent. I'm using a cylinder Mac Pro with Beats Studio Wireless headphones... I can't detect even a hint of latency...

Most people just watching may not notice, but editing (like in Garageband) or premier, you cannot use bluetooth as anything over like 10ms (1/2 second is 500ms) is a nightmare to deal with. It's like an echo effect. You press your finger to a keyboard and a split second later you hear the sound. It drives you nuts as an artist/editor. Viewer, you can get away with it. But my Bose mini portable speaker is enough of a delay when I watch videos that the mouth is moving out of sync with the audio. I can't stand it.

 

[milo]

I'd bet they won't bring it back on the 7s. Once Apple gets rid of something, they usually don't bring it back. Look at 30-pin connectors. Once 2012 rolled around, any new products from then on had lightning connectors. I really hope this isn't true though.

Depends on how bad the backlash is. Did you forget the iPod shuffle they released with no buttons? And then they backtracked and brought them back.

Apple doesn't backtrack often but I could see this potentially being one of the few times when they do. Frankly I'd never buy one without 3.5.

A simple inline adapter similar to the 1/8" to 1/4" adapter that came with many "pro" headphones when 1/8" adapters

Except that in this case it's not just a simple adapter, it needs to include a powered A/D which makes it bigger and considerably more expensive.

 

[joeblow7777]

Good. I can pair my iPhone 7 with my new Macbook Air for more hilarious dilemmas:

1. Do I charge my phone or listen to music?
2. Do I charge my phone or charge my laptop?

I can barely keep any one of my devices charged up.

Or throw in some wireless bluetooth headphones and have to worry about charging them too!

 

[milo]

Especially if it paves the way (like we're hearing in rumors) to new codecs & higher quality music for the masses... why would we be against it??

Except that it has absolutely nothing to do with new codecs or higher quality. Saving some space on a mobile device? Sure. But lightning will do absolutely nothing to improve quality over a 3.5 connection since ANY headphone has to convert to analog before output.

 

[bentgate]

This would really be annoying. I wouldn't mind having an adapter sticking onto the ends of my headphones permanently, but many (including me) have set-ups in cars that still require an aux in. They STILL make cars without Bluetooth audio. Not being able to charge the phone while playing is going to be annoying. This is going to be really painful for some people for the next 10 years.

Not to mention - Bluetooth gadgets are the worst. Every Bluetooth thing (car speakers, headphones, etc..) I've bought off of Amazon has only lasted me less than 2 years. I just bought Powerbeats, I'm hoping to god they last me longer than that. Meanwhile, a $10 pair of Phillips headphones lasted me forever.

 

[friedmud]

Most people just watching may not notice, but editing (like in Garageband) or premier, you cannot use bluetooth as anything over like 10ms (1/2 second is 500ms) is a nightmare to deal with. It's like an echo effect. You press your finger to a keyboard and a split second later you hear the sound. It drives you nuts as an artist/editor. Viewer, you can get away with it. But my Bose mini portable speaker is enough of a delay when I watch videos that the mouth is moving out of sync with the audio. I can't stand it.

It's gotta be speaker/headphone dependent. Like I said, I can't detect _any_ latency with my headphones.

 

[Flow39]

All of the compromises to be made to remove the jack don't justify the effects of keeping it. All of those on the defensive side keep trying to justify this move as if it will be revolutionary and will be a change for the better! Last time I checked, the 3.5mm jack was this little thing called an INDUSTRY STANDARD. Removing it would make literally 99% of headphones available incompatible without shelling out money for an adapter. Not a smart move at all. Also, Apple still sells wired headphones online and in stores, so wouldn't it be really dumb if someone with an iPhone 7 went to buy some Beats only to be told, "Sorry, you can't use those headphones with this phone. Here are some wireless/lightning headphones that cost $100 more that will work, or you can buy these and have to buy an adapter as well."

This pursuit of a thinner phone is an absolute joke. Why on Earth do I need a phone that is as thin as a sheet of paper? I don't! We all need phones that have a bigger battery! Removing the headphone jack in the sake of thinness is the most pathetic reasoning for removing this I have ever heard. Everyone uses the 3.5mm connection, and removing it so we can shave a whole millimeter off of an already razor thin phone is asinine in my book.

 

[friedmud]

This would really be annoying. I wouldn't mind having an adapter sticking onto the ends of my headphones permanently, but many (including me) have set-ups in cars that still require an aux in. They STILL make cars without Bluetooth audio.

http://www.amazon.com/iClever-HB01-...sr=8-1-spons&keywords=bluetooth+aux+car&psc=1

(or any one of a hundred other solutions)

Not being able to charge the phone while playing is going to be annoying.

There will be a passthrough adapter. Or use Bluetooth headphones.

 

[Flow39]

Depends on how bad the backlash is. Did you forget the iPod shuffle they released with no buttons? And then they backtracked and brought them back.

Apple doesn't backtrack often but I could see this potentially being one of the few times when they do. Frankly I'd never buy one without 3.5.

True, I forgot about that one. The amount of times they have backtracked vs the amount of times they haven't is a blowout in favor of them not backtracking. I'd personally think they would backtrack, but then again, this is a different Apple than the Steve Jobs Apple. The removal of this jack, like you, would be a reason why I won't buy the 7.

 

[Blaze4G]

I wonder if it's headphone or computer dependent. I'm using a cylinder Mac Pro with Beats Studio Wireless headphones... I can't detect even a hint of latency...

honestly I am not sure. I use Bose Sound Link (can't remember the exact model). I use

Most people just watching may not notice, but editing (like in Garageband) or premier, you cannot use bluetooth as anything over like 10ms (1/2 second is 500ms) is a nightmare to deal with. It's like an echo effect. You press your finger to a keyboard and a split second later you hear the sound. It drives you nuts as an artist/editor. Viewer, you can get away with it. But my Bose mini portable speaker is enough of a delay when I watch videos that the mouth is moving out of sync with the audio. I can't stand it.

That is my experience with editing with bluetooth headphones. Makes me wonder if something is wrong with my bluetooth devices since they claim theirs don't give them that issue.

 

[scaramoosh]

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



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.

http://www.apple.com/shop/reviews/MD818AM/A/lightning-to-usb-cable

Plenty of reviews there saying how poor it is, it's not just me.

I went to the Apple store with my iPhone 5s in Feb last year and the staff member even told me they swap them for free because it's been a huge problem. Every Single iPhone in the house, I can rock the lightning cable a bit, it's not sturdy at all, it's not going to come out, but it moves back and forth in that port.