Supply Chain Rumors Reaffirm iPhone 7 Will Not Have Headphone Jack

[inscrewtable]

The 3.5mm connector has served us well for decades and there is nothing wrong with it. What makes the time "right" now? If it's just the age of the standard, shouldn't Apple also introduce, say, new plugs on their power supplies? After all, the NEMA standard is even older than the 3.5mm plug and you can simply use an adapter to plug it into the wall outlets that the rest of the world is using, right? Just imagine the possibilities: Waterproof power bricks with tiny plugs!!!11!!

This is a classic 'straw man' argument where you have used a ridiculous example of a power brick and somehow you equate that to 'proof' that replacing the 3.5mm is analogous. What makes the time right now is that we are at the tipping point, just like there was a tipping point to move from PPC to intel. Another thing that makes it right now is that as digital everything takes over from analogue we have now moved to a point where the digital revolution will move to the headphone component.
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Whther they choose "cold turkey" or give us an adapter with our new purchase for a limited time remains to be seen.

My bet is that there will be an adapter as we got with the mac mini, however it will not be a solid adapter there will be the lightning male and 3.5mm female separated by a small length of wire to take the stress away from the lightning connection.

 

[iSee]

Nothing new there, you can already do that with the Lightning port on your iPhone.

True... Though people should be getting more and better options. And more thoroughly reviewed options too.

 

[jmgregory1]

How well do they work in a plane?

Fantastic. Been on a couple of international flights with them so far and they drown out considerable engine noise - to the point where I fell asleep and woke after a few hours, forgetting I had them on - only to take them off and be bothered by the noise. I'm wearing them now listening to Peter Gabriel's So and the sound is really alive.

 

[Beerstalker]

• Adapters will vary in price but a good quality adapter akin to what is currently within the iPhone will cost upwards of $50. Current adapters sell from about $100.

I disagree. Apple has the lightning to HDMI adaptor for $50, which from what I understand is more complicated than a lightning to 3.5mm adaptor would need to be, so I see no reason that it would cost more than $50.

Not to mention the iPhone dock already does exactly what we are talking about, and also functions as a dock and costs $50.

I personally think we might see the iPhone 7 come with a lightning to 3.5mm adaptor, but no earphones. I also think we might see a new lightning to USB-C cable and new power supply with a USB-C port on it. I was actually suprised the iPad Pro didn't come with the latter.

 

[Mac 128]

• There is no technical advantage using a lightning adapter and ditching the 3.5mm plug.

True, the 3.5mm jack can pass digital signals just as well as the Lightning connector. However, it is a larger connector offering fewer contact point. Lightning is about to offer 17 pins worth of data. No 3.5mm could offer as much in its current dimensions. So technically, if a device can only have one port, Lightning makes a lot more sense, and having only one Lightning port frees up over 184 cubic mm by eliminating the 3.5mm jack.

• The 3.5mm plug is not inferior to a lightning cable. The opposite applies.

Not sure how the one is inferior to the other in any way, other than Lightning is far more capable of reliably transmitting significantly more discreet signals than the 3.5mm plug, which of course requires far more room for the limited signals it can convey.

• This is all about Apple making a lot of money from gullible people like yourself.

Until you show us internal e-mails from Apple proving this assertion, I'll ignore it.

• Forcing a technology change may well change the future but it's all about getting people to spend more money.

And since I'm an Apple shareholder, I think that's fantastic!

• As lightning is proprietary to Apple, all manufacturers must pay a license fee to Apple generating them more revenue.

As an Apple shareholder, even better!!

• A switch will force many people to have to throw away expensive headphones and buy new ones if they want to keep up with the latest iPhone.

Probably your most ridiculous claim. When Apple removed the SCSI connector from my new PowerBook, the first thing I didn't do was find the quickest way to throw away my existing SCSI equipment. What I did instead was buy an adapter so I could continue using my legacy SCSI equipment until I was able to replace it with newer, more convenient alternatives. Nobody will throw away anything. Give away maybe. And they will likely upgrade to a better set of headphones in the process. I know I usually don't trade down whenever I buy new equipment.

• Adapters will vary in price but a good quality adapter akin to what is currently within the iPhone will cost upwards of $50. Current adapters sell from about $100.

Again, I'd love to see your proof that an adapter with the equivalent quality DAC will cost upwards of $50. You see, I have a Lightning dock for my 5S made by Apple with the same quality, or better DAC built into it than on my DAC and I only paid $29 for it. It's extremely hard for me to believe that after eliminating all of the extra features of that dock and reducing it down to just a 2-3" piece of wire with that same DAC chip in it, that Apple would charge more than $20. But it will hardly be $50, much less upwards. And even at $30, it won't be more expensive than throwing away even a cheap set of earbuds, and buying a new Lightning set. And that's an APPLE BRAND adapter. Third parties, including unauthorized vendors, will offer such adapters for even less, especially if a consumer is willing to take a lower quality DAC, which many will. The beauty of it is, for those who prefer much higher quality sound, they will have the option to spend as much as they want. Moreover, because customers won't have the option to fall back on the cheapest alternative of the 3.5mm adapter, the cost of all Lightning and Bluetooth devices will drop, as well as more choices, and new uses for both will be developed.

 

[Gudi]

This really is the most annoying thread ever. I make no apology for being so arrogant but I really have not seen such a large collection of ignorant (ETA), and brain-washed fools on this forum before!!!!

You're dead right!!!!!
Some fools here even try to force their arguments by making them bold and underlined.

Wake up people!

• There is no technical advantage using a lightning adapter and ditching the 3.5mm plug.
• The 3.5mm plug is not inferior to a lightning cable. The opposite applies.
• This is all about Apple making a lot of money from gullible people like yourself.
• Forcing a technology change may well change the future but it's all about getting people to spend more money.
• As lightning is proprietary to Apple, all manufacturers must pay a license fee to Apple generating them more revenue.
• A switch will force many people to have to throw away expensive headphones and buy new ones if they want to keep up with the latest iPhone.
• Adapters will vary in price but a good quality adapter akin to what is currently within the iPhone will cost upwards of $50. Current adapters sell from about $100.

Seriously people. Smell the roses and stop getting caught up in this bloody Apple consumer marketing machine. You're all going to start bleating like sheep before long!

Kindergarten.

 

[Mac 128]

Not to mention the iPhone dock already does exactly what we are talking about, and also functions as a dock and costs $50.

That's right, and most of that is likely because it's clad in colored aluminum. Also, keep in mind there are two Lightning connectors in the docks, and the adapters only require one (I would expect pass through adapters to cost more). Not sure why the white Lightning dock costs $39, particularly when the 5S and 5C docks only cost $29, and they are otherwise identical. Maybe the the Lightning docks actually have better DACs in them?

I personally think we might see the iPhone 7 come with a lightning to 3.5mm adaptor, but no earphones. I also think we might see a new lightning to USB-C cable and new power supply with a USB-C port on it. I was actually suprised the iPad Pro didn't come with the latter.

Again, this is not the option Apple wants to present with for people. They want customers to upgrade to Bluetooth, or use the Lightning standard, for which they will offer most customers their first Lightning product ever in a new set of headphones. If they offer an adapter, then they only encourage customers to keep using the old standard, or worse keep using a competitor's product, and it definitely deters developers from woking on new products. Forcing customers to use Lightning headphones out of the box, also gives them a chance to experience first hand using Lightning for an audio connector which they will hopefully agree has benefits, other than the incompatibility with legacy equipment, which the adapter only reinforces necessarily. And hard as it might be to believe, any new customer to the iPhone may not have any headphones to use with it at all.

 

[friedmud]

Well, that's TWO options, hardly lots. The first one involves constantly switching an adapter between devices, the second means buying another pair of headphones and having two pairs on the go. That a pretty expensive 'option'

Why does having Bluetooth headphones "mean" having two pair? Just use BT headphones and be done with it...

 

[Poisonivy326]

I really can't wait for when this happens when everyone will say that it's "disgusting" that "cheap" Android phones still have the 3.5 mm jack and forget that their Macbook, Macbook Pro, ipad, and whatever else are very likely still to have the 3.5 mm jack ...

 

[libmanj]

So...we won't be able to use the same headphones on our iPhones and our MacBooks without an adapter???

 

[friedmud]

So...we won't be able to use the same headphones on our iPhones and our MacBooks without an adapter???

You will most definitely be able to use Bluetooth headphones with both.

 

[Blaze4G]

Well let's hope you don't forget to bring your headphones, because then all the rest of your problems with this change will be moot.



Except Apple wants to bring you all sorts of other improvements in the same-sized package or smaller. So they can just stop improving the tech in their phones, or they can let their iPhone enlarge to a non-competitive brick, or they can remove an audio connector that will eventually be left behind as wireless audio technology improves and is embraced by an increasingly larger audience, while at the same time encouraging development of better audio products for the Lightning port, which developers have no interest in because the consumer will still have the choice of the lowest common denominator. Right. No reason whatsoever to remove it. /s



No they won't put the adapter in the box, because I don't own a 3.5mm audio device, so I won't need it. And they never were going to switch to USB-C because it's not yet a defect standard, and it's still a larger connector than Lightning. Lightning is an incredibly versatile technology which Apple can keep going indefinitely, while USB-C may be replaced by the next big thing in a couple of years. Also, Lightning is far more robust a connector, where as USB-C is comparatively somewhat fragile.

If lightning was so great then why did the macbook use usb-c?
Let me hear your excuses now please.

 

[Jsameds]

*compared to lesser-quality speakers

To be absolutely honest, you're totally right.

And that is the true bottleneck of the sound quality in 95% of cases being dicussed here - not the method of delivery (wires or Bluetooth), but the actual hardware the signal is being delivered to.

 

[Mac 128]

So...we won't be able to use the same headphones on our iPhones and our MacBooks without an adapter???

That's right, until Apple adds a Lightning jack to all of their Products. You won't be able to use them on your existing iPads, or iPods either. But for the perfect Apple customer who upgrades every 1-2 years, all of their equipment will be updated in no time for a seamless, Apple experience. And that's the goal.

 

[Robstevo]

Why does having Bluetooth headphones "mean" having two pair? Just use BT headphones and be done with it...

When I'm running or in the gym, I don't want to be wearing 100+ head Bluetooth earphones or bulky headphones.

I also don't want yet another device that lasts 7 hours and then needs to recharge.

I also want the ability to charge my phone and listen to music which I do numerous times a week when I'm in work.

This is sake for the sake of change and it's laughable people are defending this. I didn't see ANY ONE asking for the removal of the headphone jack before, but now all of a sudden it's the future and magically great...please

 

[Gudi]

So...we won't be able to use the same headphones on our iPhones and our MacBooks?

Not if you turn off Bluetooth.

 

[Poisonivy326]

That's right, until Apple adds a Lightning jack to all of their Products. You won't be able to use them on your existing iPads, or iPods either. But for the perfect Apple customer who upgrades every 1-2 years, all of their equipment will be updated in no time for a seamless, Apple experience. And that's the goal.

"Perfect Apple customer"? Are you from North Korea or something?

 

[Mac 128]

If lightning was so great then why did the macbook use usb-c?
Let me hear your excuses now please.

Because USB-C serves a different standard. It's a desktop standard. Simple as that. It's a lot easier to allow Lightning devices to operate on a Mac than a USB-C device on an iOS device, as evidenced by the restriction Apple already has in place with the 30-pin dock connector and Lightning.

Moreover, Thunderbolt 3 uses the same USB-C connector. Lightning is not meant to compete with Thuderbolt 3, but it certainly can accommodate USB 3 speeds now, and expand the capabilities of port challenged devices.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

This is pretty stupid and it's just forcing people to buy more accessories.

But i'm glad i bought that portable amplifier which already uses the a Lighting port to USB connection for digital output to an external DAC so this won't be a concern for me but ...still WTF?

 

[0098386]

An adapter so we can't charge our phones and listen to music at the same time?

I feel like a slave to Apple's products sometimes. Currently I can only buy iPhones because of how integrated my internet-stuff is with iCloud, iTunes etc. But something like this would push me away. I've tried bluetooth headphones for music before - I find the lag irritating with music, and impossible to watch videos.

 

[macduke]

Glad I called this a long time ago. Hopefully they put the space savings to good use, like extra battery capacity. Oh wait, it's going to be even thinner than ever. I'd rather they reduce the massive bezels than make it thinner. I also hope such a move would mean improved waterproofing is coming.

Personally I don't really mind if they remove it, as most of my listening is done while at work on my iMac or in my car. But I do hope they include an adapter. The original iPhone was widely panned for having a non-standard recessed headphone jack. But even an adapter is kind of a pain and would get lost easily. I would also think developing included BT EarPods would be cost-prohibitive.

This would be yet another example of Apple pulling us kicking and screaming into the future. Just like when they got rid of other legacy things like floppy disks and disc drives. But this time I think a lot more people will be upset.

 

[Mac 128]

My bet is that there will be an adapter as we got with the mac mini, however it will not be a solid adapter there will be the lightning male and 3.5mm female separated by a small length of wire to take the stress away from the lightning connection.

Interesting, what kind of adapter comes with the Mac mini?

But I don't agree it will be included. It does not serve Apple's interest in doing this, per my comments above @ #757
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An adapter so we can't charge our phones and listen to music at the same time?

Must I put this on every page?

Problem solved:

 

[fpsBeaTt]

Because this sort of thing worked so well for Samsung #S6 #MicroSD #RemovableBattery

 

[Tycho24]

I have 5 headphones.
1. bluetooth over the ear
2. a cheap bluetooth ear buds for working out
3. an open back over the ear for editing
4. an over the ear for regular use
5. some cheap ear buds

I switch between all 3 wired sets depending on what I am doing and how I am feeling. When I am using one of the wired, then need to use it on my laptop, I will have to remove the adapter right? Or whichever one I am carrying I will have to ensure I remove the adapter from the other one. Or I could just get 3 adapters, but that would just be a waste.

EDIT: as you mentioned most persons probably just have 1 that they use. So they should be fine.

At least 2 of yours are bt!
I sincerely hope the adapters are only like $10-$15 & they include one... that way, people in your position could drop $20-$30 & not have to worry about anything whatsoever.

 

[friedmud]

When I'm running or in the gym, I don't want to be wearing 100+ head Bluetooth earphones or bulky headphones.

I also don't want yet another device that lasts 7 hours and then needs to recharge.

I also want the ability to charge my phone and listen to music which I do numerous times a week when I'm in work.

This is sake for the sake of change and it's laughable people are defending this. I didn't see ANY ONE asking for the removal of the headphone jack before, but now all of a sudden it's the future and magically great...please

I don't understand your argument here. If you want to have headphones and earbuds for different purposes then you need two pair regardless of if the headphone jack exists. What does any of that have to do with what we're talking about here?

As I said before, if you want to charge and listen you can use Bluetooth. Or you can use a pass through adapter.

As for asking for the removal of the headphone jack: I am very much for it. One less port that can let water in... and we may gain some battery life or maybe something else using the reclaimed space.