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Supply Chain Rumors Reaffirm iPhone 7 Will Not Have Headphone Jack
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I'm not sure the old 2.5mm connector would be much better. I mean sure, it's a standard, but one which hasn't see a lot of consumer use in many years. And the stereo ones were fragile as I recall. Honestly if different audio connector is truly needed, I'd say invent a new one. Though do it as an industry-wide standard that's BC through adapters.Let's be serious, mate.
We all know apple will not ship this with an adapter. The adapter will be sold separately at just $99.
And it's not an adapter per se because the lighting connector is digital. To connect your current headphones you'll need a convertor (DAC) and a headphone amp (this things are already included in the iphone now).
If they want to make the phone even thiner they should use a smaller headphone jack like old nokia phones. Adapters are easily available for like $1
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When Apple losses optical drive, I did not care. Becuase I have other PCs with optical drive. When Apple intoduces lighting cable, I did not really care, becuase I ended up with bunch of lighting cable after tese year. When Apple introduce the new MacBoom with only one USB type X and force me buy the adaptor, I did not buy. When Apple trying to making my useable headphones useless, I will stop buying new iPhone until they add it back.
The technical term is: fanboy.
If you feel cool, you say: fanboi.
There is a company for people who want more options.
You are new to the industry, aren't you?
That's a lot of wear and tear on one port. I charge my 6s+ once per day so about 365 uses per year. My headphones get taken in/out several times per day. The Lightning port has many more pins and likely more fragile. I really hope Apple gets smart enough to put the Lightning port on a separate PCB so you don't have replace the logic board for a broken/worn out Lightning port like you do with the current iPhone.
They're supposedly looking into wireless charging too, but you're right it's a big deal if you can't charge the phone while you're listening or watching something.
This is a ridiculously stupid decision, for two reasons.
First of all the mighty useful 3.5mm jack is still massively popular and ubiquitous.
Secondly, the lightning connector is Apple proprietary and currently limited to iDevices so good luck when you decide to splash €200 on a decent pair of headphones with a lightning connector and you bring it to ANY other device, a friends Android, your girl/boyfriends tablet, a home PC, a radio or CD player or even your own MacBook!
Doesn't this just prove how useful STANDARDS are!
First of all the mighty useful 3.5mm jack is still massively popular and ubiquitous.
Secondly, the lightning connector is Apple proprietary and currently limited to iDevices so good luck when you decide to splash €200 on a decent pair of headphones with a lightning connector and you bring it to ANY other device, a friends Android, your girl/boyfriends tablet, a home PC, a radio or CD player or even your own MacBook!
Doesn't this just prove how useful STANDARDS are!
100% agree.
iTunes 11 was still very usable. iTunes 12.0 was bearable, but after that, iTunes 12.1 and onward has been the worst music player I've ever used.
If the phones weren't so thin to begin with, they could probably fit a lot more horsepower and battery life in there for the same price. Which I would be fine with. Most people have to cases anyway to protect them against drops (and bending). They could make a much better phone if they didn't care about getting it as thin as the current iPod nano. (Which still has a 3.5 mm jack, btw)
During the 1st week of a recent 3 week backpacking trip in South America (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and northern Brazil), my Lightening connector developed a short and wouldn't charge my iPhone. It was very difficult to find a replacement Lightening connector and I even ended up having to test a few knock-offs to ensure that I didn't get the "non-compatible" error when connecting them. However micro-USBs are everywhere.
I love my iPhone 6s Plus, but it's hard to find Apple accessories in many parts of the world. It seems to me Apple is losing more and more of their potential customer base by doing things like this. The rest of the market is heading toward inter-operability, not away from it.
I love my iPhone 6s Plus, but it's hard to find Apple accessories in many parts of the world. It seems to me Apple is losing more and more of their potential customer base by doing things like this. The rest of the market is heading toward inter-operability, not away from it.
Agreed, this is a big deal. However I bet you anything that Apple will have an adapter that allows you to charge and listen at the same time! Or they will add another lightning port like you mentioned above.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the typical reasoning behind the over-the-top fanaticism of the typical Apple fanboy.
It's definitely a problem, mainly that I have a auto-immune skin condition and that's part of the reason why in ear earphones have never worked for me. And don't get me started on bluetooth earphones. I could be here all day talking about why I don't like them.
If Apple made some sort of Apple earphones with the old rubber borders (why doesn't anyone make these anymore?) with some sort of instant connection technology, that could possibly work. But then you're talking about batteries and other hassles that I'd never had to deal with before.
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Six weeks ago, Japanese website Mac Otakara reported that Apple is planning to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 in favor of an all-in-one Lightning connector for both connectivity and audio output.
Adding fuel to the rumor, Chinese websites Anzhuo.cn [Google Translate] and Wei Feng [Google Translate] cite supply chain news from unnamed sources that reportedly confirm the controversial rumor is true.
Both websites claim the iPhone 7 will not have a headphone jack, and that Apple will release its own wireless Bluetooth headphones, but the unverified reports should be treated with caution until or unless additional sources verify these claims -- nevertheless, they do make for interesting discussion.
Mac Otakara's original report said Apple may release Lightning-equipped EarPods, and the company already offers Powerbeats 2, Solo2 and Studio wireless headphones through its Beats brand. Apple also introduced new MFi Program specifications in June 2014 that allow third-party manufacturers to create Lightning-equipped headphones, including the Philips Fidelio M2L and Fidelio NC1L.
Philips M2L are Apple-approved Lightning-equipped headphones
The original report, which cited a "reliable source," also claimed the new same-sized Lightning connector will have a DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, for backwards compatibility with wired headphones using standard 3.5mm stereo jacks. A 3.5mm to Lightning adapter would be required.
The rumor has led to speculation that Apple could introduce wireless charging on the iPhone 7, as users would be unable to charge the smartphone and use Lightning-equipped headphones at once. On the contrary, there is always the real possibility this rumor is false and that Apple has no plans to ditch the headphone jack.
Should this rumor prove to be true, however, the decision will likely be as controversial as Apple's move to the Lightning connector over its legacy 30-pin dock connector. MacRumors ran a Twitter poll that showed 59% of 7,542 respondents preferred the 3.5mm headphone jack over an all-in-one Lightning connector.
Read more: Apple May Replace 3.5mm Headphone Jack on iPhone 7 With All-in-One Lightning Connector
Article Link: Supply Chain Rumors Reaffirm iPhone 7 Will Not Have Headphone Jack
Only one question; WHY? WHY? WHY?
This would be such a disaster for me. I'm in the music business. Apple has won most of the music market, but this makes musicians' lives much harder. We plug into all kinds of things all the time with our headphones, and we plug our phones into all kinds of speakers and devices all the time. We won't even be able to use the same headphones with our MacBooks and our iPhones.
Not to mention the fact that lightning cables break a lot more than 3.5mm jacks, and although the tip might be thinner, they are slightly bigger and clunkier cables.
Want to make lightning headphones? Start making lightning headphones now, and leave the 3.5mm jack. Nothing is stopping you, Apple.
Not to mention the fact that lightning cables break a lot more than 3.5mm jacks, and although the tip might be thinner, they are slightly bigger and clunkier cables.
Want to make lightning headphones? Start making lightning headphones now, and leave the 3.5mm jack. Nothing is stopping you, Apple.
Not that progressive. Android phones especially those from Sony, Samsung and HTC support USB to USB headphones for the past 2yrs.
This coincides with Apple going to higher quality 192kHz/24-bit encoded audio or better!
Then you haven't listened to these ...
http://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-1adac
Has a dedicated USB DAC amp built-in!
"By capturing music at a higher rate than CD (up to 384kHz/32-bit, rather than 44.1kHz/16-bit), High-Resolution Audio allows you to get closer to the original studio recording and enjoy your music just as the artist intended."
Preferably these:
http://www.beoplay.com/products/beoplayh8#at-a-glance
"An intuitive touch interface gives you full control of all functionality. Turn your music on and off, answer calls, switch Active Noise Cancellation on and off, and much more. All at your fingertips." BOOM!!!
Not true.
Maybe we'll FINALLY see PROPER imperical ratings on Speakers and Headphones compatible with Apple products not this garbage from Beats "You're not hearing the music" junk!
IMPEDANCE (OHM)
40Ω at 1kHz !
SENSITIVITIES (DB/MW)
102 dB/mW
BAMMM!
There are already headphones that utilize the lightning port, so you are right about that. There must be a reason they are getting away from the headphone port. It would probably be to make room for other stuff (battery, storage, etc) or make it thinner. I haven't seen tear downs, but those are reasons it might make sense to them.
Apple has been moving toward eliminating ports and having people use adapters when needed (the new(ish) MacBook is an example). I would bet, if this is true, they will add an adapter to plug in older headphones. Personally, I have no interest in buying headphones that use a lightning port. I want to be able to plug them into anything. That being said, I can't remember the last time I plugged headphones into the iPhone's headphone port. The last time I used the headphone port was to use a microphone.
You don't like wires? Then don't use them. You can do without wires now--you don't have to wait for the iPhone 7.
Your argument is ridiculous...just grasping at straws.
Never has a 3.5 jack gone bad on me (on any of my devices). I've had two lightning cables go bad. Sure, I've had 3.5 headphone wires go bad (the sound would cut off when you moved the wire). Do you really need a source to convince you that a jack/connector is more sturdy than the wire\cable that connects to it?
This is your personal bias in action. You acknowledge Bluetooth is great in the car, though it suffers from many of the same connectivity issues, depending on your hardware. Bluetooth is also widely popular in the home and portable powered speakers, and gaining traction, with similar deficiencies. But your position points that the current issues you have with Bluetooth headphones you've personally tried, applies to all Bluetooth headphones everywhere, and what's more, will NEVER change! You've decide Bluetooth is too much trouble for you and will never improve.
Oh I understand what you think your point is. But your own personal biases against Bluetooth are getting in your way.
The difference of opinion between us, is not whether Lightning is a better delivery method than a 3.5mm connector. The difference is I see wireless audio as the revolutionary future for audio as USB-C is to USB-A. And your viewpoint is hypocritical because you don't see any benefits from Bluetooth based on your own personal bias, which I pointed out above.
Let me put it another way ... Do you honestly think the future of personal audio is being tethered to a device by a wire? Wires are the most inconvenient thing we have to deal with in a technological society. But you not only seem to be suggesting that not only will most people opt to plug in a wire to listen to music on their headphones until the end of time, you are also suggesting that the current wireless technology will never improve to give people a reason to cut the cord!
I on the other hand see wireless audio as the future, and a very near future at that. And I see it as a major improvement over having to plug in a wire tethering me to my equipment, or my equipment to each other. Not all improvements are as clear cut as going from the floppy disk to the CD-RW. Sometimes an improvement is about visibility, not just increased storage capacity. And there's nothing more versital than eliminating the wires. While the net result is the same whether going from floppy to CD, the more appropriate comparison is the loss of the perfectly good Ethernet port from Apple's devices in favor of WiFi. In fact, every single argument you make for retaining a wired 3.5mm connection for audio, I can make for retaining the wired Ethernet connector, something that affects me, and tens of millions of other Mac and iOS users daily.
I have none of the problems you seem to have with Bluetooth headphones. I love the freedom it provides at the gym, at the beach, hiking, biking, or just walking the dog. I love not getting tangled in my headphone cord when I'm sitting in an airplane seat and have to let another passenger out. I love not having to unplug from my laptop, just to stand up, or walk away from it for a second, or even just sitting on the couch listening to a podcast on my iPhone. In fact I can go on and on all day about how much more convenient wireless is for me than a wired cord -- despite some of the issues that Bluetooth still ha to address. For me, all those trade offs are worth it. Now you would have us believe that nobody wants that kind of freedom, and given the choice where all things are equal, people are always going to want to plug in their hardwired headphones because they already have an investment in them and don't want to be forced into buying a new pair regardless of the convenience it provides. And using this logic, nobody would have ever switched to Wifi from Ethernet. I bought the very first Apple AirPort which used a dial-up connection, and loved it so much I bought my 70 year old mother one. And you know what, it wasn't perfect, it had a lot of problems, and it certainly wasn't as efficient or reliable as Ethernet, or even my hard wired connection into my modem. When DSL came along the same thing was true. But it was worth every headache, and not just to me but tens of millions of customers. As a result the price came down, more people discovered the convenience, which led torpid adoption and improved technologies. And the mobile space continues to expand to the point where Apple decided to remove Ethernet ports, despite the fact the WiFi is not yet at the point where it's better or more reliable than Ethernet. It's simply more convenient. And that is the future of audio.
You say there's no reason to remove it, but I say there's every reason to remove it. Because it forces developers to improve current wireless audio technology to meet the necessity of needing another way to connect, and that in turn lowers the price of wireless audio connectors, putting the convenience of wireless audio in more consumers hands, and forces developers to step up their game to provide better quality, and more reliable devices. As a consequence, it also forces those same developers to offer better quality, lower cost, and more reliable Lightning solutions, which will ultimately better serve most people for anything more than just plugging a set of headphones into a jack and listening to sound. In fact it will likely improve that as well, offering better quality equipment at a lower price, and lower quality equipment at a lower price, depending on a customer's needs. Think about it, who better to chose the DAC for their headphones than then the manufacturer? In that way, Apple is only responsible for delivering the digital data of a sound file, and cannot be held accountable for the quality of the sound, or how their hardware may affect a third parties audio reproduction. In fact, that's the Apple model.
I would suggest you look at your own comments objectively, to see that this is all true. It's sheer arrogance to pronounce what may or may not be important to others, based on your own bias. You don't like the bluetooth headphones you've used, and that has ruined you for ever trying them again. Fine. But that doesn't mean they aren't the future, and that now isn't the time to push developers towards that future. You don't want them to remove the 3.5mm jack because it affects how you currently listen to music. But you're OK with them taking away a universal standard USB-A port that a multitude of people use, but doesn't affect you personally, because "it's the future". I don't know what else to call it beside hypocrisy, or blind stubbornness, which usually affects those who are being left behind in a technology transition.
About a week ago. I went to the Apple store and tried a pair of $400 B&O headphones that were Bluetooth. The higher-quality the headphone, the more audible that compression is. I went elsewhere and bought the wired version of that same headphone and it was miles ahead.
Sorry, I just don't see it. Just as bitrates and codecs start to come up and improve sound quality, Bluetooth introduces a new bottleneck to the mix.
Translation: $$$$, which is what this is all about. If a Lightning connection can provide better sound, that's great -- but I think what a lot of people are resenting is the forced obsolecence of all of this.
Phones are thin enough, so why would this ever need to be an either/or proposition? Keep the headphone jack that has universal connectivity, keep the Bluetooth for those who like it, and introduce a Lightning connector for those who want to try that. Saving an extra 1mm off the thickness of the phone isn't worth abandoning a universal headphone standard.
Or, perhaps as more Apple products are sold around the world, the more common their adapters will be. There was a time in the US, not too long ago where anywhere you went you would have a hard time finding a compatible Apple cable, either 30-pin or Lightning; but micro-USB cables were in abundance. Now, the reverse is true. In my experience, it is almost impossible to find a micro-USB cable, and Lightning connectors are everywhere, even a dearth of 30-pin dock connectors which were once ubiquitous just prior to the iPhone 5 launch.
Luckily my 4" iPhone 6c will still have one!
I would't count on it. The new 4" iPhone is the perfect opportunity to test the removal of the 3.5mm jack, before it impacts their flagship. And there's good reason to try it on the 4" first, just like the Retina MacBook and for similar reasons. There's clearly a pent up demand for the 4" iPhone which may, or may not be hurting their 6S sales. Releasing it mid-cycle will not only reduce production constraints, but also boost lagging iPhone sales. And just like there was pent up demand for an ultra-portable MacBook with a Retina display -- those who really want it won't necessarily care what else they may have to live without. Most rMB customers who agreed a second USB-C port, or separate Mag-Safe port, would have been assets to them, also seemed to be more concerned with upgrading to a Retina display. So Apple made a radical decision to reduce the rMB to just one port. The new 4" phone also will have more limited space than the 6S, but will have to accommodate most of the additional hardware the 6S introduced over the 5S. Add to that rumors of additional battery capacity, and it suggests they not only squeezed more into what is likely a smaller case design (at least thinner), but also somehow found space to add a bigger battery. And in the end, people who want a modern 4" iphone will likely buy it whether it has a 3.5mm jack or not, especially since Apple will give you a set of Lightning earbuds, and offer an inexpensive and slimline adapter to use any legacy equipment you prefer.
I've had 3.5mm jacks go bad on numerous Apple products from Macs to iPods to iPhones, and even my original iPad. On the other hand I've never had a Lightning port go bad on me, or a 30-pin dock connector. And I insert and remove plugs all day long. At home and work I keep my phone on a charging dock which Lightning connector supports the phone in mid-air by itself! So overtime I use it, off it comes, and when I'm done, back on it goes. Then I plug it in every time I get into my car, which is typically at least 4 times a day, and more if I run any errands besides work/home/lunch. That's dozens of times a day, everyday. So yeah. My anecdotal evidence trumps yours. Please show me detailed studies that show Lightning jacks in iPhones fails far more frequently than 3.5mm jacks in them.