Supply Chain Rumors Reaffirm iPhone 7 Will Not Have Headphone Jack

[Elvergun]

http://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Streambot-Bluetooth-Streaming-Smartphones/dp/B00MJMV0GU/

Ahh, a nice solution to a problem which did not exist. Nice!!!

 

[dennysanders]

Personally I just bought a nice pair of Bose noise-cancelling headphones that I hope will outlast several phones... if I have to stick an adaptor in the bottom of the phone then the headphones into that it'll be nowhere near as pocketable or convenient.

how about just leaving the adapter attached to the headphones
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So how are people who connect their phones to auxiliary cables to play music in the car supposed to listen to music? Or what about people who have headphones in while jogging or on the go?

It's really too soon to try to forcefully outdate headphones and headphone jacks in replacement of battery hogging and consuming wireless earpods...

Awful move. Wow.

adapter

 

[APlotdevice]

What difference does it make? Right now on the rMB you have one port, and one single function 3.5mm jack, only good for audio. Given that will likely be the standard as the rest of the MacBooks get refreshes, why not include Lightning instead? It's almost as versatile as USB-C, and doesn't take up any more room than the 3.5mm Jack. Then there compatibility issues. Much easier to Make the Mac compatible with an iOS device than vice versa. So why confuse people who may think they can buy any USB-C device and plug into their iPad or iPhone, which is at best incompatible and at worst may cause damage. Also, can anyone confirm that USB-C will be the standard for at least 10 years and nothing better will come along? Apple controls Lightning. As long as they need to support Lightning, it will be there. Once USB-C changes into something else, people who bought native USB-C audio devices will be left behind.

Type A USB has been around for almost two decades. As its replacement, it is a pretty safe bet that type C will be around for at least almost as long. Especially given how robust it is. USB 3.1, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, laptop charging, and the potential for much more, all through this one connector.

Now let's compare. Lighting's predecessor, the Dock connector, was around for just about 9 years (i.e. Under a decade) before being superseded. When it was released it only supported USB 2.0 speeds. With the introduction of the iPad Pro it now supports USB 3.0, which is still just half the speed of 3.1. It does NOT actually support raw video connections, instead relying on the GPU to encode the video, similar to AirPlay. And to date has not been shown to have the ability to support more advanced connectivity or high charging capabilities.

Quite frankly Lighting already looks completely obsolete. Making the idea that will support it for over a decade laughable.

 

[LiveM]

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.

No need to give them up. Either Bose will add a cable for the newest iPhone which you can swapmfor the current cable or you can use the Bose Aptx Bluetooth receiver or something smaller and chargeable like the Sony Smart Handset (since the Bose NCs have heir own amplifier) to receive Bluetooth audio.
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No one will miss it? So now I need a weird adapter so that I can use my 300 dollars Bose headphone with iphone 7?

There is already a Bose Aptx Bluetooth adaptor or you can use something tiny like the Sony Smart Handset.

 

[sofila]

Lighting does power and audio, as demonstrated by the docks.

please take 30 sec. to explain me what will I find at the other side of the lighting cable (Lighting does power and audio, as demonstrated by the docks) plugged in the iPhone: a couple of ear-phones or a electrical plug ? or both?
unless they go wireless I can't see how you can charge and listen at the same time

 

[Rigby]

There is already a Bose Aptx Bluetooth adaptor or you can use something tiny like the Sony Smart Handset.

According to Sony the dimensions of the "tiny" handset are 80x25x8mm. So, we remove the 3.5mm connector to save approximately 180 mm^3 in the phone, and instead carry around a dongle that measures 16,000 mm^3? Brilliant.

 

[Mac 128]

Now let's compare. Lighting's predecessor, the Dock connector, was around for just about 9 years (i.e. Under a decade) before being superseded. When it was released it only supported USB 2.0 speeds. With the introduction of the iPad Pro it now supports USB 3.0, which is still just half the speed of 3.1. It does NOT actually support raw video connections, instead relying on the GPU to encode the video, similar to AirPlay. And to date has not been shown to have the ability to support more advanced connectivity or high charging capabilities.

Quite frankly Lighting already looks completely obsolete. Making the idea that will support it for over a decade laughable.

All of the problems you mention with Lightning are addressable by software. The connector has 17 pins which Apple can send anything they want to. And that's more than enough to adjust to whatever device is plugged into it. They demonstrated a willingness to do this numerous times with the 30-pin dock connector, obsoleting some third party devices in the process. Lightning isn't necessarily restricted by the same issue. Moreover, Apple intends iOS devices to be wireless. As wireless transfer rates improve, it negates the need for any hard-wired connector. Regardless, Apple can support the port as a secondary port to whatever the primary port is. Apple has shown us their future -- the Retina MacBook. And their marketing even suggests they wouldn't have put the USB-C port in had they not felt a physical port was the best way to charge the battery. If they hadn't chosen to support 3.5mm wired headphones, that would presumably be the only port. So there's no downsides to offering a Lightning port forever if they want, especially since they control it -- at least in their ecosystem.

please take 30 sec. to explain me what will I find at the other side of the lighting cable (Lighting does power and audio, as demonstrated by the docks) plugged in the iPhone: a couple of ear-phones or a electrical plug ? or both?
unless they go wireless I can't see how you can charge and listen at the same time

 

[LiveM]

According to Sony the dimensions of the "tiny" handset are 80x25x8mm. So, we remove the 3.5mm connector to save approximately 180 mm^3 in the phone, and instead carry around a dongle that measures 16,000 mm^3? Brilliant.

Ah, but it's tny if you're packing it wih your headphones and anyway, it is very convient withiut headphones for checking phone calls and messages than taking your phone out of your pocket or bag.

 

[Rigby]

Ah, but it's tny if you're packing it wih your headphones and anyway, it is very convient withiut headphones for checking phone calls and messages than taking your phone out of your pocket or bag.

Honestly I fail to see the point of this device. In the promotional video they show a guy who has it in his shirt pocket and (obviously) wires running to the headphones. Why not simply put the phone in the shirt pocket and connect the headphones directly? And whether I take this thing or the phone out of a pocket to check for messages, doesn't really make a difference. Not to mention that, in spite of its size, the battery life is not good enough for long-haul flights.

 

[LiveM]

Honestly I fail to see the point of this device. In the promotional video they show a guy who has it in his shirt pocket and (obviously) wires running to the headphones. Why not simply put the phone in the shirt pocket and connect the headphones directly? And whether I take this thing or the phone out of a pocket to check for messages, doesn't really make a difference. Not to mention that, in spite of its size, the battery life is not good enough for long-haul flights.

This thing lasts for days. No problem for a long-haul flight, not that you would need it, although for me it's a kind of safety to avoid having my iPad dragged to the floor by my kids passing or when I have to stand up to let them past. It's more for the lounge when watching Apple TV without the cord getting in the way or needing somewhere to connect it.

Some people don't like taking calls on their handset, be it based on where they stow their phones, or fear of health effects, or the size of the phone (remember the ridicule of Galaxy Note as a handset before other models followed suit?) or the clarity of the speech (it runs a form of high res audio way beyond standard spectrum which helps with things such as understanding nuances or accents And isolating speech from background noise).

 

[Rigby]

This thing lasts for days. No problem for a long-haul flight

Hm, according to the Sony site it can stream for up to 10 hours. That wouldn't be enough for me (e.g. travel time from the west coast to Europe is usually 18+ hours unless you are lucky and find a non-stop flight).

 

[LiveM]

As I say, you don't need it on the flight anyway, and it will recharge from your chair or a power bank.

 

[Mac 128]

No one will miss it? So now I need a weird adapter so that I can use my 300 dollars Bose headphone with iphone 7?

Apple wants to make things thin thin thin... WTF!! Iphone 6 is already thin enough, I need a case to make it bigger cause a phone that thin is even difficult to operate..

Ohhh... battery life!!

So it sounds like you would benefit from an extended battery case. With that in mind, instead of an adapter, how about something you can really use.

What if Apple offers a 3.5mm port integrated into this? That would pretty much solve all of your stated problems:

A case to make your already too thin iPhone easier to operate, a larger battery, and no need to buy a separate adapter. Problem solved.

 

[Burger Thing]

So it sounds like you would benefit from an extended battery case. With that in mind, instead of an adapter, how about something you can really use.

What if Apple offers a 3.5mm port integrated into this? That would pretty much solve all of your stated problems:

A case to make your already too thin iPhone easier to operate, a larger battery, and no need to buy a separate adapter. Problem solved.

Yet another (and in this particular 'case' terrifyingly ugly) "solution" to a problem which didn't exit before.

 

[Elvergun]

Yet another (and in this particular 'case' terrifyingly ugly) "solution" to a problem which didn't exit before.

Ha...and yet another thread where Mac 128 posts the same misinformation and ridiculous solutions. I'm beginning to suspect that some of these posters who suddenly hate the 3.5 jack work at Apple...directly under Tim Cook.

 

[JRobinsonJr]

The bottom line is that even those who are against this for whatever practical or philosophical reasons they might invent have to agree that the time of the 3.5mm analogue jack must come to an end sooner rather than later. And whenever that time comes no matter how far into the future there will be tears. The time is right. I mean cast your mind back to the decision of Apple to replace PPC with Intel, quite a few people thought this was the end of the Apple that we know and love, Apple would be just another PC now. How did that pan out? Right, Apple desktop sales increasing while PC desktops are tanking.

While I generally agree, from my perspective the two topics are fundamentally different. Intel versus PPC was a decision that affected the internal workings of a product. The presence/absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack is something that the user can directly interact with.

Although this is still 'just a rumor', if it is truly being considered Apple needs to ask one key question: Does this change positively impact the overall user experience? If yes... then yank it! If not... then leave it.

This question should be key for all things hardware/software... and not just with Apple. Look at the Apple TV. Did removing support for keyboards positively impact the user experience? Nope. Now they are working to put it back.

 

[Michael Goff]

Yet another (and in this particular 'case' terrifyingly ugly) "solution" to a problem which didn't exit before.

What problem didn't exist before? Poor battery life? The most recent iPhones have some of the best numbers in terms of battery life to date.

:|

As for having a too thin phone, I don't see how that's a problem. As long as it doesn't impact use, the thinner the better.

 

[Elvergun]

Although this is still 'just a rumor', if it is truly being considered Apple needs to ask one key question: Does this change positively impact the overall user experience? If yes... then yank it! If not... then leave it.

Unfortunately, Cook is asking this question: Will it make us more money and save my job now that iPhone sales are stalling? If yes..then screw our customers. If not... then leave it!


Everyone has to look after number one, after all. Gotta ride that gravy train...and gotta ride Steve's coattails until every last penny that can possibly be made is in the bank. Oh, and he has to turn a profit from that incredibly expensive headphone company acquisition, otherwise he will look like a total chump.

 

[inscrewtable]

...Will it make us more money and save my job now that iPhone sales are stalling?...

Hey, it's your very own 'reality distortion field'.

 

[SnowLeopard OSX]

So basically all the Apple apologists are suggesting everyone buy multiple adapters, clunky battery cases, and fork up the cash for dealing with what comes with a phone that requires constant wireless bluetooth headphones (not to mention the increased likelihood of security risks involved with that, too) all for what?

I ask again, all of this is really worth the trade off for a barely noticeably thinner phone? Function over form. Thinning it out or "pushing technology" (more like pushing consumers towards spending more money, depending and relying on more Apple accessories) is the most laughable excuse anyone could every try to suggest.

 

[Skoal]

If anyone wants a 3.5mm jack, I am sure Apple will be happy to sell us an adapter (an iJack) for $49.99.

Doubtful it'll cost that much but regardless Apple won't be the only one making these adapters I'm sure.

 

[Skoal]

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

Your move, Tim.

Lol, just got off the phone with Tim. He said to tell you bye bye.

I'm amazed at the whining about this (actually I'm not amazed at all). I get it might cost a bit more for an adapter (if not included) but nix'ing the headphone jack is a smart move overall. More room for the engineers to play with and less 'orifices' for crap to get into. In a tech evolution sense this makes total sense.

People pay insanely prices for Apple products and then bitch about a headphone jack. Same thing with FireWire, 30 pin cables, lightning cables, usb-c cables, ssd's, etc etc. this is nothing new.

 

[Skoal]

Just buy a hump case to charge the phone while listening to music...wait it doesn't fit...

Ya because Apple won't update cases ever!

 

[Skoal]

Amazing how many people don't like decent sound. Then again, in this day an age, I suppose it isn't surprising.

Amazing how many "audiophiles" think they're onto something the rest of us aren't. Listening to anything coming over a phone isn't going to be great no matter what gimmicky gadget you plug into it.

 

[Beerstalker]

You guys really think something like one of these would be that big of a deal to stick on your aux cable in your car, or on the end of your headphones, and just leave them there?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=00TNHMGKP123GAS9RXQ7

http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Universal-Interface-Earphone-Adapter/dp/B00EM9PXES

Yeah, the one from Apple will probably cost $20 or $30, but I bet there will be aftermarket ones eventually in the $10-$20 range.