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[nib95]

It's fine to want to drop the 3.5mm adaptor. It's old and doesn't have the flexibility needed by modern device which are small and durable to the point where the port itself is prohibitive to size, waterproofing etc.

None of this is necessarily true. Firstly, the thinnest handset with a 3.5mm jack included is 5.1mm thick. Whilst subjective, why on Earth would you even need slimmer than that, especially at the expense of battery capacity? Secondly, the 3.5mm jack does not have to affect durability or waterproofing, as evidenced by several devices that include the jack, and are still dust or shock proof, and even waterproof, such as the Galaxy S5, Sony Z4 etc

 

[danthefan]

I currently have no interest in a phone with no headphone jack so guess I'll be getting something else.

 

[Technosteve]

Or listening to anything for longer than X hours (in which X stands for the battery life of wireless headphones)

Plug it in to the lighting port to recharge

 

[EthanC]

It's fine to want to drop the 3.5mm adaptor. It's old and doesn't have the flexibility needed by modern device which are small and durable to the point where the port itself is prohibitive to size, waterproofing etc. The problem is Apple is absolutely going to be self-serving, they don't want a better standard, they want an Apple controlled standard which is what lightning has always been, it offers no tangible benefit over USB but it costs more and is only usable with Apple products.

So the assumption here is they will use that for high-quality audio and integrate the DAC into the headphones which might have benefits to audio quality given the shorter travel distance for the analog signal (and maybe less noise? I'm not an electrical engineer but it seems possible). The problem is you now have headphones tied to a smartphone vendor (and they won't be cheap) which is unbelievably asinine but this is fantastic for Apple to keep you hardware locked in, and to reap those certification fees, no to mention pushing Beats as the early frontrunner.

There is bluetooth but bluetooth serves a different sort of purpose. It's convenient but not high quality and Apple can't change that without further proprietary bullshit (audio over wifi or something). This is also costly to produce since you need both a radio and a battery. So they aren't going to be packing these in, you're going to get lightning earpods.

Of course they aren't going to strand the market that pays for other headphones, 99% of which are 3.5mm but it's almost certainly going to be a costly DAC that plugs into the lightning port. Maybe they'll market it as "high quality" but like a tumor battery pack it's fixing a problem they created and costing consumers more money.

In the end USB audio could solve all of this, or at least getting some alternate vendor consensus but it won't because Apple won't and that's why this is probably bad.

"It's old" is a stupid excuse to remove something that is widely used. Know what else is old? Phones.

 

[Number45]

I read this as "people buying dollar headphones" and still thought it made sense. Because on the flip side, cheapo headsets from the dollar store are obviously not going to work on an iPhone lol

I'm still using a pair I got at Five Below for like 3 dollars a few years ago. A nice pair to keep at work so I always have headphones around for either my computer or phone.

It sure is convenient to have one connector that works on all devices that output audio released since a century ago. What a novel concept that is, having a standard for a cable so it can be used on multiple devices, even ones that are older than you are.

Another excellent point against this that didn't occur to me. Having a single pair of headphones that I can use on my iPhone, Mac, PS4 and virtually every other device that outputs audio is fantastic.

The answer to that problem is going to be a dongle/adapter of some description, and there's no way I'll be doing that.

 

[ElNino]

Most people are perfectly content with buying $10-$30 AUX earbuds.

Right, but how good to you think $10-$30 Bluetooth headphones are? Even my Jaybirds which are supposed to be one of the better Bluetooth earphones are only okay when compared to my (much cheaper) Klipsch in-ears. Bluetooth headphones are also difficult to get a good fit since they also need to support the weight of the battery, controls and wire between the ear pieces.

 

[makingmusic476]

It's fine to want to drop the 3.5mm adaptor. It's old and doesn't have the flexibility needed by modern device which are small and durable to the point where the port itself is prohibitive to size, waterproofing etc. The problem is Apple is absolutely going to be self-serving, they don't want a better standard, they want an Apple controlled standard which is what lightning has always been, it offers no tangible benefit over USB but it costs more and is only usable with Apple products.

So the assumption here is they will use that for high-quality audio and integrate the DAC into the headphones which might have benefits to audio quality given the shorter travel distance for the analog signal (and maybe less noise? I'm not an electrical engineer but it seems possible). The problem is you now have headphones tied to a smartphone vendor (and they won't be cheap) which is unbelievably asinine but this is fantastic for Apple to keep you hardware locked in, and to reap those certification fees, no to mention pushing Beats as the early frontrunner.

There is bluetooth but bluetooth serves a different sort of purpose. It's convenient but not high quality and Apple can't change that without further proprietary bullshit (audio over wifi or something). This is also costly to produce since you need both a radio and a battery. So they aren't going to be packing these in, you're going to get lightning earpods.

Of course they aren't going to strand the market that pays for other headphones, 99% of which are 3.5mm but it's almost certainly going to be a costly DAC that plugs into the lightning port. Maybe they'll market it as "high quality" but like a tumor battery pack it's fixing a problem they created and costing consumers more money.

In the end USB audio could solve all of this, or at least getting some alternate vendor consensus but it won't because Apple won't and that's why this is probably bad.

Basically my thoughts on the matter.

We'll be ditching the unified standard.

 

[Funky Papa]

Regardless of the convenience conundrum, if Apple's legendary hardware design team can't engineer a waterproof phone with a thin profile while retaining the 3.5 mm port, they are doing something really, really wrong and they need to be called out for it.

There's absolutely no reason Apple can't outdo Sony in the cellphone space.

 

[Yeoman]

I honestly think this will have quite a negative impact on sales if they go through with this.

 

[Wreav]

The most revealing part of this thread is how many people think $200-$400 headphones are "high end".

I'd be real fucking curious to see what the reaction to the current stereo plug was when every record player ever had the ginormous Phono plugs. Most gaffers are probably too young to even remember those.

 

[diablos991]

Wireless earbuds are trash tier. I have to charge too many things, definitely don't want to charge my damned earbuds.
Apple will be releasing wired lightning (proprietary) earbuds guaranteed.

 

[StoopKid]

So I can't play music and charge my phone at the same time in the car.

Thanks apple.

 

[ShowDog]

You'd be hard pressed to buy a Lightning charging cable that actually works and is certified by Apple for less than $8. Comparable micro-USB cables cost about $1.

If Lightning is to be the new audio connectivity standard, prepare to pay that massive Apple certification tax on every.single.piece.of.audio.equipment that you own.

That is in addition to the new cost of the DAC that needs to be integrated into each set of headphones.

The best part is that equipment will not work on anything that Apple doesn't manufacture, unless somehow someway this actually catches on and manufacturers pay to license this standard as an output in their content devices. In which case those costs will again be passed onto the consumer.

There is really no defending the move specifically to Lightning, regardless if you believe that the 3.5mm AUX needs to be replaced.

 

[clav]

$4,000 just for the cans, then you need the amps and DACs to run them.

You could buy a nice digital piano for that much money or pay a couple months of rent.

 

[Wreav]

You could buy a nice digital piano for that much money.

ok?

you could also buy 100 8oz Red Bulls.

 

[ginger ninja]

Removing the 3.5mm jack all together is so fucking stupid, I can not even begin to comprehend it. Its probably the closest truly universal jack we have but apple doesn't give a shit. And people actually defending this shit..

 

[see5harp]

The most revealing part of this thread is how many people think $200-$400 headphones are "high end".

I'd be real fucking curious to see what the reaction to the current stereo plug was when every record player ever had the ginormous Phono plugs. Most gaffers are probably too young to even remember those.

Defending this idiotic change for this long is probably bad for your health. You should take a break.

 

[entremet]

Regardless of the convenience conundrum, if Apple's legendary hardware design team can't engineer a waterproof phone with a thin profile while retaining the 3.5 mm port, they are doing something really, really wrong and they need to be called out for it.

There's absolutely no reason Apple can't outdo Sony in the cellphone space.

Of course they can.

They just want to do their own thing. It's part of their DNA at this point, which is why I'm not really surprised.

Apple has always been if it ain't broke, break it.

I'm just curious about the solution. Whatever it may be.

 

[kiguel182]

I'm all for a faster move to wireless headphones but if the idea is to replace the jack for another type of jack then I don't see the point. Maybe the sound quality is that much better but I doubt most cheap headphones will even support it.

But more expensive headphones that break just as easily is not something to look forward to.

 

[PumpkinPie]

Thank goodness. I'm glad Apple will kill the decades old, ancient tech of aux input. Good riddance. They'll drag the luddites kicking and screaming into the future

But the kind of people who buy iPhones still listen to vinyl.

 

[30yearsofhurt]

What sort of moron would do this? Samsung must be rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.

 

[RobotChant]

Certainly Apple will have a new wireless standard availble because bt=bs most of the time. Beats AirPhones will connect to your iPhone with AirTooth- the new apple wireless standard.

 

[cdyhybrid]

Back to Android it is, then.

 

[D23]

No thanks apple,

ill stick to my edge plus, da goat.

 

[jts]

You'd be hard pressed to buy a Lightning charging cable that actually works and is certified by Apple for less than $8. Comparable micro-USB cables cost about $1.

If Lightning is to be the new audio connectivity standard, prepare to pay that massive Apple certification tax on every.single.piece.of.audio.equipment that you own.

That is in addition to the new cost of the DAC that needs to be integrated into each set of headphones.

The best part is that equipment will not work on anything that Apple doesn't manufacture, unless somehow someway this actually catches on and manufacturers pay to license this standard as an output in their content devices. In which case those costs will again be passed onto the consumer.

There is really no defending the move specifically to Lightning, regardless if you believe that the 3.5mm AUX needs to be replaced.

Not necessarily, you may pay it just once for the dongle.

And that’s just for wired equipment, again bluetooth 4.0 and up is very decent for audio.

Myself I got a Belkin Lightning cable on sale. Leaps and bounds better than an Apple one, longer, for a third of the price.

 

[infiniteloop]

What sort of moron would do this? Samsung must be rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.

Probably not.

 

[WalkMan]

I've had these beoplay h8 for a year now. Charge them once a week. Have had my iPhone 6 for almost 2 years now, have never once put anything into the 3.5mm headphone jacks. iPhone connects to my car by bluetooth, if I care about it then I'll connect by lightning for carplay.

The future is to be completely wireless, power included. But you people want to hold innovation back by wanting to keep living in the 90s.

 

[raindoc]

 

[kiguel182]

"It's old" is a stupid excuse to remove something that is widely used. Know what else is old? Phones.

it's old can be used as an excuse. Standards have to evolve. We shouldn't just use the same stuff because "well, it's already here".

The thing is how you replace the old stuff and Apple seems to be doing it in a less than ideal way.

I'm all for a new standard instead of an "Apple only" solution.

 

[aeolist]

The most revealing part of this thread is how many people think $200-$400 headphones are "high end".

I'd be real fucking curious to see what the reaction to the current stereo plug was when every record player ever had the ginormous Phono plugs. Most gaffers are probably too young to even remember those.

that's a really different situation. the industry moved from one standard to another that provided exactly the same functionality with vastly reduced size, this is one vendor moving from a standard to a proprietary interface with basically no tangible benefit to end users. in addition there essentially was no such thing as portable audio at that time so having to use an adapter (which in the case of 1/4" to 3.5mm is small and with no added points of failure) isn't nearly as big of a deal.

 

[dkeane]

No problem with them removing the headphone jack but they better have a solution for someone who wants to charge and listen to music wired somehow.
Strange that this rumor is coming gout now though.

 

[EviLore]

What sort of moron would do this? Samsung must be rolling on the floor in fits of laughter.

Samsung will likely follow suit within 1-2 iterations on flagship devices. I'd expect entry level smartphones across the board to retain it indefinitely though.

 

[Two Words]

Watch them brag about the better battery having ridiculous music playback time when the wireless headphones only last 5-8 hours.

 

[aeolist]

I've had these beoplay h8 for a year now. Charge them once a week. Have had my iPhone 6 for almost 2 years now, have never once put anything into the 3.5mm headphone jacks. iPhone connects to my car by bluetooth, if I care about it then I'll connect by lightning for carplay.

The future is to be completely wireless, power included. But you people want to hold innovation back by wanting to keep living in the 90s.

how is it holding innovation back to include a 3.5mm jack? you can still be fully wireless anyway (except for wireless charging which apple still doesn't support).

 

[show me your skeleton]

The future is to be completely wireless, power included. But you people want to hold innovation back by wanting to keep living in the 90s.

the 1890s?

 

[Jazzy Network]

No problem with them removing the headphone jack but they better have a solution for someone who wants to charge and listen to music wired somehow.
Strange that this rumor is coming gout now though.

Buy the 60 dollar splitter. Duh.

 

[Kabuki Quantum Lover]

I've had these beoplay h8 for a year now. Charge them once a week. Have had my iPhone 6 for almost 2 years now, have never once put anything into the 3.5mm headphone jacks. iPhone connects to my car by bluetooth, if I care about it then I'll connect by lightning for carplay.

The future is to be completely wireless, power included. But you people want to hold innovation back by wanting to keep living in the 90s.

I would love for it to be the future -- really, I do. In order to be an improvement, it should at least match the audio quality of the existing wired solution. Yet it doesn't.

 

[minor effort]

I've had these beoplay h8 for a year now. Charge them once a week. Have had my iPhone 6 for almost 2 years now, have never once put anything into the 3.5mm headphone jacks. iPhone connects to my car by bluetooth, if I care about it then I'll connect by lightning for carplay.

The future is to be completely wireless, power included. But you people want to hold innovation back by wanting to keep living in the 90s.

It reaches a certain point where people don't want to upend their entire media ecosystem just to support the whims of one company.

My car doesn't have bluetooth, it has an AUX port, and frankly I don't feel like spending hundreds to upgrade that just to suit the iPhone 7. Not everybody's home stereo is equipped with a wireless setup, and not everyone will rush out to upgrade. Not everyone wants to drop headphones they've spent hundreds on just to buy wireless ones.

There's a reason these "it's the future you luddites" arguments alienate people.

EDIT: I feel like this argument is a rehash of the retina Macbook one from 2015. People claiming that anyone who doesn't want to abandon USB in favor of purely wireless solutions should be thankful Apple offers an expensive dongle for your one USB-c port for us poor, unfortunate people still living in the 00s.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I've had these beoplay h8 for a year now. Charge them once a week. Have had my iPhone 6 for almost 2 years now, have never once put anything into the 3.5mm headphone jacks. iPhone connects to my car by bluetooth, if I care about it then I'll connect by lightning for carplay.

The future is to be completely wireless, power included. But you people want to hold innovation back by wanting to keep living in the 90s.

I think the reason that your argument seems silly is that, going by your own description of your current habits, having the headphone jack in the phone is demonstrably not holding back an innovative, wireless future.

 

[friday]

I kinda doubt Bluetooth will ever work as well as plugging an aux cable in. No thanks.

 

[Two Words]

it's old can be used as an excuse. Standards have to evolve. We shouldn't just use the same stuff because "well, it's already here".

The thing is how you replace the old stuff and Apple seems to be doing it in a less than ideal way.

I'm all for a new standard instead of an "Apple only" solution.

Standards have to evolve when better standards exist or are possible. As of yet, nothing exists that is better than the 3.5 mm standard. It works very well and has little drawbacks. It should only be replaced if there is a true successor with real improvements.

And actually, not all standards must evolve. The English keyboard layout was designed to intentionally slow down typing to avoid typewriters from getting jammed. That problem doesn't exist today, but you'll never be able to get a new standard going. It is simply far too ingrained and change would be too costly.

 

[entremet]

it's old can be used as an excuse. Standards have to evolve. We shouldn't just use the same stuff because "well, it's already here".

The thing is how you replace the old stuff and Apple seems to be doing it in a less than ideal way.

I'm all for a new standard instead of an "Apple only" solution.

They do have a music store, streaming service and headphone line. I'd wager they've been planning this for a bit.

 

[captive]

http://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/05/iphone-7-no-headphone-jack-supply-chain/

Thank goodness. I'm glad Apple will kill the decades old, ancient tech of aux input. Good riddance. They'll drag the luddites kicking and screaming into the future, just like they have always done. Look at the past threads on GAF alone about optical drives and Flash. Hilarious.

I also hope someone comes up with a good Bluetooth because today's and tomorrow's Bluetooth is awful. Their motto should be, "Next year!"

Edit: People are confusing the lightning thing. Apple doesn't want you to use a proprietary hook up. They want you to use wireless. They're just giving you lightning as the connected option. Join us in the 21st century jfc

this is definitely in the early running for dumbest OP of the year.

 

[Two Words]

I've had these beoplay h8 for a year now. Charge them once a week. Have had my iPhone 6 for almost 2 years now, have never once put anything into the 3.5mm headphone jacks. iPhone connects to my car by bluetooth, if I care about it then I'll connect by lightning for carplay.

The future is to be completely wireless, power included. But you people want to hold innovation back by wanting to keep living in the 90s.

Seems like the AUX 3.5 mm jack hasn't held you back at all. I plug in my phone via AUX to my car and constantly use wired headphones. Seems like we can both get exactly what we want as things are. Why do you want to selfishly only have it your way?

 

[Farsi]

I applaud Apple for sticking their fingers down the hypebeasts throats with this move, almost forcing people to switch to wireless. Wireless headphones are great, but I really don't see this going well with the general public unless the adapter is included.

 

[The Real Abed]

Apple makes the shittiest cables in the world. I haven't had on iPhone cable not do this, including my 6. Garbage materials.

Wasn't always this way. There was once a time when Apple cables actually had stress reducers at the ends like, well, literally every single other cable made by every single other company in the world. Then one day someone at Apple (Presumably Steve) said "Those things are fucking ugly. Get rid of them. Our cables need to be beautiful." and they switched to the sleeves and shitty expanding rubber they use now. I swear, the rubber coating on my MacBook Pro's power cable has literally expanded by 3" since I bought it in November 2014. Because that's how much I've cut off. And it's still shredding and expanding.

And my iPhone/iPad cables have all done the same thing. I confiscated my moms old 4 cable when she got her new 6.

And my headphones are falling apart. Granted they're from my iPhone 4S that I got in 2012, but I only still use my 4S headphones because my 2014 5C Ear Pods literally died within 5 months.

Most of these problems would be solved if they went back to using stress reducers. They exist for a reason!

Also bring back the L shaped power adapters for the MacBooks. The T ones suck. My cable needs to come from the right and this just adds stress to it. When it came straight out the back it was fine. (Though that cable is shredding too now)

 

[Lil'DigiOp]

You're a stupid person if you think this is a good idea.

Seriously.

 

[ElNino]

how is it holding innovation back to include a 3.5mm jack? you can still be fully wireless anyway (except for wireless charging which apple still doesn't support).

And the lack of wireless charging is an Apple thing. There are plenty of flagship phones that support wireless charging and Bluetooth... and yet, still have an aux port because it would be silly not to.

 

[distantmantra]

I've had these beoplay h8 for a year now. Charge them once a week. Have had my iPhone 6 for almost 2 years now, have never once put anything into the 3.5mm headphone jacks. iPhone connects to my car by bluetooth, if I care about it then I'll connect by lightning for carplay.

The future is to be completely wireless, power included. But you people want to hold innovation back by wanting to keep living in the 90s.

I can't imagine running with something like that on my head.

I love my cheap $10 Sony earbud things that don't hurt my ears like the Apple ones.

 

[Mushroomer25]

I really think this might be a bridge too far for them. It's hysterically anti-consumer, even by Apple's own standards. People will just avoid this model, and stick with the latest version that has an aux port.

Or at least I hope so. There's absolutely no reason to do this beyond greed. Zero.