Apple announces Lightning-enabled headphone standard in WWDC session
During a WWDC session earlier this week, Apple revealed a new Lightning module for headphones that promises to provide deeper system controls, direct analog audio out and power to compatible accessories.

Slide from Apple's WWDC session on accessories.
Unlike the ubiquitous 3.5mm jack used in modern portable audio devices, the new Lightning headphone module offers a number of advantages to third-party accessory makers, Apple said during the "Designing Accessories for iOS and OS X" session on Tuesday.
According to Apple's manager of platform accessories Robert Walsh, the new Lightning headphone module connects directly into an iOS device's Lightning port, breaking out analog audio. In addition, the module offers more bandwidth and a digital interface for richer control of system services like iTunes Radio.
"If your headphones support, for example, noise cancellation, you can offer an app on your device that communicates with your headphones that controls how it operates," Walsh said.
Alongside the increased bandwidth on tap from Lightning, the connection standard can deliver power to advanced headphone accessories. By offloading energy supply duties to an iPhone or iPad, a headphone maker can do away with some of the bulk that comes from designing space for a battery pack.
Finally, Apple said it is working on specialized small form factor connector modules for manufacturers looking to build form-fitting cases and cables.
It is unclear when hardware makers will roll out a Lightning-enabled headphone, but with the specification now available the first models may see release in time for iOS 8. Apple may also be working on its own solution in a Lightning-enabled EarPods design, though evidence that such hardware is in development has yet to surface.

Slide from Apple's WWDC session on accessories.
Unlike the ubiquitous 3.5mm jack used in modern portable audio devices, the new Lightning headphone module offers a number of advantages to third-party accessory makers, Apple said during the "Designing Accessories for iOS and OS X" session on Tuesday.
According to Apple's manager of platform accessories Robert Walsh, the new Lightning headphone module connects directly into an iOS device's Lightning port, breaking out analog audio. In addition, the module offers more bandwidth and a digital interface for richer control of system services like iTunes Radio.
"If your headphones support, for example, noise cancellation, you can offer an app on your device that communicates with your headphones that controls how it operates," Walsh said.
Alongside the increased bandwidth on tap from Lightning, the connection standard can deliver power to advanced headphone accessories. By offloading energy supply duties to an iPhone or iPad, a headphone maker can do away with some of the bulk that comes from designing space for a battery pack.
Finally, Apple said it is working on specialized small form factor connector modules for manufacturers looking to build form-fitting cases and cables.
It is unclear when hardware makers will roll out a Lightning-enabled headphone, but with the specification now available the first models may see release in time for iOS 8. Apple may also be working on its own solution in a Lightning-enabled EarPods design, though evidence that such hardware is in development has yet to surface.
Comments
I’m betting that this means the product doesn’t exist and that the next iPhone only has a Lightning port.
I think the most likely outcome is Apple will wait to see how this works out before making that jump. There are definitely benefits to this option, especially when you consider the higher data rates that may be needed for getting biometrics from in-ear phones to send back to the iPhone's Health app.
Is there no reason one can't have a cable splitter or dock with a Lighnting port for headphones in the front?
It was obvious when they introduced Lightning ports that the stereo jack was on its way (slowly) out.
Two solutions come to mind for charging and listening. Either a "splitter" type short cable that allows charger cable and earphone cable to both be plugged in.
Or simply have two lightning ports. Which is actually an interesting idea as it allows for multiple things to be used at once not just charging and ear buds.
Assuming that Apple won't think of a solution before shipping is just being lazy.
I don't think this has anything to do with a wristwork device, but either way a Lighnting cable or 3.5mm cable for headphones on your wrist (like with other smartwatches) all look silly.
I agree that BT, or rather wireless, is the future, but is the battery life for the needed data hear yet? BLE would be great but it can't support the needed bitrate.
I imagine it would be something like this.
On that note, I really want to find an Apple Bluetooth Headset to have. New in box. Not getting earwigs from someone.
Didn't Beats pioneer the headphone cable that doesn't tangle?
Could be something like iPhone 7.
easily a splitter could be added for such a case
Apparently the market in headphones is not yet ready for Bluetooth so something like this to serve the next 8 years till Bluetooth is more reasonable and the lighting port itself is replaced.
Don't worry. Apple will sell you a dongle for $29.95.
Yes, Sony's bluetooth headphones manage 40 hours of wireless audio ( http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DRB-TN200-BLK-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/B00BN0N0A8 ) but they don't have to stream the audio continually if it's local music playback. They can have hardware inside the headphones that buffers the audio so instead of the headphones using wireless for the whole 3-5 minutes of a song, it can buffer that amount within seconds and then shut off the wireless. They can in fact do that with all audio and simply buffer blocks of a few MB. There can be a whole iPod inside the headphones.
The other reason for wireless is that the headphones will be used for more than iOS devices. Macs don't have Lightning ports. I suppose they could use a USB to Lightning adaptor but they'd have to add more USB ports.
The downside with wireless would be having the wireless headphones disconnecting and the iOS device reverting to the internal speaker. They'd have to have a manual control to switch to internal. Ideally they'd mute and pause audio on disconnection of the headphones so the user has to manually turn it on if they wanted and it would be nice if they'd do this when normal headphones disconnect too.
I was expecting something much smaller with in-ear phone. That size with only 40 hours doesn't seem like a lot to me.
Amen.
Apple has the tightest hole in the biz. I like the story of Steve Jobs telling his engineers to tighten it up at the late hour nearing the iPhone introduction. It seems I've had more than a few gadgets where the jack started malfunctioning and the sound went in and out and generally drove me nuts.
I'll take the lightning connection with a splitter or whatever they come up with so I can charge and listen. Time to retire old holes.
I hope this doesn't mean the traditional 3.5mm jack will disappear from Apple devices. What percentage of headphones actually in use, or that will be, are powered or will require all this other stuff? Less than 5% I would say and I think all this health monitoring shit is just that.
If Apple had introduced a new headphone coupling along the lines of the mag-safe power connector then that would have been a brilliant move and I would even have put up with the inelegance of an adapter in order to reap the benefits, but not this.