Lightning headphones could allow Apple to make slimmer iPhones by ditching 3.5mm headphone jack

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Comments

  • Reply 61 of 206

    Possibly, but Beats suck when it comes to sound accuracy.  They are fashion items.

  • Reply 62 of 206
    conrailconrail Posts: 489member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by daveinpublic View Post



    Just make a lightning to headphone jack adapter and u can use all ur current headphones. It won't be THAT bad.

    Another $19 down the drain.  For a company that works so hard on aesthetics, they sure do like to have a lot of dongles hanging off of stuff.

  • Reply 63 of 206

    Remember how Apple caught a lot of flack when they moved the headphone jack to the bottom of the iPhone 5? Could they have been planning for this possibility way back then?

  • Reply 64 of 206
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Given that it is several years between design and release of Apple products, the analog jack decision was likely made long ago. So there is no debate going on at Apple about it.
  • Reply 65 of 206
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Remember the original iPhone was incompatible with most headphones because of the recessed jack design. They quickly fixed that on the 3G. I think they will piss off a lot of their clientele if they bail on the standard jack.

  • Reply 66 of 206
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    1) There is nothing preventing a simple adapter being used for 3.5mm headphones to work.



    2) In what way is the Lightning connector expensive? In what way has it not gained traction in the marketplace? It sounds like you're confusing Thunderbolt with Lightning.

     

    which would be.. very very frightening

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Anklosaur View Post

     

    Remember how Apple caught a lot of flack when they moved the headphone jack to the bottom of the iPhone 5? Could they have been planning for this possibility way back then?


     

    Eliminating the headphone jack makes a lot of sense, and we're talking abuot two years from now, after which all the issues will be easy to solve, including making an adaptor. I wonder if this is the reason they have the lightening connector, rather than a mag-safe like connector.

     

    I think we could also see the change as early as this fall. What if the 5.5" will go headphone jack free, setting it up as a premium, more advanced option that pushes the technology envelope, like Apple did with the MBA? They can thus make not having a headphone jack cool and desireable; that's the Apple way! Also, it makes less sense to put a headphone jack on a phablet, which is most likely going to be carried around in a purse half the time. Also, anyone that can afford the 5.5" premium phone is probably going to want some bluetoooth headphones anyway. Lastly, it would make sense of the rumored battery issues on the 5.5" iPhone, which should not have any bettery issues given its size, unless it's going to be very very thin.

  • Reply 67 of 206
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Anklosaur View Post

     

    Remember how Apple caught a lot of flack when they moved the headphone jack to the bottom of the iPhone 5? Could they have been planning for this possibility way back then?


    It don't know what all the hubbub was about. Doesn't look like it quashed sales or customer satisfaction.

     

    I think they only "caught flack" from a handful of addled tech forum commenters. Joe Consumer clearly did not find it a problem.

     

    Note that the headphone jack has always been on the bottom of the iPod touch.

  • Reply 68 of 206
    I really don't want an iPhone that I can shave with. I don't want to store my phone in with my credit cards. If they continue to make the iPhone any thinner, loss is inevitable. I'd rather have a 5-7mm phone with longer battery life than a 3-4mm which can be easily lost or broken. Making new headphones will eventually make old headphones obsolete, and along with micro USB cables, older headphones can join the rapidly increasing non-biodegradable electronic waste.
  • Reply 69 of 206
    scartartscartart Posts: 201member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Bwana_Dik View Post



    Miserable idea. The last thing I want is a poor quality (from an audio standpoint) adapter in the sound chain so I can use my good B&W headphones with my iPhone. Bluetooth is fine from a convenience standpoint but not so much from an audio quality standpoint. And unless they added a second lightening port, we wouldn't be able to charge and listen simultaneously.



    Put this idea in the dumpster.

    If you are an audiophile the last thing you want is to listen through the crappy D/A converter and amp inside the iPhone. Much better to have the digital stream come out of the lightening connector and go to an external headphone DAC and amplifier.

  • Reply 70 of 206
    filburtfilburt Posts: 398member

    One of the mistakes Apple made when it launched iPhone 5 is not including a Lightning to 30-pin Adapter in the packaging.

     

    If Apple chooses to go with this route, and I think size saving could be worth it, it would be wise to include a hybrid Lightning cable that can connect to PC/Mac/power for charging and syncing, as well as a headphones jack for connecting with existing headsets.

  • Reply 71 of 206
    ktappektappe Posts: 823member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    Wait, what?

     

    Agreed. I do not recall ever having a Lightning connector come out accidentally.

  • Reply 72 of 206

    If this were true, and Apple got rid of the 3.5mm connector, it would be one of the most customer-unfriendly things they could do. It would be perceived as an act of corporate arrogance (remember NuBus?). The reality is that many people have invested huge amounts into high-end headphones. Adaptors tend to fall out (note see the Thunderbolt issues with FireWire), and workarounds are never elegant. 

     

    My guess is that they may ADD Lightning as a headphone interface, but without huge industry acceptance it will be a niche option. There would have to be some kind of huge consumer benefit for it to be worthy of the added investment. 

  • Reply 73 of 206

    If you're an audiophile you're not listening to compressed audio files.

  • Reply 74 of 206
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

    The headphone jack is the thickest component of the iPhone 5s.

     

    Always wondered how Apple could "shrink" the audio jack.  Best way is to remove it entirely.

     

    Second biggest things on the edge are the volume buttons.  

    Easy fix: make the volume buttons narrow "lozenges" like on the iPads.

  • Reply 75 of 206
    Why couldn't you have two lightning ports? I'm sure it's set up so it detects what's being plugged into it. One plug to rule them all...
  • Reply 76 of 206
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

    Originally Posted by Theodore Davis View Post

     

    If this were true, and Apple got rid of the 3.5mm connector, it would be one of the most customer-unfriendly things they could do. It would be perceived as an act of corporate arrogance (remember NuBus?). The reality is that many people have invested huge amounts into high-end headphones. Adaptors tend to fall out (note see the Thunderbolt issues with FireWire), and workarounds are never elegant. 

     

    My guess is that they may ADD Lightning as a headphone interface, but without huge industry acceptance it will be a niche option. There would have to be some kind of huge consumer benefit for it to be worthy of the added investment. 


     

    And how many of the Golden Ear audiophiles of the world are listening to their reference recordings on iPhones?

    Or any other highly miniaturized electronics, for that matter?

  • Reply 77 of 206
    That's one less jack they have to manufacture, so the cost goes down for them as well as the slimmer form factor. I'm still a little on the fence, but I'm sure whatever they decide will have been thought through by enough people.
  • Reply 78 of 206
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by daveinpublic View Post



    That's one less jack they have to manufacture, so the cost goes down for them as well as the slimmer form factor. I'm still a little on the fence, but I'm sure whatever they decide will have been thought through by enough people.


     

     

    They don't manufacture that part. Its a commodity that probably costs about 5 cents.

  • Reply 79 of 206
    vaporlandvaporland Posts: 358member
    Lightning headphones could allow Apple to make [B]higher margins[/B] by [B]ditching competitors' headphones for Made For iCrap "officially licensed" gear[/B]

    fixed that for you....

    Beats will be the 1st to manufacture the lightning headphones, furthering customer lock-in to the Apple ecosystem.
  • Reply 80 of 206

    Who said anything about audiophiles (and actually yes, most of the ones I know use an iPhone or iPod for music on the go, storing their music as uncompressed AIFF files). I was referring to the $100+ headphones that flooded the market. That's an expensive replacement if you change plugs, or at best its an extra $25 for an adaptor (e.g. Firewire, DVI).

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