New photos of alleged Lightning EarPods for Apple's 'iPhone 7' match recent leak

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 65
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,103member
    The old 30 pin connectors never gave me any problems, on my old 4s or a 2nd Gen Touch.  The lightning connector worked great for less than a year.  Now I have to clean it once a week, and that's just for charging.
    Maybe it's just part of their new motto, "It just works.......for 6-12 months".
  • Reply 42 of 65
    jetpilot said:
    My 2015 $300 Bose noise cancelling headset didn't ship with my 1983 Walkman, but you expect me to just throw that away so I can have an iPhone that is 1mm thinner.  That makes sense only in the mind of an Apple fanboy.  There's a reason why that jack has been around for so long...because it works and it works well.

    This is where I insert the quote "if it isn't broke, don't fix it".
    Sorry to say this, but technology doesn't care how much your headphones cost or when you bought them. The 3.5 mm jack may work well, but it does have and end of life just like everything else. Those headphones could be a lot lighter if used with a lighting jack because then the iPhone or iPad could then power the noise cancelling effect instead of having to use bulky and heavy batteries. 

    One rumor I heard is that the Lightning EarPods could even have noise canceling due to the Lightning jack. Our iPhones already have noise cancelling technology, but due to the dated headphone jack, the EarPods aren't able use the microphone in a way that would be able to do the same thing. So yeah, the headphone jack actually is broke. I'd love to have noise cancelling with any headphones I use. 
    Umm.. sort of... but not really.   True you may hypothetically gain noise cancelling (every manufactures attempt at noise cancelling headphones I have ever tried has sucked), but I seriously doubt this will be included.  besides main reason I occasionally use my ear pods instead of my other better headphones is that I can still hear the world around me when I wear them.

    The issue is that there will be no measurable increase in audio fidelity, a severe cut in flexibility, a huge decrease in available choices, and a likely increase in cost, and to top it off a lock in to a proprietary connector ! 

    Johnny Ive doesn't care about flexibility, thickness is a red herring I bet this whole thing is because he wants symmetry on the bottom of the phone.
    baconstangaylkcnocbui
  • Reply 43 of 65
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    cnocbui said:
    So when is the end of life for normal AC power plugs?
    depends when we're presented with other options with considerable value add. 
    1st off, I enjoy how reasonable your opinions are on subject matters like this. You're honest, and you have a sense of skepticism towards the unknown, which is refreshing, considering the trend for most is to accept rumors on face value and quickly move on the offended mindset. I dig your coolness B)

    Reasonable speculation: so Apple might finally ditch the AUX connector. I'm sure Apple has been planning for this transition for longer than "experts" have expected, likely waiting till an emerging technology could be thoughtfully implemented into the EarPods as a result of going fully digital with Lightning. To show the world there is a technical reason for all digital and a thus the appropriate design decision to give up the analog AUX. This undefined feature would punctuate Apple's justification to do so. The narrative would be the world now gets feature X as a result. Instead of the world complaining that Apple f*#ked up. Apple has had plenty of time to make this transition a victory, not a failure.
    Now, what this emerging technology must be is beyond me. Ask Apple, or wait till Fall...

    edited July 2016 nolamacguy
  • Reply 44 of 65
    dacloodacloo Posts: 890member
    Great. There goes charging and listening to music / videos at the same time.

    so lame.
    aylk
  • Reply 45 of 65
    flaneur said:

    cnocbui said:
    So when is the end of life for normal AC power plugs?
    Ha-ha, don't be obtuse. The 3.5 mm jack is a waste of space, period. There are only four contacts to be made in that gaping hole, while the much smaller Lightning jack is capable of 17, or actually more because pin selection is intelligent, thus the authentication chip.

    Engineers are compelled by natural common sense to design to the efficiencies available in current production practices. The user benefits by not having to insert a long clunky plug with balky detents. Apple's Lightning plug insertion experience is infinitely more finessed. 
    Ha-Ha, Don't be a tool, the headphone jack is small, easy to use, and functional.  
    cnocbuibaconstangtoddzrxaylk
  • Reply 46 of 65
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    flaneur said:

    Ha-ha, don't be obtuse. The 3.5 mm jack is a waste of space, period. There are only four contacts to be made in that gaping hole, while the much smaller Lightning jack is capable of 17, or actually more because pin selection is intelligent, thus the authentication chip.

    Engineers are compelled by natural common sense to design to the efficiencies available in current production practices. The user benefits by not having to insert a long clunky plug with balky detents. Apple's Lightning plug insertion experience is infinitely more finessed. 
    Ha-Ha, Don't be a tool, the headphone jack is small, easy to use, and functional.  
    And five times larger than it needs to be, and an insult to an honest electronics hardware engineer. 
    nolamacguy
  • Reply 47 of 65
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    dacloo said:
    Great. There goes charging and listening to music / videos at the same time.

    so lame.
    How do you figure? I can think at least 6 ways right now this would be possible using only Lightning headphones and what Apple gives you in the box.

    Do you honestly think Apple wouldn't make a provision for this in developing new technology?
    doozydozennetmagenolamacguy
  • Reply 48 of 65
    toddzrxtoddzrx Posts: 254member

    toddzrx said:
    That's like me saying I'd be president if only I got elected.  Well, no $hit!

    iPhones have now been around long enough, and have a broad enough consumer base, that they've been "integrated" into the way people go about their day.  The novelty has worn off for most everyone, and at this point eliminating a jack that is common to every audio component on the planet will be seen by most consumers as an interruption to how they operate as opposed to a significant advance.
    how could you possibly know if you don't know what the benefits are? we simply don't know. 
    That's absurd.  You guys ARE arguing that there are benefits to not having a headphone jack, at least in your opinion, such as a thinner chassis, more internal room for other components or a larger battery, etc.
  • Reply 49 of 65
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,328member
    Removing the standard headphone jack is a solution to a problem that does not exist. If Apple is interested in deprecating the traditional jack in favor of the Lightning port they should simply produce a line of headsets and headphones that use the Lightning port to deliver something that cannot be delivered via the standard jack - whatever that might be. The survival of the standard jack would then be decided by customer demand.

    Moving to the Lightning port is also an interim solution with a very near term obsolescence path because you'd still be tethered to your iPhone and that's not something that isn't future focused at all. What's it matter what kind of shackle is on the end of the tether when what you really want is freedom from the tether?

    If removing the standard headphone jack is being done to reduce the thickness of the device then it is a clear sign that Apple has lost its way and is more concerned about impressing themselves and cosmetics than delivering value and function to their customers. If the jack needs to go to meet some very specific functional or performance need that outweighs the cost of pissing off hundreds of millions of users, well then they may have a case for ditching the jack. I'd sure like to see better performance, much longer battery life, far greater ruggedness, better security, better camera, more onboard storage, better connectivity and collaboration with other Apple products, and oh yeah, lower cost and longer service life. Nowhere on my list is a need to make the iPhone a smidgen thinner and lighter to the degree that the standard headphone jack imposes on the final product build. How many grams are we talking about anyway? I'd bet that most of the wonky lumberjack cases that people encapsulate their iPhones into are the weight of several headphone jacks and then some.

    At some point the infatuation with thinness and cosmetics can lead to the situation like celebrities who undergo one too many plastic surgeries and end up looking like they have a cat face with carp lips. Break all the mirrors...
    edited July 2016 pbrstreetgbaconstangaylkcnocbuisebastian37
  • Reply 50 of 65
    pbrstreetgpbrstreetg Posts: 184member
    The Apple ear buds are a good fit for my ears and are average in sound.  There will likely be adapters to use 'older' audio gear.
    Because that's what everyone wants...to spend $30 on a clunky adapter.
    Not really, but it's what people will need in order to use standard headphones and I'm sure Apple is going to sell such an adapter.
  • Reply 51 of 65
    rezwitsrezwits Posts: 878member
    Cases (Case Designers) are going love these...
  • Reply 52 of 65
    cnocbui said:
    If Apple make a car, it will have triangular wheels.  You will be able to buy a triangle to - old outdated round wheels adapter for those who just don't get how brilliant Apple's new paradigm is, for a mere $16,000 extra.

    Now you're just babbling. Even trolls are embarrassed by your output here.
    netmagedoozydozennolamacguy
  • Reply 53 of 65
    I really need charge and listen at the same time, and it won't be stable as a long jack going in a deep hole, especially when you r running,lightning connector will disconnect very easily. Trust me the thing in this photo will never stick to your iPhone,needs magnet may be
    baconstang
  • Reply 54 of 65
     It's not clear why the endpiece would have to be so big, though one possibility is the presence of an authenticator chip.

    Bluetooth audio is an alternative, but its quality is generally weaker and wireless headphones are often more expensive than wired options.
    The size is obviously due to the DAC. And this is a problem, because it means it will have the possibility of snapping off. That's bad enough in a 3.5, but obviously worse in the only port on the device.

    As to the second statement, sorry, that's utterly bogus. BT sound quality is far beyond the quality of the physical mechanism itself - in other words there is no actual advantage to a cable. You can get really nice sounding BT earphones for $20 on Amazon, ones that are seriously competitive with Apple's in-ear headphones, let alone the buds.

    The first time I used a BT headset, from Aukey for $18 if you're looking, I immediately asked myself why anyone would live with a cable. I no longer will, and no one else should either. They snag, get statically charged, pull the phones out of your ear, and demand you be beside your phone. That last one might sound like a joke, but now when i work out I leave my phone on the counter and do a complete workout without touching it once.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 55 of 65
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
     It's not clear why the endpiece would have to be so big, though one possibility is the presence of an authenticator chip.

    Bluetooth audio is an alternative, but its quality is generally weaker and wireless headphones are often more expensive than wired options.
    The size is obviously due to the DAC. And this is a problem, because it means it will have the possibility of snapping off. That's bad enough in a 3.5, but obviously worse in the only port on the device.

    As to the second statement, sorry, that's utterly bogus. BT sound quality is far beyond the quality of the physical mechanism itself - in other words there is no actual advantage to a cable. You can get really nice sounding BT earphones for $20 on Amazon, ones that are seriously competitive with Apple's in-ear headphones, let alone the buds.

    The first time I used a BT headset, from Aukey for $18 if you're looking, I immediately asked myself why anyone would live with a cable. I no longer will, and no one else should either. They snag, get statically charged, pull the phones out of your ear, and demand you be beside your phone. That last one might sound like a joke, but now when i work out I leave my phone on the counter and do a complete workout without touching it once.
    If you are happy with $20 headphones, I doubt you have the auditory discernment to be able to state BT sound quality is as good as a connected cable.  It could be if we were talking of BT using the lossless aptX codec, but as far as i am aware, iOS doesn't support or use it, which means iOS BT is lossy.
    baconstang
  • Reply 56 of 65
    New images posted on Wednesday are said to depict Lightning-equipped EarPods intended for Apple's "iPhone 7," which is commonly expected to ditch a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack when it ships this fall.




    Several photos posted to China's Weibo show the gear as resembling current EarPods for the iPhone 6s, but with the addition of a large endpiece housing a Lightning connector. It's not clear why the endpiece would have to be so big, though one possibility is the presence of an authenticator chip.

    Notably the photos match another recent EarPod leak, although it's still impossible to confirm the authenticity of the suggested headphone design.

    For Apple, removing a 3.5-millimeter jack should free up internal design space, while reducing component costs and encouraging more development of Lightning audio accessories. At the same time, public reaction to the idea of losing the jack has often been negative, particularly since many people may be forced to rely on EarPods or buy new adapters and accessories that will only work with Apple products.

    Bluetooth audio is an alternative, but its quality is generally weaker and wireless headphones are often more expensive than wired options.
    A PR nightmare waiting to happen. I don't know anybody who uses headphones solely with their iPhone. Even if you are exclusively using Apple products you may want to use your headphones with a macbook - oops does not fit. Apple: Well, we have these tiny adapters so you can use regular headphones with your iPhone or iPhone headphones with your Mac. Only 29 Bucks each... Whaaaaat? 29 Bucks for an easy to lose accessory. No, thanks. Fu... the new iPhone. I will stick with my old one.

    That will definitely be a disaster for Apple. Probably the worst decision ever made. I don't get with all their history of failed connector introductions (remember thunderbolt, firewire) how they try to pull a stunt like this with a vitally important product like a headphone of which millions of iPhone users have bought third party solutions which are now useless or only useable with a fiddly accessory? Any reasonable explanation for this? What drugs is Tim Cook and the management team on? Time to sell the stock.
    cnocbui
  • Reply 57 of 65
    Because that's what everyone wants...to spend $30 on a clunky adapter.
    Not really, but it's what people will need in order to use standard headphones and I'm sure Apple is going to sell such an adapter.
    They will sell a couple. And even more people will sell no thanks. I have been using the iPhone since the first generation but this is the first time I may look at other phone options when my contract is up. I lose accessories all the time while travelling. No way that I will risk not being able to use a headphone because some tiny adopter got lost. No way I will be carrying two headphones (one for the iPhone, one for the Macbook Pro). They have to be out of their minds. I don't pay good money to add complexity to my life.
  • Reply 58 of 65
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    New images posted on Wednesday are said to depict Lightning-equipped EarPods intended for Apple's "iPhone 7," which is commonly expected to ditch a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack when it ships this fall.




    Several photos posted to China's Weibo show the gear as resembling current EarPods for the iPhone 6s, but with the addition of a large endpiece housing a Lightning connector. It's not clear why the endpiece would have to be so big, though one possibility is the presence of an authenticator chip.

    Notably the photos match another recent EarPod leak, although it's still impossible to confirm the authenticity of the suggested headphone design.

    For Apple, removing a 3.5-millimeter jack should free up internal design space, while reducing component costs and encouraging more development of Lightning audio accessories. At the same time, public reaction to the idea of losing the jack has often been negative, particularly since many people may be forced to rely on EarPods or buy new adapters and accessories that will only work with Apple products.

    Bluetooth audio is an alternative, but its quality is generally weaker and wireless headphones are often more expensive than wired options.
    A PR nightmare waiting to happen. I don't know anybody who uses headphones solely with their iPhone. Even if you are exclusively using Apple products you may want to use your headphones with a macbook - oops does not fit. Apple: Well, we have these tiny adapters so you can use regular headphones with your iPhone or iPhone headphones with your Mac. Only 29 Bucks each... Whaaaaat? 29 Bucks for an easy to lose accessory. No, thanks. Fu... the new iPhone. I will stick with my old one.

    That will definitely be a disaster for Apple. Probably the worst decision ever made. I don't get with all their history of failed connector introductions (remember thunderbolt, firewire) how they try to pull a stunt like this with a vitally important product like a headphone of which millions of iPhone users have bought third party solutions which are now useless or only useable with a fiddly accessory? Any reasonable explanation for this? What drugs is Tim Cook and the management team on? Time to sell the stock.
    Not really, but it's what people will need in order to use standard headphones and I'm sure Apple is going to sell such an adapter.
    They will sell a couple. And even more people will sell no thanks. I have been using the iPhone since the first generation but this is the first time I may look at other phone options when my contract is up. I lose accessories all the time while travelling. No way that I will risk not being able to use a headphone because some tiny adopter got lost. No way I will be carrying two headphones (one for the iPhone, one for the Macbook Pro). They have to be out of their minds. I don't pay good money to add complexity to my life.
    Well good luck to you both, because as much as you're speculating about things you know nothing about, and relying on your own anecdotal evidence, not to mention putting obstacles in your way applicable to your own case use; the rumors all point to Android makers dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack as well.

    Looks like you two should just drop out of the digital lifestyle then.
    nolamacguy
  • Reply 59 of 65
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    toddzrx said:

    how could you possibly know if you don't know what the benefits are? we simply don't know. 
    That's absurd.  You guys ARE arguing that there are benefits to not having a headphone jack, at least in your opinion, such as a thinner chassis, more internal room for other components or a larger battery, etc.
    nope. I've always stood with gruber on this -- we simply don't know. we can only speculate. but rest assured, Apple designers and engineers know a lot more about the pros and cons than we do. some have speculated to new data-driven headphone accessories, bi-direction sensors, etc, but we simply. don't. know. 

    saved volume is but one obvious guess. 
  • Reply 60 of 65
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    New images posted on Wednesday are said to depict Lightning-equipped EarPods intended for Apple's "iPhone 7," which is commonly expected to ditch a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack when it ships this fall.

    Several photos posted to China's Weibo show the gear as resembling current EarPods for the iPhone 6s, but with the addition of a large endpiece housing a Lightning connector. It's not clear why the endpiece would have to be so big, though one possibility is the presence of an authenticator chip.

    Notably the photos match another recent EarPod leak, although it's still impossible to confirm the authenticity of the suggested headphone design.

    For Apple, removing a 3.5-millimeter jack should free up internal design space, while reducing component costs and encouraging more development of Lightning audio accessories. At the same time, public reaction to the idea of losing the jack has often been negative, particularly since many people may be forced to rely on EarPods or buy new adapters and accessories that will only work with Apple products.

    Bluetooth audio is an alternative, but its quality is generally weaker and wireless headphones are often more expensive than wired options.
    A PR nightmare waiting to happen. I don't know anybody who uses headphones solely with their iPhone. Even if you are exclusively using Apple products you may want to use your headphones with a macbook - oops does not fit. Apple: Well, we have these tiny adapters so you can use regular headphones with your iPhone or iPhone headphones with your Mac. Only 29 Bucks each... Whaaaaat? 29 Bucks for an easy to lose accessory. No, thanks. Fu... the new iPhone. I will stick with my old one.

    That will definitely be a disaster for Apple. Probably the worst decision ever made. I don't get with all their history of failed connector introductions (remember thunderbolt, firewire) how they try to pull a stunt like this with a vitally important product like a headphone of which millions of iPhone users have bought third party solutions which are now useless or only useable with a fiddly accessory? Any reasonable explanation for this? What drugs is Tim Cook and the management team on? Time to sell the stock.
    as if you had any stock. 

    "the worst decision ever made" -- oh my god, you kids are killing me.
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