First video of functional Lightning EarPods hits the web

Posted:
in iPhone edited July 2016
Fanning the flames of rumors claiming Apple plans to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from its next-generation iPhone, a video posted to YouTube on Friday shows off what appears to be a pair of functional Lightning-only EarPods leaked from Chinese parts suppliers.




Like other recent parts leaks, including fresh photos published today, the headphones featured in EverythingApplesPro's video look identical to current EarPods iterations. Instead of terminating in the usual 3.5mm TRRS plug, however, this new version sports Apple's proprietary Lightning connector.

In the minute-long showcase, an unseen narrator is seen plugging the supposed future EarPods model into an iPhone running some flavor of iOS 9. He plays a music track from YouTube and proceeds to demonstrate that the multi-function remote control is operable, in this case managing pause/play and volume settings. The remote's microphone was not tested.



While the video bears the title "iPhone 7 EarPods," it offers no evidence to support claims that Apple will in fact bundle the headphones with an upcoming iPhone model. Indeed, aside from a design shared with current EarPods, the short clip contains no clues suggesting the device is a legitimate Apple product.

That being said, Apple is widely expected to debut a next-generation iPhone with updated internals this fall, the most contentious change being a switch away from the ubiquitous 3.5mm headphone jack format hinted at in supply chain rumors and a multitude of parts leaks.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 62
    Fake. There's no way Apple would make such a huge and ugly plug to connect to your iPhone. They'll put the electronics in the volume button portion instead.
  • Reply 2 of 62
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Fake. There's no way Apple would make such a huge and ugly plug to connect to your iPhone. They'll put the electronics in the volume button portion instead.
    Maybe, but let's remember that Apple needs to move the DAC and amp onto the cable, or get real clever with a special chip to keep it inside the iPhone but allow it to dynamically switch from analog to digital signaling depending on what Lightning cable is connected. I'm wishing for the latter, but the former is by far the most likely. As for the styling, for cheap, included EarPods, that seems just fine to me.
    patchythepirate1983
  • Reply 3 of 62
    jakebjakeb Posts: 562member
    Fascinating. So we're really going to have earphones that can only be used on iOS devices, not Macbooks. 

    Are we going to see lightning ports on Macbooks now?
    calibaconstangAnirezwits
  • Reply 4 of 62
    Soli said:
    Fake. There's no way Apple would make such a huge and ugly plug to connect to your iPhone. They'll put the electronics in the volume button portion instead.
    Maybe, but let's remember that Apple needs to move the DAC and amp onto the cable, or get real clever with a special chip to keep it inside the iPhone but allow it to dynamically switch from analog to digital signaling depending on what Lightning cable is connected. I'm wishing for the latter, but the former is by far the most likely. As for the styling, for cheap, included EarPods, that seems just fine to me.

    Audeze has a nice Lightning cable for their headphones, and they placed everything (DAC/AMP/DSP) inside the portion of the cable that has the buttons. Since it's already there, and taking up space, it makes sense to put the extras there as well, instead of inside the connector at the iPhone.
  • Reply 5 of 62
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    What an ugly plug, makes 3.5mm audio jacks look futuristic.

    I prefer the "AirPods" idea to this. Little earbuds that only work when they're in the correct coordination of each ear and turn off when taken out.

    jakeb said:
    Fascinating. So we're really going to have earphones that can only be used on iOS devices, not Macbooks. 

    Are we going to see lightning ports on Macbooks now?

    Yeah what a fu**ing mess. If this materializes I hope lightning to 3.5mm adapters are available day one.
    edited July 2016 baconstangwozwoz
  • Reply 6 of 62
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Colour is wrong. Still hope Apple does them.
  • Reply 7 of 62
    jakeb said:

    Fascinating. So we're really going to have earphones that can only be used on iOS devices, not Macbooks. 

    Are we going to see lightning ports on Macbooks now?
    Oh man... what if Apple doesn't put a Lightning port on Macbooks... but instead makes a dongle that goes the other direction!

    You'd need a 3.5mm to Lightning dongle to use your traditional headphones on the next iPhone... then you'd need a Lightning to 3.5mm dongle to use your Lightning headphones on a Macbook.


    edited July 2016 rogifan_newhagarbaconstangAniargonaut
  • Reply 8 of 62
    radster360radster360 Posts: 546member
    What if I want to charge my phone while I listen to music? Apple should just go wireless for everything, charging and audio out.
    unbeliever2
  • Reply 9 of 62
    jakebjakeb Posts: 562member
    If Apple doesn't include Bluetooth earphones it will because it's too expensive. But that will only highlight the problem with Bluetooth headphones -- they're expensive. It will be hard for them to say "Bluetooth is the future! But we're not going to include them with the phone, are you crazy? Those things are expensive!"
    baconstang
  • Reply 10 of 62
    Fanning the flames of rumors claiming Apple plans to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from its next-generation iPhone, a video posted to YouTube on Friday shows off what appears to be a pair of functional Lightning-only EarPods leaked from Chinese parts suppliers.




    Like other recent parts leaks, including fresh photos published today, the headphones featured in EverythingApplesPro's video look identical to current EarPods iterations. Instead of terminating in the usual 3.5mm TRRS plug, however, this new version sports Apple's proprietary Lightning connector.

    In the minute-long showcase, an unseen narrator is seen plugging the supposed future EarPods model into an iPhone running some flavor of iOS 9. He plays a music track from YouTube and proceeds to demonstrate that the multi-function remote control is operable, in this case managing pause/play and volume settings. The remote's microphone was not tested.



    While the video bears the title "iPhone 7 EarPods," it offers no evidence to support claims that Apple will in fact bundle the headphones with an upcoming iPhone model. Indeed, aside from a design shared with current EarPods, the short clip contains no clues suggesting the device is a legitimate Apple product.

    That being said, Apple is widely expected to debut a next-generation iPhone with updated internals this fall, the most contentious change being a switch away from the ubiquitous 3.5mm headphone jack format hinted at in supply chain rumors and a multitude of parts leaks.
    The size of the connector aside, the very design and plastic is wrong. You can easily tell that it is fabricated. Everyone is also WAY off the mark here. It’s not Lightning Headphones that will bring about this dramatic design change. It’s going to be wireless earbuds. Truly wireless earbuds are just now hitting the market, and Apple isn't among them. Considering the Beats acquisition, this is a logical next step for Apple. That said, the wireless earbuds might be chargeable through the Lightning port, same as the Apple Pencil to iPad Pro. We’ll see if I’m right soon enough.
  • Reply 11 of 62
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    Cult of Mac has photos of an alleged MBP case. It looks like the current MBP case, except thinner. It has the 3.5mm headphone jack. So if someone wants to listen to music on their Mac they'll need to buy an adapter/dongle or use 3rd party headphones? Why would Apple get rid of the jack on iOS devices but keep it on the Mac? Nothing people hate more than having to carry adapters/dongles with them.
    edited July 2016 baconstang1983
  • Reply 12 of 62
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    In the previous thread about Bluetooth headphones, some people were boasting about how great wireless was, so what's up with these lightning headphones, and what do those people have to say about that?

    This doesn't seem like a step forward, this seems like a step sideways. It's still wired, but instead of the old analog connector, now there's a lightning connector instead, with the main difference being that you can not charge your device while using these headphones.

    If Bluetooth is the future of headphones like some people claim, then why wouldn't Apple just make Bluetooth EarPods?

  • Reply 13 of 62
    koopkoop Posts: 337member
    If Apple is going through all this trouble to sell people on better DACs they better actually release lossless audio with Apple Music. 

    And honestly, if we're being honest, Apple already has a GREAT DAC built into the iPhone. One of the best for a mobile device actually, and probably better than most computers too. I'm not seeing how you improve audio by leaving the construction of DACs to the headphone manufacturer. I'm sure the lightning earpods will have a good setup, but earpods are well...earpods. All Apple has done here is add complexity to their device, and that's not consumer friendly.
    baconstang1983
  • Reply 14 of 62
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    What if I want to charge my phone while I listen to music? Apple should just go wireless for everything, charging and audio out.
    Wireless is already an option for audio out. 
    TurboPGTbaconstangchia
  • Reply 15 of 62
    alexmacalexmac Posts: 49member
    For me the point is that we had a standard with rather good quality, specs, size, etc and what's the deal for changing it? Water resistant, really? Thickness, really? (With the horrible camera hump)
    baconstang
  • Reply 16 of 62
    kipowskykipowsky Posts: 31member
    The only way Apple could/should get rid of the 3.5-jack is if they introduce a new wireless sound protocoll that is about ten times better than Bluetooth. Music is at the core of Apple and for them to say "we would like you to listen to crappy bluetooth sound from now on" seems so wrong. So perhaos wifi headphones so you can listen wherever you are, or a new BT protocoll with super-duper-ultra-stereo sound or a new combo with hand-off so "you can start listening on your mac, continue seemlesly on your phone and then watch without missing a beat". That'd be nice. 

    As for this video, they would never make such an ugly big connector. 
    nolamacguy
  • Reply 17 of 62
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    jakeb said:

    Fascinating. So we're really going to have earphones that can only be used on iOS devices, not Macbooks. 

    Are we going to see lightning ports on Macbooks now?
    Oh man... what if Apple doesn't put a Lightning port on Macbooks... but instead makes a dongle that goes the other direction!

    You'd need a 3.5mm to Lightning dongle to use your traditional headphones on the next iPhone... then you'd need a Lightning to 3.5mm dongle to use your Lightning headphones on a Macbook.



    They will almost certainly put Lightning ports on the new Macs as soon as they drop the 3.5mm Jack from the iPhone. It'll be like when they switched the 30-pin connector to Lightning on the iPad mid-production run. I just can't see Apple pushing acceptance of Lightning and BT, but make customers connect their new Lightning headphones to their new Macs with an adapter.

    The new MacBook Pro has a 3.5mm Jack in the "leaked" case, but it also has a blank spot exactly opposite it as well. They could be planning on replacing the 3.5mm Jack after the iPhone drops it, or they could be planning to leave it and just add Lightning to the other side (it is a "Pro" device after all). The retina MB will almost certainly have the 3.5mm Jack replaced wi Lightning.

    Plus, Lightning has many advantages on the Mac. It can be used as a charging port, leaving USBc ports free for peripherals, it can be used as an optional data port with USB 3 speeds. It can be used with iOS peripherals immediately giving new MacBook customers dongles they can use without having to buy new USBc dongles that do the same thing. That helps Apple cut costs as well since they only have to make one dongle for every product that can use it. It can also be used to charge the Apple Pencil. I can also imagine double Male Lightning connector cables -- maybe even Lightning on the charger instead of USB, as well.

    As for your double dongle, one of the things that leads me to believe Lightning headphones will be encouraged, vs. adapters for old 3.5mm equipment, is that the adapters back to 3.5mm will be a lot less expensive since they will be analogue adapters. When the Lightning headphones sense they are being plugged into an analogue source, they will bypass the DAC and send the analogue signal straight to the headphones. So the adapter doesn't need any electronics. 


    patchythepirate
  • Reply 18 of 62
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    I don't think we'll see lightning ports on macs. I think it's more likely new macs will support whatever wireless option the new iPhone sports. 
  • Reply 19 of 62
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    alexmac said:
    For me the point is that we had a standard with rather good quality, specs, size, etc and what's the deal for changing it? Water resistant, really? Thickness, really? (With the horrible camera hump)
    I think it is all about making more money.  I wouldn't be surprised if Apple have a new wireless audio streaming protocol that will be lossless, which they will do the usual spin with on why it's better than lossy Bluetooth.  Then they won't have to pay aptX to use their lossless BT codec.  That way they will get royalties from every headphone manufacturer who want to make a lightning compatible wired headphone and from those that want to make wireless earbuds and headphones that use the new protocol - ka-ching.  They will also sell the 3.5mm adapter for everyone else who want's to use anything legacy - ka-ching.

    This is the Gionee Eliife S5.1.  It is 5.2mm thick - 1.9mm thinner than an 6S.  It still manages to have a 3.5mm headphone jack.  It came out in 2014.



    I don't think phones need to be even this thin.  There would have to be structural strength issues and I would suspect such phones probably have to rely on the inherent strength of the screen glass.

    So it's quite clear the 3.5mm jack is not an impediment to making a phone thin.  Oppo make an even thinner phone, the R5, which doesn't have a 3.5mm jack and comes with a micro USB dongle, much like Apple's equally inelegant 'solution'.



    Phone manufacturers keep doing this thin thing but in a survey of phone users the most important feature is battery life.

    However if there is one particular area in which many users chose to focus on, it would be battery life. Compared to the other features, many felt that battery life was the most important feature to them, with 56% of Android users choosing battery, 49% for iOS, and 53% for Windows Phone. These are some pretty interesting statistics and perhaps one that smartphone OEMs should take into consideration.
    ...
    This is according to a recent survey conducted by the IDC of 50,000 participants in 25 countries.



    baconstangwozwozsingularity
  • Reply 20 of 62
    Nice! Fuck standards!
    baconstangjeffharris
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