“Apple has, historically, been quite brave about killing off things like DVD drives, floppy disk drives and when it launched the Macbook Air, people like me thought they’d gone mad,” Ian Morris writes for Forbes. “All of the products Apple has taken this sort of risk with have gone on and done well. Apple is stronger now than it ever has been. The iMac had no floppy drive, and went on to big things. The Macbook removed the CD drive and went on to big things and the Air has become a pretty successful line too.”
“Apple did, after all spend a lot of money on Beats. So they have a headphone brand, and that’s a selling point in the box,” Morris writes. “If Apple wants, it could pack a pair of headphones in with the iPhone that would blow away any of the competition right up to the $200 sweet spot. And the dirty secret in headphones is that even the super-expensive ones are made for cents and marked up to insane levels.”
“It’s not going to be hard for Tim Cook to come on stage later in the year and tell everyone that he’s killing the headphone jack, but not to worry because in the box you’ll get a free pair of Beats earphones worth over $200,” Morris writes. “They’ll be comfortable, have a selection of tips included for good ear fit and they’ll also be able to use built-in microphone to cancel sound better than anyone ever has before.”
“None of this will really harm Apple’s bottom line. Adaptors and headphones aren’t a huge cost and the margin on the iPhone is, as we know, pretty generous,” Morris writes. “And if I can see a way for Apple to turn this into advantages, I’m pretty sure Apple’s far-brighter engineers have even more good ideas in their bag of tricks.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Don’t discount the ability for Lightning headphones to do more than just reproduce sound:
For one example, see Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 8,655,004: “Sports monitoring system for headphones, earbuds and/or headsets.”
Apple’s patent abstract: A monitoring system that can be placed proximate to the head or ear of a user is disclosed. According to one embodiment, the monitoring system can be used with headphones, earbuds or headsets. The monitoring system can, for example, be used to monitor user activity, such as during exercise or sporting activities. The positioning of the monitoring system can also facilitate sensing of other user characteristics (e.g., biometric data), such as temperature, perspiration and heart rate. The monitoring system can also be used to control a an electronic device. In one embodiment, the monitoring system facilitates user control of the electronic device using head gestures. More info here.
From your ear to your wrist in the blink of an eye™.
Also, if you’d prefer no wires at all, you can do as we’ve been doing for awhile now and just go Bluetooth. We’ve been using wireless Jaybirds for some time now (currently the Jaybird X2 Sport Wireless Bluetooth Headphones). They have “have a selection of tips included for good ear fit,” too and are easy to charge, easy to pair, light and comfortable, and work perfectly with our Apple Watches and iPhones.
SEE ALSO:
iOS 9 code reveals Apple’s plans to dump 3.5mm headphone jack in future iPhones – January 20, 2016
Apple’s intention to kill the 3.5mm headphone jack is brilliant – January 13, 2016
iPhone 7 said to be waterproof, replace 3.5mm headphone jack with Apple’s Lightning – January 8, 2016
The fastest Lightning cable is also one of the least expensive – January 8, 2016
Apple will drop headphone jack to make the iPhone 7 super slim, source confirms; wireless charging and waterproof, too – January 7, 2016
Petition demands Apple keep 3.5mm headphone jack in the ‘iPhone 7’ – January 7, 2016
More reports claim Apple has dumped the 3.5mm headphone jack on iPhone 7 – January 5, 2016
Why Apple may axe the 3.5mm headphone jack – June 20, 2014
Apple may be poised to kill off the 3.5mm headphone jack – June 7, 2014
Apple may ditch analog 3.5mm headphone jack for Lightning to make thinner devices – June 6, 2014
Apple introduces MFi specs for Lightning cable headphones, iOS software update to deliver support – June 5, 2014
Apple preps HD audio for iOS 8 plus new Apple In-Ear Headphones and lightning cable – May 13, 2014
Apple patents biometric sensor-packed health monitoring earphones with ‘head gesture’ control – February 18, 2014
Apple paves way for more affordable iOS accessories with lower MFi and Lightning licensing fees – February 7, 2014
I, for one, welcome our new thunderbolt overlord.
(I never use headphones with my iPhone, but if I did, I’d want it to use the best interface.)
Oops. Once again I misspoke lunder for thightning.
The whole idea of making my favorite headphone functionally obsolete, buying a more expensive replacement headphone to obtain not nearly equivalent sound quality, dead batteries, buying an overpriced dongle, and running the risk of misplacing the dongle is just annoying.
Price of progress and moving forward…. Its a minor inconvenience in thus case ..(an adaptor )
It’s more than just an inconvenience. Nevertheless, it is still an inconvenience. Somehow the notion of being inconvenienced is not a desirable prospect given that the alternative is still more expensive, less enjoyable, unnecessary, and avoidable.
But from what i understand.. Lightning connection will allow for more functions and features. …and open up more space in the phone casing for other things or maybe even allow a smaller phone..
They may allow for more functions and features, but like a lot of functions and features of various Apple hardware and software, they will go unused by the vast majority of users.
Would a bigger battery be useless?
The feature I will not have is using my favorite headphones.
But you will … It will be the adaptor.. Maybe a 15-20 $ item (id sell it for cost if i were Apple to show good faith.. “Hello Apple !?”Tim, Phil ?) ……
Nevertheless u will be able to use any headphones of your choise..
But here is the thing…headphones designed for the lightening interface will have an advantage through all the enhancments lightning offers …
I believe the best headphone manufacturesrs will take advantage of this in theor lineup …. If not there is always the adaptor;)
So giiven a cheap adaptor it’s a small price to pay for taking a step forward …
Imho!
Ps.. It would be nice if apple adopted usb-c… No? 🙏🏽
Who wants another bloody widget to carry around ?
Just plug it on yout favorite headphones and you dont have to worry about carrying it separately or losing it.
If “progress and moving forward” is a giant PITA and a big step backwards in terms of convenience, I’d rather stay in the past.
Adaptors will be available for use with headphones. No need to replace anything, and the adaptors should be small and inexpensive.
Small, yes. But there is no such thing as an inexpensive Apple adapter.
“Should be.” But we all know they definitely would not be,
Wouldn’t this be the bailiwick of 3rd party manufacturers?
Nothing with a Lightning port is cost effective, thanks the the complication that Apple designed into it.
The only way a digital port or bluetooth is going to transmit an audio signal to a new and improved pair of headphones is if the digital-to-analog converter and audio amplifier are now moved to the headphones. So now what have you gained? Another set of batteries in your headphones to recharge. And if you rely on bluetooth, then your audio quality has been noticeably diminished and the BT transmitter will such the batter life from your new thin iPhone faster than the good old integrated chip that we enjoy today, and the super reliable minijack that works so well.
Needless complication will be Apple’s downfall, not its “pay off”.
Anyone wanting high quality sound out of an iPhone in the ordinary world we live and work in is never going to be able to hear that “high quality”.
Get in a quiet room and OK, but then why not a proper sound system?
It’s called progress. Absolutely nothing except human nature ever stays the same. I’ve used personal computers for over 35 years and survived all the changes. I’ve decided to keep going forward as things have always gotten better in my opinion.
Decreased sound quality or the added expense to have better sound quality doesn’t appear to be progressive.
You’ve been drinking too much Kool-Aid in my opinion. Some things have gotten better over the years, and some things clearly haven’t.
Good. I hated having headphones! Now I won’t even have the option to use those silly things lol! They’ll blow out your dag blasted ear drums! I’m so glad James Cook realized that our children do NOT need these devices!!!
44.1 k
This is simply another greedy and desperate money grab by Tim Cook, pure and simple.
Wallstreet may be getting tired of Tim Cook, but thousands of loyal Apple consumers have been tired of him for years.
* Botches every product release
* Fires competent execs but repeatedly hires outrageously expensive incompetent execs
* Cripples once outstanding products and turns them into overpriced, Rose Gold turds
* Creates unreasonably expensive and forgettable products and services
* Ruined Apple’s reputation for “Just Works” software/hardware quality assurance
* Promotes and politically positions Apple as a 100% radically gay company, solely to support his own personal agenda
* Totally caved in to greedy shareholders with his failed buyback fiasco
* Intentionally breaks perfectly working technology, specifically to gouge loyal Apple consumers with overpriced and completely unnecessary adapters
* Consumed with staying in the spotlight and premoting distracting social issues that are completely unrelated to his job, while shoddy, poorly built, half-baked products, software and services pour out of Cupertino
* Milked iPad into mediocrity by not innovating it
* Milked iPhone to a plateau in growth, while obvious features like wireless charging, carbon fiber, and OLED screen are still absent
I know fervent Apple supporters keep pointing out that Jobs appointed him to take over, and that’s true, but it’s perfectly clear that Jobs made a colossally huge f*cking mistake!
Sure. If that makes you feel better.
I can understand your discontent with Tim Cook but there’s no guarantee Tim Cook’s replacement will be any better at running the company. Maybe only Steve Jobs could run the company the way you want it to be run. It’s possible the company you once admired can never be resurrected. Sometimes only the founder of a company can make a company truly great. At this point I’m willing to settle for a good company.
“but there’s no guarantee Tim Cook’s replacement well be any better…”
Ohhh, I’m sure he has all kinds of excellent people in mind. Why, there are PILES of wonderful executives who are much better than Tim Cook – e.g. at Samsung, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Google, Yahoo and SO many more prominent tech companies.
I was with you until you made the bigoted gay company remark.
It’s bad enough that Tim Cook is gay. He doesn’t need to use his position as CEO as a podium from which to pursue his course of political activism. And if he’s going to be a political activist, couldn’t he do it on his own time instead of sullying the good name of Apple?
Analogue headphone sockets should have been got rid of years ago, why companies have kept them is impossible to fathom. In my experience the headphone plugs never did make good contact in the socket causing drop out and interference. Digital signals are far superior and if headphones receive a superior lightning connector with a higher quality audio source signal then lets dump the analogue socket ASAP.
I do use Bluetooth headphones but,I think a wired model could give a superior audio sound with higher resolution digital signals the lightening connector could offer. I suppose complaints about having to buy adaptors for old headphone will dominate, still the world must move on.
iPhone battery life listening to headphones: 14 hours
iPhone battery life listening to speaker: 6 hours
iPhone battery life listening to Bluetooth: 3½ hours
Analog headphones <$10, I can afford to replace them constantly.
Apple proprietary jack headphones ≈$200. Yeah, that's an advance I can get behind. NOT.
Adapter jack for headphones dongling out my iPhone? A recipe for breakage.
Hillary will be cavity searched (if they can stand that stink when their nose gets near that lardass slob’s used Kotex), handcuffed, and then perp walked out to the patty wagon with a cow prod to remind her to keep moving to the back of the van. She is a lying assdog traitor like her husband and that stinking kunt Snowden.
What does that have to do with anything, you freakin’ freak!
Ok, weirdo.
You’re one sick fuck, x. What a stinking sewer of a mind! You live in there!? Wow! And already that bad at your age of – what – 14?
@x
Hillary Clinton is disgusting!
I also like how you kept your comment on topic.
😝
My iPhone pooted
There are many devices that use the headphone jack such as several credit card readers, Project HiJack, Arduino data connection, speakers, line-in for recording and self-sticks. The only win for removing the headphone port is to provide one more reason NOT to buy an iPhone.
@ I Agree. Very funny indeed 🙂
This is what Apple is best at, though. They do something that one would think would alienate their user base, and they eat it right up. They buy it. Every. Time. Something like this, however, I feel may be going a bit too far, and while the very loyal few will stay, the majority may end up switching in favor of an Android based device.
Cook and his treatment of longtime Mac users is already trying my patience to the limit. Screwing up perfectly good international standard connections in favor of a more complicated and more expensive and more constraining design is exactly what is wrong with Apple today. The goddamn bean counters appear to make all the design decisions — at their peril. People don’t need Apple as much as the fanboys all think, there are alternatives, some of them really good.
I have to say that my kids get through headset and charging cables every couple of months – they are just not very robust – the 30pin connector and the lightning – both are too weak where the cable joins the plug – for rough use.
If they do end up requiring a lightning connector can they please add sufficient sleeving to the joint to cope with being tugged out by the lead.
How about those who use the headphone jack to feed into the AUX connection of their car radios? Just what we need: another set of adapters and connectors to add to the spaghetti. (And no, not all of us have bluetooth in their cars yet)
Apple, how about devising a set of light weight ear buds whose wires do not knot up instantly when disconnected? Work on that will you!