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Supply Chain Rumors Reaffirm iPhone 7 Will Not Have Headphone Jack

Monday January 4, 2016 8:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
iPhone-7-Headphone-vs-LightningSix weeks ago, Japanese website Mac Otakara reported that Apple is planning to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 in favor of an all-in-one Lightning connector for both connectivity and audio output.

Adding fuel to the rumor, Chinese websites Anzhuo.cn [Google Translate] and Wei Feng [Google Translate] cite supply chain news from unnamed sources that reportedly confirm the controversial rumor is true.

Both websites claim the iPhone 7 will not have a headphone jack, and that Apple will release its own wireless Bluetooth headphones, but the unverified reports should be treated with caution until or unless additional sources verify these claims -- nevertheless, they do make for interesting discussion.

Mac Otakara's original report said Apple may release Lightning-equipped EarPods, and the company already offers Powerbeats 2, Solo2 and Studio wireless headphones through its Beats brand. Apple also introduced new MFi Program specifications in June 2014 that allow third-party manufacturers to create Lightning-equipped headphones, including the Philips Fidelio M2L and Fidelio NC1L.

Philips-M2L-iPhone-Trio
Philips M2L are Apple-approved Lightning-equipped headphones

The original report, which cited a "reliable source," also claimed the new same-sized Lightning connector will have a DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, for backwards compatibility with wired headphones using standard 3.5mm stereo jacks. A 3.5mm to Lightning adapter would be required.

The rumor has led to speculation that Apple could introduce wireless charging on the iPhone 7, as users would be unable to charge the smartphone and use Lightning-equipped headphones at once. On the contrary, there is always the real possibility this rumor is false and that Apple has no plans to ditch the headphone jack.

Should this rumor prove to be true, however, the decision will likely be as controversial as Apple's move to the Lightning connector over its legacy 30-pin dock connector. MacRumors ran a Twitter poll that showed 59% of 7,542 respondents preferred the 3.5mm headphone jack over an all-in-one Lightning connector.

Read more: Apple May Replace 3.5mm Headphone Jack on iPhone 7 With All-in-One Lightning Connector

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tags: Philips, feng.com, Lightning, headphone jack, anzhuo.cn
[ 1044 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

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mj1108
44 months ago
If anyone wants a 3.5mm jack, I am sure Apple will be happy to sell us an adapter (an iJack) for $49.99.
Rating: 70 Votes
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Robstevo
44 months ago
Ridiculously stupid move that has zero benefit for the consumer but makes another cash cow for Tim and his cronies.

I'm sure apple would love to sell 50 dollar adapters and all that juicy lightning licensing money.
Rating: 54 Votes
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sam2428
44 months ago
People also complained when Apple removed the optical disk drive. I sure don't miss mine...

Look to the future people.
Rating: 49 Votes
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Spink10
44 months ago
Fine with me!
Rating: 47 Votes
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xkmxkmxlmx
44 months ago
If they ship it with an adapter, I have no problem with this.
Rating: 46 Votes
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garirry
44 months ago
I don't know if I'm the only one, but at this point I feel like I like when apple does bad decisions just to see what will be people's reactions.
Rating: 44 Votes
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ghsNick
44 months ago
Remember when everyone complained about the Lightning Connector? Now everyone loves it.

I'm sure no one will miss the 3.5mm headphone jack in 2-3 years.
Rating: 37 Votes
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Flow39
44 months ago
Looks like I won't be buying the next iPhone.
Rating: 34 Votes
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cclloyd
44 months ago
If iPhone had USB-C then I would consider it. But I don't want lightning specific headphones/adapters.
Rating: 32 Votes
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gyang333
44 months ago

Remember when everyone complained about the Lightning Connector? Now everyone loves it.

I'm sure no one will miss the 3.5mm headphone jack in 2-3 years.

Unless it comes with two lightning ports (and you can't short it out by plugging both ends of one lighting cable into both ports) this is not like the time they went from the 30 pin to lightning because now you can't listen to music and charge your phone at the same time which I think many do in the car via the aux cable.
Rating: 31 Votes

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