With Apple planning to remove the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, new iPhone owners are going to be stuck with a whole lot of headphones that don't work with their devices. There is a simple, though awkward, solution -- a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter.
Lightning adapters aren't common at this point in time, but as you can see in the video below, we tracked down an adapter from Japanese company Deff to give you an idea of what it'll be like using standard 3.5mm headphones with a device that doesn't have a headphone jack.
Our adapter cost upwards of $70, but we expect to see a greater number of adapters on the market following the launch of the iPhone 7, which will drive prices down quite a bit. It's also likely Apple will develop its own Lightning to 3.5mm jack adapter and we can expect to see that sold for around $20-$30 based on the pricing of other types of adapters.
Apple's choice to remove the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 hasn't been a popular one. The Verge's Nilay Patel has called the move "user-hostile and stupid," while Steve Streza, in support of Patel, said the decision is good for Apple but bad for the consumer.
Others, like John Gruber, aren't bothered by the iPhone 7's lack of a headphone jack. In a rebuttal to Patel's post, Gruber compared the headphone jack to the floppy drive, an argument supported by MG Siegler, who pointed out the fact that there's similar outrage every time Apple retires a feature.
But here's the thing about that notion: it's said every single time Apple does something like this. The removal of the floppy drive on the Mac. The lack of a physical keyboard on the iPhone. The removal of the optical drive on MacBooks. The end of the mouse.The removal of USB ports. Etc. Etc. Etc.
The outrage is as palpable as it is comical. Then everyone calms down. The news cycle moves on. People buy the new Apple device anyway. Life continues. All competitors copy Apple's once-controversial move. And technology ends up in a better place as a result.
Going forward, Apple's decision to drop the headphone jack will likely reshape the headphone market. Companies have already started investing in Lightning-connected headphones like the ones we covered in a recent video, and wireless solutions are also on the rise.
Based on rumors, Apple is planning on selling the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus with EarPods that feature a Lightning connector, so everyone will have a way to listen to music on the devices right when they come out of the box. Apple is also said to be developing premium wireless earphones that could be similar in design to the Bragi Dash.
