Apple iPhone 7 Release Date, Specs: Apple Ditching Headphone Jack in Next Iteration?
Apple has reportedly decided to say good-bye to the headphone jack and launch the seventh-generation iPhone with the Lightning connector instead.
Rumor has it that the iPhone 7 will be 1 millimeter thinner than its predecessor, but Apple needs to do away with the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack to make this plan possible. For this reason, the Cupertino-based tech giant will lose the headphone jack and throw in a bundle with EarPods compatible with the Lightning connector, according to a Mac Otakara report cited by the Irish Examiner.
Apple first teased the plan to get rid of the headphone jack during the 2014 WWDC when they talked about the upcoming accessories for iDevices. The move did not come as a surprise because the company has been looking for alternatives for the said jack for quite some time now, the report explains.
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If the rumor proves to be true, the move would make the iPhone 7 the thinnest iPhone so far. It would also require third-party headphone manufacturers to either include Lightning adaptors with the 3.5-millimeter headphones, or create headphones with Lightning ports only, Forbes reports.
The move to replace the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack makes sense because it would create more opportunities for Apple to make more money and increase licensing potential. Moreover, Lightning headphones would be an effective way to keep users locked into its own ecosystem. It is worth noting, however, that the company itself has not yet confirmed the rumor, the report relays.
On the other hand, doing away with the headphone jack would irritate a lot of users who are already accustomed to it. Plus, it is a very risky move that will create charging problems for its users. But it could also open the opportunity to develop a wireless charging feature for the iPhone.
As of now, it may be too soon for Apple to implement the rumored plan to replace the headphone jack with the Lightning port. It may be a huge gamble, but the company has already started testing the market's acceptance of Lighting headphones.
