Japanese blog Mac Otakara accurately predicted the changes Apple was going to make with the iPhone 6, and now they have even more to say about the iPhone 7.
In order to make the next iPhone even slimmer than previous models, Apple is supposedly getting rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack. That means in order to use a wired set of headphones or your old Earpods, you’ll have to get an adapter to plug them into the iPhone’s lightning port. (You would reportedly get all new lightning port Earpods with purchase, however.)
Being that this is still rumor, as no one knows anything for sure about the iPhone until Apple unveils it next year, you may not even get an adapter. You may have to buy an all new pair of Apple-approved headphones in order to use them with your new device. Last year, it was reported that companies like JBL and Philips developed lightning-cable headsets with Apple’s permission. Any pair of headphones that use the lightning port, which is digital, would have to have a digital-to-analog converter built in.
So, the upside here would be you’d potentially have clearer (digital) music — albeit through the more expensive, higher-end headphones. Headsets specifically developed to operate with Apple’s system could have the benefit of a design that works directly with apps like iTunes Radio.
Some downsides are that lightning-port headphones would draw power from the iPhone’s battery, especially if they’re the more expensive noise-cancelling sort (though they usually use their own batteries). It could possibly work the other way, with the headphones charging the phone with a passthrough or phone dock.
The removal of a standard headphone jack could make the iPhone 7 up to a millimeter slimmer than the iPhone 6. If that’s the sort of thing that appeals to you over better battery life and the ability to charge your phone while listening to music or making a call, then this rumor might be exciting to you. And of course if you have Bluetooth headphones, only having one port for everything may not be a big deal.
via USA Today