14 DAY TRIAL // Rumors that reached the web in the fall of 2015 suggested that Apple might give up on the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack for the next-generation iPhone and instead go for a Lightning port that would serve multiple purposes at the same time.
But a new report this time coming from Chinese site Anzhou (via 9to5mac) claims that this is indeed the case, but Apple is actually planning even bigger changes.
It appears that the plan is indeed to give up on the 3.5mm jack that’s currently being used on the existing iPhone models, but the wired alternative is not currently a priority.
Instead, Apple wants to offer wireless headphones to iPhone 7 buyers as standard while a wired version using a Lightning port will only be available as optional. Both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus could launch with this setup, the aforementioned source notes citing sources from the upstream supply chain, but it turns out that Apple is very confident that everyone would go for the wireless version.
In both cases, headphones could be produced by the company’s Beats division, sources say.
New standard adoption
Apple doesn’t seem to be afraid that such a change would make iPhone users’ lives more difficult because every single new iPhone 7 would come with the desired set of headphones in the box. Plus, the company expects the number of third-party accessories that would reach the market after the launch of the new iPhone to skyrocket, but obviously, such headphones would have to be certified to work with the device.
And the Lightning connector gives Apple better control over the third-party accessories that would be compatible with the iPhone 7.
The only problem with this new strategy is that iPhone 7 buyers might not be able to use their own headphones with the device, though it’s expected the company would offer adapters that would allow them to connect certified accessories.
Apple hasn’t yet confirmed the change, but more information should emerge in the coming months, as we get closer to the rumored mid-2016 debut date of the iPhone 7.