Apple’s ears might burn if headphone jack is yanked
SAN FRANCISCO — When Apple shows off its latest iPhone on Wednesday, it will answer a question it hasn’t had to address in years: “What’s it putting in the box?” (Besides the iPhone itself, that is.)
The iPhone has traditionally shipped with a pair of Apple’s iconic earbuds, made famous in early advertising for the iPod music player. But tech analysts and industry bloggers, citing leaks from Apple’s Asian suppliers, say it looks like the tech giant has decided to do away with the analog headphone jack in the next iPhone.
That means the earbuds themselves are in for a revamp, one that could hint at Apple’s plans for expanded use of wireless technology.
The headphone jack is drawing attention partly because there might not be many other major changes in this year’s iPhone. The
new models — the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, if Apple sticks to its usual convention — are expected to offer faster processors, more memory and improved cameras.
But despite a recent dip in iPhone sales, most Apple watchers expect the company to save its next big overhaul for 2017, the 10th anniversary of the first iPhone’s release.
Though it might not seem dramatic, eliminating the 3.5 millimeter analog jack would be controversial. On the plus side, it could let Apple make the iPhone slightly thinner and possibly waterproof; it might also free up space for other components.
But it also means future iPhone buyers will need new headsets that use a digital connection. That could just mean changing the headset cord so that it plugs into the same port that recharges the device. Or it could herald an Apple commitment to wireless earbuds that connect to the phone via a technology such as Bluetooth. Apple already sells wireless headsets from Beats Electronics, which it acquired two years ago for $3 billion.
While Apple hasn’t commented, reports of the change have sparked an outcry from those who believe the old analog jacks worked perfectly well.
For many people, listening to music and watching video — not to mention making the occasional phone call — constitutes one of the main uses for a smartphone.
“People enjoy listening to music on their smartphones today as much as they listen to music at home,” said Brian Blau, a Gartner analyst.
Today’s wireless Bluetooth headsets, however, can be clunky to set up and sometimes randomly drop their phone connections. And no headphone jack means that existing headsets won’t work with the new iPhones without an adapter. It’s also not clear how you’d plug in your headset if you’re already charging the phone.
Finally, Apple uses a proprietary design for its charging port, known as Lightning. So new headphones that plug into that port won’t be compatible with devices made by Apple’s competitors.
Apple has a history of pre-emptively doing away with older technologies, often prompting lamentations from users — at least until they got used to it.
Apple, however, isn’t the first company to do away with the headphone jack. Already this year, Lenovo’s Motorola division and Chinese smartphone maker LeEco have released phones without analog audio jacks, relying instead on cords that plug into a new digital port known as USB-C , which is different from Apple’s Lightning port. Some argue digital connections provide higher quality sound.