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Iphone Software Apple Hardware Technology

Apple's 2018 iPhones Are Rumored To Not Include Headphone Dongle In the Box (theverge.com) 283

Posted by BeauHD from the wireless-era dept.
Apple will reportedly ditch the 3.5mm to Lightning port headphone dongle with this year's iPhone models. Apple notoriously dropped the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016. It has included a headphone adapter with every iPhone since to help curb public unease. The Verge reports: The research note claims that Cirrus Logic, a supplier for the dongle has "confirmed" that it won't be included in the box alongside the new iPhones. Apple has been trying to transition away from wired headphones entirely with its AirPods and lineup of wireless Beats headphones, so the move isn't entirely surprising. The dongle was always meant as a stopgap while customers adjusted to the new, headphone jack-less reality that Apple imposed on the world. Apple will almost certainly continue to sell the dongle -- which costs $9 -- separately for users who still want it. But if the report is true (which, again, remains to be seen), it's hard to imagine that customers will take the news well. The Barclays research note was first spotted by Mac Rumors.
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Apple's 2018 iPhones Are Rumored To Not Include Headphone Dongle In the Box More

Apple's 2018 iPhones Are Rumored To Not Include Headphone Dongle In the Box

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  • .. about a company pushing 7 billion or so new headphones with the right jack? That's a whole lot of jobs.

    --
    'Forty Two' - D. Adams

  • Apple is Apple (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Artem S. Tashkinov ( 764309 ) on Saturday August 04, 2018 @02:25AM (#57067400) Homepage
    It's natural: selling such a dongle separately increases your profits.
  • "You had 2 years to adapt and purchase new bluetooth equipment - you have to catch up!".

  • Still to use mine (Score:4, Informative)

    by seoras ( 147590 ) on Saturday August 04, 2018 @02:42AM (#57067432)

    I've had my iPhone X almost year now and I've not used the dongle yet.
    I do own the Air Pods which are excellent for all my music and phone call needs.
    I will use the dongle next month though when I fly home to the UK from NZ.
    My trusty Etymotic (.com) in ear plugs need a jack.
    I've been using them 20 years and they are superb. I keep the dongle in the Etymotic's pouch.
    As long as there's the option of a dongle I'm happy.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Your wireless headphones won't last 20 years. The non replaceable battery will become useless in a few years and of course inductive charging means you can't simply plug the charger in while you wear them.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by seoras ( 147590 )

        Yes, I expect them to not last. I also expect the wireless tech to get even better so replacing them will be desirable at some point.
        If I get 3 or 4 years I'll be happy.
        I've never worn out the battery on them yet. They last for hours.
        The only real gotcha is they are easily lost.
        Luckily I seem to be born with an ear shape that holds them very well.
        I don't fly often so even though I've had the Etymotic's 20 years I've probably only used them a few dozen times.

      • As someone who has dabbled in Bluetooth headphones, this is exactly the reason I’ve never purchased a high-end Bluetooth set, yet have had several decent wired ones over the years. Why would I pay more for an otherwise-identical model that has an expiration date, thanks to its use of non-replaceable batteries? I don’t care as much on electronics that are unlikely to last long enough for the battery to become a concern, but good headphones can last decades, so those batteries need to be replaceab

    • I've had my iPhone X almost year now and I've not used the dongle yet.

      Cool story. I don't have an iPhone but if I did I would use the dongle daily, like I do on my Galaxy.

      I've tried your fancy airpods. Combining something without a cord with something that falls out of ears, and sound like garbage isn't a decent alternative. Plus I guarantee they will be either lost, broken, or have a dead battery while you still have your Etymotics (the things I plug in my Galaxy daily).

  • My wife and I are android people. We trade off upgrade years.
    I got the Pixel 1.
    She got the Pixel 2, no headphone jack. It took her 6 months to notice, because we haven't owned non-bluetooth headphones in years, apart from some "studio" ones I use when doing music and never go near a phone anyways (and have a 1/4" jack).

    • Exact reverse thing noticed here.

      I and most of my friends own good speaker sets in our home.

      Up until recently, playing music (e.g.: at a party) basically meant plugging the cable into the jack of whatever device (the hosts' laptop, the smartphone of whomever has a nicr playlist the want to share).

      Now suddenly, there is a bunch of people who simply cannot plug their music. Those with the "courageous" iPhones, or with the Chinese copycats that decided to follow the trend without muxh thinking.

      (Okay, for some

  • ... the 2017 iPhone actually included a free accessory? Holy shit, that IS amazing news.

  • What about FM Radio? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by TheRealQuestor ( 1750940 ) on Saturday August 04, 2018 @03:50AM (#57067580)
    Wasn't there a thing a while back about handset makers are required to unlock the fm radio on these things and without the wired headphones what are they going to use for an antenna now?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Duds ( 100634 )

      They're also required to use Micro USB charging in the EU and Apple apparently are allowed to skirt that by selling an adapter.

    • No problem, just unlock the FM functionality. No one said you had to actually be able to tune in a station with it.

  • Although I havenâ(TM)t tried Beats, I am invested in a pair of Shure SE535s which I love, and which have the 3.5mm connector and need a reasonable amount of ampification to sound great. Sorry apple, but I very much miss the old headphone jack... May I add that as I have no choice but to use the lightening to 3.5mm analogue converter dongle, has anyone performed a study on the quality of audio coming out of it?

    • Welcome to Android :)

    • The audio coming out of the Lightning adapter will always be the same. Apple mandates than ANY analog audio adapter for the Lightning connector must use the Lightning Audio Module (LAM), that is designed and built and sourced only from Apple. You must also include the iAP2 chip, and the appropriate licensing. And then it must be built at only an Apple-approved manufacturer. Meaning - you're always going to have the same audio quality AND the same manufacturing quality (and the ~$13 minimum price paid fo

  • Around the iPhone 4, I found out that my earbuds were often stuttering and failing due to the cable strands breaking. I switched to Bluetooth. It hasn't been flawless to be sure, but the comfort of cordless/wireless sound is so awesome that I also want it everywhere else.

    To be sure, I'd call it pretty good but not great. For instance, while there's plenty of choice among earbuds, I'm still looking for a bluetooth version of the Sennheiser HD 558. The ear cups are easily the biggest (inside diameter 2.75" or

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Static ( 1229 )

      There are Bluetooth dongles for receiving audio and using your existing headphones. They have been aiming at people with high-end headphones, so their DACs are really good. But you can use whatever you like with them. An EarStudio is the one I use, but there are others.

    • 8 of 14 people found this answer helpful.
      Jack connected headphones render usually better than BT.
      BT device is one more thing to charge / power.
      Cannot charge an iPhone while the lightning 2 jack is used.
      Tl;dr give us back the jack.

  • Does anyone reading this not have a pile of USB chargers by now? I know I do. I don't need another in the box with the phone. If I do need a charger then I'd like a choice between getting the tiny 5 watt charger or the bigger 30 watt charger.

    Maybe even leave out the painfully short 1 meter cable, I'd prefer the 2 meter cable instead. I'd buy a 3 meter cable if I could find one. I'd also like the choice between USB-A and USB-C instead of Apple making that choice for me.

    I know that with most any new elec

    • Does anyone reading this not have a pile of USB chargers by now? I know I do. I don't need another in the box with the phone.

      Speak for yourself. I find that each phone generation wants a beefier charger. More battery capacity, faster charging. Give me a charger that's tailored to the phone, thanks. Switching power supply technology keeps improving, so each USB charger generation ends up about the same size, and a bit more efficient, nice.

      Apple can keep removing things that people need and want, I don't care, in fact it's amusing. I get my electronics from somebody else.

    • I for one am quite happy with my pile of USB chargers. Because before those were the norm, every phone would come with its own proprietary charger, which often weren't interchangable between different phones even from the same brand. Now, if a charger breaks (it happens), just get another from the pile. And they are useful for powering other stuff like Pi's.
      • I'm guessing you don't own an iPhone, with it's non-interchangable lightning port (even with a newer macbook).
        • I do own an iPhone. And use Apple chargers to power other USB stuff, or charge the phone from a non Apple charger using the lightning cable. You still need the special cable but the chargers are pretty much interchangable.
    • For one thing, Apple repeatedly says you are on your own if you don't use the correct Apple approved accessory. For another thing, how many powerbars full of USB chargers and I supposed to have?
    • I volunteer at a non-profit that recycles and repurposes electronics and computers. Your unneeded VGA cable is a great help for us. Sometimes we get monitors with NO cables, and we can make use of your VGA cable. Even if we cannot, we can recycle it for it's base components (Copper). If you decide not to donate your cables to a recycler, they can often be given to friends and family members who can make use of them. There is really no need to just throw it in the trash.

  • Apple has to get more money per follower, it's the only way to hold the stock up. Come on, don't be stingy, Apple needs your retirement savings more than you do! What are you, selfish?

  • There will come an iphone with no physical ports, no buttons, no screen... just an off-beige slab of plastic that you buy, and charge, which tracks your movements. The perfect product.

  • Is Apple aware that many airlines won't let you use wireless headphones and devices during flight? Or does Apple just wish us to be "courageous"?

  • I tried the wireless thing with some decent mid-range Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones for 170 Euros. It was a drag. Flaky connections breaking down after 30 minutes, increased charging hell with smartphone, tablet, notebook and then headset, sub par Bluetooth connectivity on Linux and Chromebooks, etc.

    I replaced the mobile wireless attempt with a regular wired headset without noise cancelling. It's a small step back again put it's feasible for everyday usage opposite wireless. At least in my experienc

  • So far, the Bluetooth headset I have used with the iPhone have had the most terrible latency. The audio sometimes is a full second behind. A work I got a Plantronics noise canceling set and they are unusable while watching YouTube videos using Bluetooth. I had another pair from a different manufacturer and it was equally bad.
    The same goes for the Bluetooth connection to my car, a Panasonic head unit.
    Isn’t there someone in the protocol to counter the lag? I thought I read something about that somewhere

    • Jobs focused on quality. Cook focuses on margin. Cannot have both.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by yabos ( 719499 )
      I think it's your head phones that cause the lag. In my old car I had a cheap $30 bluetooth AUX adapter and when I played music or whatever in my car there was no lag. With the exact same phone but in my "new"(2010) car(Mazda), there's a delay of a couple seconds now. Same phone, different car. I think the car/headphones have some buffer or something that causes the delay. My same phone works fine with some cheap bluetooth earbuds as well. I watch videos no problem. So something with the bluetooth imp
  • ...years ago I ordered an Iphone from a chinese reseller, and in the box there was just the earphone.

  • Acceptance (Score:3, Insightful)

    by StormReaver ( 59959 ) on Saturday August 04, 2018 @06:40AM (#57067934)

    it's hard to imagine that customers will take the news well.

    Seriously!? Has the writer not paid attention to the Apple customer profile for the last 20 years? Not only will Apple customers take the abuse well, they will drop their pants, bend over, and ask to be anally abused with 1 grit sandpaper. Then they will kindly ask Apple to include rougher sandpaper (and charge an extra $80 for it), because 1 grit isn't edgy enough.

    • I would reduce the time span to 6 years, not 20, though.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by daftna ( 630630 )
      I was a loyal Apple user since the 80's. Counter to what was said a lot here in the earlier age of OS X it was basically a really good GUI over FreeBSD and was really stable and easy for me to use. It "Just worked". However, I have completely lost faith in the Apple brand over the last few years. They have moved from making good products to just making good profits. All of my computers and devices seem to arbitrarily slow down. You can't upgrade one piece of the software without upgrading the whole thing wh

  • I'm an old Apple hand but this really is self-interest masquerading as a feature. Headphones with wires are not only incredibly inexpensive, but guaranteed to work barring physical damage and aren't immediately devalued by irreplaceable battery cycle degradation.

     

  • iOS does not support AptX, AptX HD, nor LDAC (all of which are much higher quality audio than AAC or SBC). Note that at least macOS supports the AptX codecs.

    iOS does not support any files higher than 24/48, meaning all the new, high res and enhanced (like MQA) audio is DOA for your iPhone and iPad. Sure, you CAN maintain downgraded copies to handle, but now you have to double your library.

    Apple doesn't really care about audio, at least from a portable standpoint. It's no surprise they would kill off the

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