Apple Ditches the 3.5mm Headphone Jack
Almost a couple of months ago, a number of reports circulated indicating that Apple will ditch the 3.5 mm headphone jack in its next iPhone release. All reports point to the same source--a Japanese blog, which is considered as an often “reliable source.†The source also cites that as a result, the next Apple iPhone will be slimmer. Moreover, in the absence of a 3.5 mm jack, it will most likely support wireless charging and use an all-in-one lightning connector inside.
Apple was, likewise, reported to outfit its complimentary EarPods headset with a digital-to-analog converter incorporated into its plug, as part of the shift to Lightning. Third-party manufacturers might then be forced to create a Lightning-to-analog adapter if one is not provided by Apple.
This potential move to have Lightning-enabled headphone accessories at a session on "Designing Accessories for iOS and OS X" was tackled during last year’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). One Insider likewise reported that Apple has patented a slimmer headphone plug. The Insider further noted that the patent for this connector was first filed for in May 2011 and credits Albert J. Golko and Mathias W. Schmidt as its inventors.
Elmer De Witt, Fortune’s resident Apple Insider expert, argued in one of the reports, “Is Apple really prepared to render obsolete countless third-party headphones, hundreds of millions of its own white earbuds, and those clever magstrip credit-card readers (like Square’s) that slot into the port?
It wouldn’t be the first time Apple had abandoned a popular technological standard in the name of a higher purpose—like shaving another millimeter off the iPhone 6S. Remember when the Mac lost the floppy disk? The CD-ROM? The DVD? Firewire? USB Type-A?†What about when iPhone 5 was released in 2012, Apple retired its proprietary 30-pin dock connector in favor of the smaller Lightning connector?
Apple has brought significant feature modifications to its users to increase functionality in its products. If the reports are indeed true, Apple customers will naturally have a better experience to look forward to with its next generation of iPhone products.