The Internet is awash in rumors that technology giant Apple, in its next smartphone release perhaps called the iPhone 7, could do away with the standard headphone jack in favor of the proprietary Lightning port.
That tidbit was initially reported by Japanese website Mac Otakara. Over at MacRumors, the possible deletion of the 1-millimeter headphone jack is also being considered. From that Apple focused site, the suggested reasoning for getting rid of the headphone jack is to make the device slimmer.
“Apple may also be able to decrease the thickness of the iPhone 7 by up to 1 mm by eliminating the headphone jack and instead adopting an all-in-one Lightning connector … Apple may release EarPods with a Lightning connector alongside the new iPhone, and it’s likely the company will produce adapters to allow existing headphones to plug into the device should it decide to eliminate the headphone jack.”
It’s important to note that Apple watchers don’t expect the next iPhone release until late 2016, and speculation about the technical details is, at this point, just that: speculation.
But, assuming Apple does kill the familiar headphone jack, a few problems seem to arise. For instance, the Lightning port would serve as the plug in for your charging cable and your headphones; so, you wouldn’t be able to charge your phone and listen to music at the same time without some kind of adaptor.
Then there’s the issue of auxiliary cables. You’ll need to pick up a new one of those for the car and the house. And forget about playing DJ at someone else’s house party or on your way home in an Uber.
