A video shows what appears to be Apple’s Lightning connector earbuds is making the rounds, and if it’s legit it looks like we won’t be able to charge our iPhones while using them. Apple still hasn’t confirmed that this fall’s iPhone will ditch the familiar 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of audio over Lightning, but as we get closer to the release it’s seeming more and more likely.
The video comes courtesy of Mobile Fun’s YouTube channel. It shows the headphones connected to an iPhone 6s with the inline remote controlling music playback. It’s possible the demonstration is faked and they used clever camera positioning to use Apple’s current 3.5mm jack earbuds to simulate the Lightning connection, but that seems like a lot of effort to fake an earbud demonstration.
Assuming the video is legit and show Apple’s new earbuds, it’s likely this is what we’ll get in the box when the new iPhone models ship this fall.
Some reports suggest Apple will include 3.5mm connector earbuds and a Lightning adapter with the new iPhone. That’s possible, but doesn’t fit with Apple’s track record of dumping a technology and offering adapters as an accessory purchase. In this case, that accessory would be the 3.5mm to Lightning adapter.
Reports have been saying for months that the new iPhone, speculatively dubbed the iPhone 7, will look nearly identical to the iPhone 6s. The new model will reportedly do away with the traditional audio jack, reposition the antenna lines, get better cameras and faster processors, and will offer more storage.
Apple is planning to release iOS 10 sometime in September, which coincides with the traditional iPhone launch window. Based on current leaks and speculation, Apple will likely announce the new iPhone models in the first week of September.
Assuming Apple really does kill off the 3.5mm headphone jack, get ready for lots of complaining for the loss of a technology that’s more than 50 years old. The jack first went into use in 1964, but gained widespread popularity in 1979 with the launch of Sony’s Walkman portable cassette player.
Apple talks about giving us new technologies we didn’t know we couldn’t live without. It sounds like this time they’re taking away a technology we didn’t realize we could live without—and an adapter cable for those of us who really can’t leave the 3.5mm headphone jack behind yet.
And giving us one that we have been living just fine without. The 50 year old technology is still more than what most people neen, vinyl loving audiophiles not withstanding. The smart move would be to include both ports, but to include Lightning earbuds and let the users see just how good they may be.