14 DAY TRIAL // The iPhone 7 will launch in just a few hours without a headphone jack, as Apple is going all-in on its Lightning connector in a move that has until now generated mixed reactions from potential buyers around the world.
Although the removal of the headphone jack seems to be a really big thing for the entire industry, Apple’s ready to do it with the iPhone 7, but the company has a plan to make the transition easier for everyone.
It’s believed that the iPhone 7 will launch with a jack-to-Lightning adapter, but Apple is hoping that, after some time, nobody will be interested in such a thing because it will release its very own high-end wireless headphones.
In-house developed headphone chip
A note from KGI analysts reveals that Apple is aiming for the high-end market, but not with Beats headphones as everyone would expect, but with its own product that will be based on a chip working in a similar way to Bluetooth. Apple doesn’t want to use the traditional Bluetooth system, but an in-house chip that would provide better battery life and increased audio quality.
“We believe Apple will position Beats in the midrange market once it launches Apple’s own-brand Bluetooth headphones, in order to maximize profit with a dual-brand strategy. We also believe Apple will have its own-designed Bluetooth-like communication chip, given its higher requirements for power-saving, communication specs and potential rapid growth of Bluetooth headphone shipments,” the analysts explains.
The iPhone 7 will thus be one of the first phones on the market to give up on the headphone jack, and Apple will go instead for a secondary speaker grille to fill in the gap. This won’t make the iPhone 7 stereo but will contribute to a more consistent look, with sources saying that Apple has also tried to make the speakers louder on this new model.
Full details will be unveiled at the press conference that kicks off in a few hours, but details on the release date of the new headphones are not yet available, so don’t expect them to show up today.