New Report Reaffirms Exclusion Of Headphone Jack On iPhone 7, Will Rely On Bluetooth / Lightning EarPods

An interesting iPhone rumor that was doing the rounds during the latter part of 2015 has started to circulate once again. There had been speculations earlier that Apple is planning to make some drastic design changes with the iPhone 7 in the form of removing the 3.5mm headphone socket. That speculation quickly died down, but has now suddenly emerged like a phoenix from the flames with a number of reports now suggesting that the company is definitely going ahead with such a change in this year’s September-bound iPhone 7.

The initial reporting on the subject suggested that Apple had plans to entirely remove the 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom of the iPhone in favor of an integrated all-in-one Lightning port solution that would handle connectivity, charging, and audio. The speculative nature of the report, and the fact that the 3.5mm jack has been present on all iPhone models to date and is still the de facto solution for wired headphones, was reason enough for it to have been immediately dismissed as potential fabrication. Now, a new report which cites possible supply chain sources, has reignited the rumor by suggesting that this change is apparently a confirmed one, albeit with one major new addition.

iPhone-7-EarPods

Yes, the iPhone 7 will not come equipped with a headphone jack as part of its DNA, however, the sources in question go as far as suggesting that Apple will manufacturer its own range of Bluetooth headphones for the iPhone 7. There’s no granular information on whether or not those Bluetooth headphones would be included in the box with the iPhone 7 in place of the current 3.5mm-compatible EarPods that Apple currently provides. Considering the company provides a specification for Lightning-equipped headphones as part of its official MFi Program, it would seem ludicrous that no Lightning EarPods are in the works if the rumor is in fact true.

Apple already provides a range of wireless headphones through its Beats brand that would make perfect accompaniments to the iPhone 7 if the 3.5mm jack was removed entirely. And since a Lightning-only solution would mean that iPhone 7 owners would be unable to charge the device and connect Lightning-equipped headphones at the same time, the addition of Bluetooth-based earbuds in the box would make more sense as it would allow the users to charge the phone via Lightning and listen to music wirelessly via Bluetooth at the same time.

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