It’s generally accepted as a foregone conclusion that Apple’s next-generation iPhone will hit our physical and digital shelves without the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack. This acceptance has led many analysts and individuals to speculate that Apple will be reinventing the current EarPods accessory to better match an iPhone that doesn’t accept the standard 3.5mm input.

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has once again published details of a patent application that provides us with an insight into a potential Apple product. The patent filing – titled “Audio class-compliant charging accessories for wireless headphones and headsets” – outlines an intelligent hybrid headphone system that knows whether to switch to a wired or wireless connection based on the type of audio data it receives from a connected device. This transition between states would be automated, instant, and handled without fuss by the device’s built-in “control circuitry”.

It is being rumored that Apple could replace the 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7 with a dual-stereo speaker setup. Here are the details.

New iPhone 7 concept video has chosen to play on a number of rumors that we’ve been hearing already regarding the next-generation iPhone. Would you be happy if this was reflective of the actual iPhone 7?

We may have only had the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus for a few months, but there’s already plenty of speculation running rife about the future of Apple’s wildly popular smartphone. We have already been told time and time again that Apple is planning on shipping the iPhone 7 without the inclusion of the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Until now that has been based purely on speculation and analysis from industry insiders, but with a discovery in iOS 9.3 beta 1.1, those speculations have been given a solid foundation. The code suggests that the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack will in fact become a reality.

Apple is said to be working on bringing its own truly wireless bluetooth Beats earphones to market, ready for the upcoming iPhone 7, which is rumored to have ditched the 3.5mm earphone jack.

A new report again claims that Apple’s iPhone 7 will likely feature a slimmer waterproof design, support wireless charging while excluding the 3.5mm audio jack.

A new report has reaffirmed earlier speculation that iPhone 7 will exclude 3.5mm headphone jack and will completely rely on Lightning and Bluetooth based EarPods.

Along with the iPhone 5’s release back in late 2012, Apple also took the wraps off its new EarPods earphones, which represented a marked improvement upon the previous ear buds in terms of design, audible output, and comfort. Aside from packing a mic and some basic controls, there wasn’t really much else to tell about the EarPods, but a new patent filing by the Cupertino company suggests that an accelerometer and beamforming mics could be thrown in to an improved edition, allowing the peripheral to include its very own voice-recognition facility.

It’s been a somewhat exciting keynote so far, as Apple has announced a good bunch of new products: the bigger, faster, but slimmer iPhone 5 with its support for 4G LTE, the lighting fast new dock connector, slick new version of iTunes, and the new iPod touch and nano with their welcome refreshes. Another product which was announced are the new earphones. Check them out after the jump.

The main focus of attention at today’s Apple media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco is, without doubt, the next-generation iPhone. Fans have yearned for months for this day to arrive, and despite the anticipation regarding the fruit company’s smartphone, it’s by no means the only thing on show at the event.