One of the most widely-circulated rumors about the upcoming iPhone 7 is that it will ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of Lightning or wireless headphones.
But don’t be so certain that this is the case: a newly-published photo, reporting to be a shot of the next-gen iPhone internals, appears to show the headphone jack still hanging on despite rumors of its demise.
Photo: MyDrivers
Is it legit? It’s always tough to tell with photos coming out of the Apple supply chain in China. We saw from the recent behind-the-scenes images of Apple factory Pegatron that Apple’s suppliers are taking more steps than ever to crack down on leaked iPhone components — although the sheer numbers involved in the manufacturing stage mean this will never be 100 percent certain.
By contrast, a recent shot of a “leaked” iPhone 7 case most definitely suggests a lack of headphone jack, along with the addition of stereo speakers. This is also “confirmed” by those elusive shadowy people with apparent knowledge of Apple’s future plans.
Personally, I’d suggest that Apple is likely to ditch the headphone jack — and doing so would certainly be in keeping with Apple’s past modus operandi, both in terms of coming up with ways to make the iPhone thinner than ever, and in ditching outdated standards in favor of Apple’s own proprietary technology.
But if you’re someone who desperately hopes this won’t be the case, today’s leak is certainly enough to give you a bit of hope.
Source: MyDrivers
Via: PhoneArena
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
2 responses to “Don’t bid farewell to iPhone 7’s headphone jack just yet”
I have a feeling there are going to be quite a few different models released. The “6SE” leaks we’ve seen with the same form factor may be similar to the 5SE philosophy and the iPhone Pro may boast the dual-camera, smart connector, etc. The 6SE may still have the 3.5 mm jack and the pro may opt for the expensive lightning connector/wireless Bluetooth headphone. So, in essence, both may be correct.
As someone currently using and loving a 6Plus for the past year and planning to upgrade to a 7Plus or rumored ‘pro,’ I pray they keep the jack on the larger iPhones. Would make sense as there’s more internal space to be able to accommodate it.