Going into Apple’s iPhone 7 unveiling on Wednesday, people already knew what their biggest complaint about Apple’s new iPhones would be. How did they know? Well, because just about everything there was to know about the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus had leaked long before Apple got around to announcing its next-generation iPhones. As had been rumored for months, Apple’s new iPhones don’t have a headphone jack. And as a result, people who charge their phones while listening to music are going to have to adjust their behavior once they upgrade to the new iPhones.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Apple in the past, it’s this: Apple never closes a door without giving you the option to pay to open a window.
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The removal of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is definitely going to be annoying for many users, though we sincerely doubt that this issue will stop most people from upgrading. But, if you count yourself among the many people upset about the removal of the 3.5mm audio port, there is some good news to be had. Sort of.
When Apple makes big changes like this, it always gives users the option to shell out some extra cash for a solution, just as it did with the USB-C port on the new MacBook. Such is the case here, as well.
Apple makes an iPhone Lightning Dock that you can purchase in space gray, silver, gold, rose gold or black. It costs $49. Your iPhone plugs into the dock via a Lightning plug, and then there’s a Lightning port and a 3.5mm audio port on the back of the dock. That means you can charge your iPhone and listen to music at the same time.
Now, this definitely is not an ideal solution. $49 is a lot of money for a phone dock, but the bigger issue here is that this solution is really only a good one if you’re at home or in your office and your iPhone can sit stationary on a desk or table. If you’re in a car or traveling, this solution isn’t a good one at all.
The silver lining is that we’ll soon see a new crop of accessories from third-party companies that are aimed specifically at solving this problem. So, if you don’t want to go wireless, there will be plenty of ways to avoid it in the coming weeks and months.
