These days, iPhone 7 rumors are a dime a dozen, with some making more sense than others, considering the general pictures most reports have painted for this year’s new iPhone series. A new rumor from Japan suggests that Apple will indeed remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7. But the report says Apple will not bundle the new phones with redesigned EarPods that would connect to the device via Bluetooth or Lightning port. Instead, Apple is supposedly shipping new iPhones with 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapters. The rumor might sound silly, but it does make some sense.
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Most reports seem to indicate that Apple will kill the headphone jack starting with the iPhone 7, while only a few sporadic rumors say the 3.5mm headphone jack isn’t going anywhere.
Japanese Apple blog Macotakara says Apple isn’t ready to release a new EarPods design. Some reports suggested that Apple is either packing wireless or Lightning earphones with the iPhone 7, rather than regular EarPods with a Lightning adapter. The site says EarPods with a Lightning adapter will be included in the iPhone 7 box, without explaining Apple’s reasoning behind this decision.
By sticking with regular EarPods, Apple might be acknowledging the fact that iPhone users may want to use the earphones that ship with the iPhone 7 with other devices. Lightning-only EarPods would only work with iOS devices – and would probably anger buyers. Wireless EarPods would be a better alternative, though they would require constant battery recharging, and re-pairing with various devices that support Bluetooth connections.
Speaking of Bluetooth, Apple might be waiting for the new Bluetooth 5 spec to be released before launching any wireless products that would rely on Bluetooth to connect to iPhone and other gadgets.
The adapter would also work with any expensive wired headphones iPhone 7 buyers might already own.
On the other hand, adapters are very easy to lose, and might be somewhat bulky.
Macotakara also says the headphone jack will be replaced by a secondary speaker, and that the iPhone 7 will have a 256GB storage option.
