APPLE will ditch the industry-standard 3.5mm headphone port on its next iPhone in favour of its "thinnest design yet," an increasing number of sources have claimed.
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| High quality audio will be handled via Apple's own Lightning ports |
Apple is expected to drop the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack from its next iPhone design.
Instead, the iPhone 7 will support high-quality audio playback via Apple's reversible Lightning connector as well as wireless bluetooth headphones, sources claim.
Dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack – a hundred-year old technology based on analogue signals – will save space inside the device for new components.
Two Chinese sites, Anzhou and Macotakara, have quoted anonymous sources from within Apple's supply chain.
They claim the US firm has been able to shave "more than a millimetre" from its latest iPhone design, thanks to the move away from the 3.5mm jack.
The current models, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, measure 7.1 mm and 7.3 mm respectively.
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| Apple is expected to shave another millimetre from its next smartphone design |
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| A number of third-party manufacturers already sell Lightning-equipped headphones |
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| The current models, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, measure 7.1 mm and 7.3 mm respectively |
Although its worth noting the latest generation of iPod Touch is a full millimetre thinner than the iPhone 6S, some 6.1 mm, but keeps the 3.5mm headphone port.
Apple is expected to bundle Lightning-equipped EarPod headphones with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, to help ease the transition for consumers.
But the move is likely to ruffle a few feathers amongst the Apple fan-base. More than 3,000 customers have already signed a petition against the rumoured change.
The iconic 3.5 mm port is ubiquitous, in part because it's an open standard – and partly because it is cheap to produce.
By comparison, Apple charges manufacturers a licence-fee to use its proprietary Lightning connector in their wired headphones.
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| Philips introduced a pair of high fidelity Lightning-equipped headphones last year |
As a result only a few manufacturers – including Philips and JBL – have released compatible headphones since the MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod) specifications were released.
Lightning headphones are capable of receiving lossless stereo 48 kHz digital audio output from Apple devices, as well as sending mono 48 kHz digital input from a microphone.
Manufacturers can also include remote controls with the ability to change the volume, pause and play audio, as well as buttons to launch specific apps.
A Lightning connector to 3.5mm jack adapter is also expected to be sold separately by Apple.
The Cupertino company was first granted a patent for Lightning connector equipped headphones back in December 2014.
But a move to the Lightning connector might not simply result in thinner iPhones. Apple was previously approved a US patent for Lightning headphones with built-in pressure sensors.
These sensors would dynamically change the volume of your music playback based on ambient noise and the seal between the headphone and your ear canal.
The US patent is a follow-up to a similar idea filed by the company back in 2011, it would track the air pressure inside your ear and adjust the volume at different audible frequencies to compensate for the seal.
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