Apple Doesn't Know Jack, Part 2

If the rumors hold true, the next iPhone, iPhone 7 or whatever Apple calls it, will not have a headphone jack. As Chicken Little noted, "The sky is falling!" Or is it? Is it possible, just possible, that losing the headphone jack could net us a nice step forward in audio playback quality?

As we discussed in Part 1, there are a number of reasons why Apple might omit the headphone jack. Some of the reasons (thinner case, more waterproof) don't seem persuasive. Another reason (more profit) does make sense. Apple could sell headphone dongles for the Lightning port, it could sell Beats Lightning and Bluetooth headphones, and it could license any other company that wanted to sell dongles or make Lightning headphones. That's fine. Without a hint of irony or bitterness, I can say that greed is good.

But Apple also has a golden opportunity to do something good, indeed—brilliant. For all the PITAs it would cause, omitting the headphone jack could benefit contemporary audio playback, if Apple adds a certain new feature.

It is a scientific fact that the future of mobile audio playback is wireless. Wired headphones can be cheap, and the wire does not degrade audio quality. But consider, cumulatively, the number of hours, days, and months you have spent untangling headphone cables. Wires are a pain. Compared to the high-tech nature of your phone, those wires are distinctly low tech. Wires are unbearably inconvenient. When people hop into a car, they generally pair, not plug their phones. Wired audio has its place, but it's not in mobile devices.

Therefore it makes sense to use Bluetooth to convey audio from phones to headphones. It is not terribly expensive, it is high-tech, and it is convenient. The problem, of course, is fidelity. Conventional Bluetooth degrades fidelity. Samsung and some other manufacturers overcome this with aptX Bluetooth, which if not transparent, is very good. Once car makers get a clue, and start building aptX into the cars, life would be pretty good.

But Apple doesn't use aptX. The Not Invented Here syndrome probably stops them from putting someone else's tech into the phones. But here's the important point. If the next generation of iPhones does not have a headphone jack, Apple should instead build in a proprietary high-fidelity Bluetooth algorithm. That would be brilliant. Regardless of fidelity or lack of it, because of the convenience, people will use a wireless audio connection anyway. By putting in a high-fidelity Bluetooth feature, Apple can do their customers a great service by giving them good audio quality too.

It could be built into Bluetooth headphones, it could be added to Apple CarPlay, and we could enjoy wireless convenience and fidelity. If you want straight-wire audio, you could always use a Lightning dongle. If Apple loses the jack, but upgrades Bluetooth fidelity, I would applaud their audio engineers. If they just lose the jack and miss this opportunity—well, never mind.

COMMENTS
brenro's picture

Avoid Apple

mjgraves's picture

Maybe Bluetooth 5 to the rescue? Or Analog over lighting? I understand that there are provisions to pass analog over a portion of a USB 3.1 connection.

thehun's picture

Motorola already released the Moto Z without 3.5mm jack, so no speculation is required.

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