Will you buy iPhone 7 or not if there is no headphone jack? [MERGED]

[timeconsumer]

What exactly are the ton of benefits? Do you shower with your phone? Go swimming with it?

I run, walk and cycle in the rain a lot. It's nice to use my phone for GPS purposes when cycling. For running, I like to track my runs and listen to music to help the time pass quicker. For walking, text messages and not worrying about getting the phone wet would be nice. I'm trying to train for at least a duathlon, however I wouldn't mind a triathlon eventually so swimming with the phone would be interesting but I haven't considered that, but I'm also not the best swimmer so I'm not usually swimming for too long.

 

[bufffilm]

I run, walk and cycle in the rain a lot. It's nice to use my phone for GPS purposes when cycling. For running, I like to track my runs and listen to music to help the time pass quicker. For walking, text messages and not worrying about getting the phone wet would be nice. I'm trying to train for at least a duathlon, however I wouldn't mind a triathlon eventually so swimming with the phone would be interesting but I haven't considered that, but I'm also not the best swimmer so I'm not usually swimming for too long.

Given that...easy to see why waterproofing would be a plus.

But it doesn't sway my stance though.
/ grin/

 

[BradWould]

Is anyone bothered the apparent lack of a headphone jack in the iPhone 7?

First I've heard of it...

 

[timeconsumer]

Given that...easy to see why waterproofing would be a plus.

But it doesn't sway my stance though.
/ grin/

That's fair. For the majority it would be better to keep the headphone jack.

 

[Savor]

Lack of headphone jack is probably Apple promoting multi-gadget usage. If you only carry one iPhone, use an iPod shuffle that can clip onto your clothes or a nano while working out in the gym or jogging. There were people complaining about iPhone 5 having the port on the bottom and consumers got used to it.

So many of your previous gadgets have a 3.5mm headphone jack like an older phone or iPod. Go ahead and continue to use those again. Keep them around longer. Cut back at all gadgets being disposed into a landfill. Multiple-gadget use has its advantages instead of the cycle of throwing away old gadgets to make way for a newer one.

For years, iPhones lacked -
- removable battery
- micro-sd slot
- FM radio

Yet, people already got used to it and still pay top dollar for Apple's ecosystem. Lack of headphone jack is nothing compared to lacking a removable battery or sd slot.

 

[Reno Raines]

It will bother me. That being said I can always buy an older iPhone with the 3.5mm jack. I use mine to plug into my aux jack in my car at work. That will stink losing that.

 

[mantan]

Lack of headphone jack is probably Apple promoting multi-gadget usage. If you only carry one iPhone, use an iPod shuffle that can clip onto your clothes or a nano while working out in the gym or jogging. There were people complaining about iPhone 5 having the port on the bottom and consumers got used to it.

So many of your previous gadgets have a 3.5mm headphone jack like an older phone or iPod. Go ahead and continue to use those again. Keep them around longer. Cut back at all gadgets being disposed into a landfill. Multiple-gadget use has its advantages instead of the cycle of throwing away old gadgets to make way for a newer one.

For years, iPhones lacked -
- removable battery
- micro-sd slot
- FM radio

Yet, people already got used to it and still pay top dollar for Apple's ecosystem. Lack of headphone jack is nothing compared to lacking a removable battery or sd slot.

'Multiple-gadget use has it's advantages'?!?!

 

[joeblow7777]

Lack of headphone jack is nothing compared to lacking a removable battery or sd slot.

Different people have different priorities. I've never needed an SD slot or removable battery, but I use the headphone jack all the time.

 

[Shirasaki]

'Multiple-gadget use has it's advantages'?!?!

Using dedicate device for dedicated purpose has its own advantages in some cases. Otherwise there is no market for those super pricy HiFi Music players, either software or hardware. Although I doubt Apple promotes this kind of use.

 

[Raffles76]

Is anyone bothered the apparent lack of a headphone jack in the iPhone 7?

As a frequent traveller it would mean that I would need wired headphones for the flight entertainment system and a second bluetooth set for the iphone. Or, perhaps, some rip-off connector to allow me to stick the headphone wire into the iphone. I have a better idea, put in a jack socket!

 

[Savor]

Removal of the headphone jack is the most telling sign the next iPhone will be waterproof. During the early models of the Xperia Z models and Galaxy S5, we dealt with these annoying flaps. Then Z3/Z3C arrived in late-2014 which still had a headphone jack but removed the flaps.

My theory why Apple is removing it is for a better water-resistant rating but also not to compromise the external speaker as seen going from Galaxy S6 to S7. Most waterproof phones deals with a water repellent material inside the headphone port which is why the S7/S7 edge produced lower external volumes than its predecessors. Apple decides to remove it altogether and make it up with a dual bottom stereo speakers that I hope is louder than BoomSound. One of my turnoffs of the iPhone SE is the weaker speaker. I watch videos more than listening to music, so I prefer a louder external speaker.

No big deal. Apple has never offered expandable storage but will charge you $100 for double the capacity when a 64gb card can go for $20, a 128gb for $40+, and a 200gb can go for $80-$90. That's a bigger ripoff than removing a headphone port. I can already imagine the iPhone 7 ads now taking cues from the Xperia acro S, Z, and ZR ads. The iPhone 7 being the ultimate pool/beach party iPhone.

 

[s15119]

Is anyone bothered the apparent lack of a headphone jack in the iPhone 7?

Probably not.

 

[nikabobriht]

It doesn't bother me because there will be an adapter.

 

[bandofbrothers]

I use both wired and Bluetooth earphones so it wouldn't be so much of a wrench for me.

I use Monster Turbines in ear which cost £150.00 {$198}

That said many have invested heavily in good headphones / earphones to replace the Apple ones so not then being able to use those would be disappointing. Maybe an adapter will be available but one possible downside is the degradation of sound quality.

 

[nikabobriht]

I use both wired and Bluetooth earphones so it wouldn't be so much of a wrench for me.

I use Monster Turbines in ear which cost £150.00 {$198}

That said many have invested heavily in good headphones / earphones to replace the Apple ones so not then being able to use those would be disappointing. Maybe an adapter will be available but one possible downside is the degradation of sound quality.

There are Hi-Fi earphones with lightning connector. It might be a solution for degradation of sound quality.

 

[joeblow7777]

It doesn't bother me because there will be an adapter.

Doesn't it bother you at all that you will need an extra peripheral to perform such a basic function?

 

[Savor]

Lacking a physical home button that outweighs the negativity of lacking a headphone jack. I won't see amymore customized home buttons like a BMW logo but I also don't have to worry about the mechanical home button wearing off after 18 months by needing to press the home button since it lacks a back button like 100x per day.

I can also turn off that annoying Assistive Touch virtual home button from iOS6 that becomes a nuisance while playing a game. Good riddance, physical home button! We won't miss youm Samsung likely copies Apple again and drops their home button next year. Then Apple copies Samsung with the S7 edge design. Pot meets kettle.

 

[mantan]

As a frequent traveller it would mean that I would need wired headphones for the flight entertainment system and a second bluetooth set for the iphone. Or, perhaps, some rip-off connector to allow me to stick the headphone wire into the iphone. I have a better idea, put in a jack socket!

Same here. I travel a lot of for work. My earbuds are used on a plane, on my laptop for SFB calls when I'm in different offices, for my iPad etc.

Having to carry multiple sets or an adapter doesn't make things simple. Nor does having to use bluetooth headphones and worried about keeping them charged.

If wireless works for some folks, great. But unless you are adding a significant feature, I'd prefer there was a choice.

Removing the drives from a laptop was a change. But it came along when home wireless speeds made for a better alternative. And it created a lot of space in the laptop to use for other things. (bigger battery, etc). This is just a flat money grab to sell some accessorizes and headphones.

 

[oxfordguy]

Yes, it will be annoying, as it means having another adaptor to be able to use all my different headphones/ear buds with the phone, which inevitably I won't have on me when I need it :-(

 

[Benjamin Frost]

It bothers me as a shareholder.

Due to the lack of headphone jack, this year's iPhone will see significantly fewer sales than the 6s/6s+. That will lead to a share price falling even lower than now. It will lead to Android gaining even more market share and see more developers abandoning iOS. They have already been abandoning the iPad in large numbers. The Mac App Store is dead.

There is no good reason for Apple to abandon the headphone jack, a port which is used on everything and will carry on being used due to its usefulness. Apple's blindness in this matter sums up everything that is wrong with the company. Cook wants to concentrate on politically correct topics like fitness, hence waterproof iPhone, hence no headphone jack. But he will sacrifice huge market share for this niche obsession.

I would like to see Samsung buy Apple and fire Sir Jonathan Ive and Tim Cook. Samsung have their pulse on what people want in a phone much more than Apple these days. For as long as Cook is CEO, Apple is a dead company. He must be forced out of Apple this year for the sake of its long term wellbeing.

 

[5105973]

It didn't bother me at first but then it occurred to me I have some accessories for which I still need the 3.5 mm connection. I don't want to keep track of the adaptor, I just want to be able to plug and play.

@Benjamin Frost has worded it rather in the extreme but I can't deny it...I'm taking this opportunity to explore Android. I'm waiting for the Note 7 debut, in particular. It's not that I'm displeased with the IPhone 7 leaks, I think it seems like a decent incremental upgrade.

But I'm super pleased with the SE and not as in love with my 6S Plus, though it's an excellent device. No sense in me getting an incremental upgrade of a device I've already cast aside, that is also minus a port that I use all the time.

So...there's no time like the present to wean myself off my dependency on iOS and iPhone. I think I'll be back for the 2017 iPhone.

But just in case Apple has lost their way, I don't want to be sticking with them because they're all I know. I've always been one to try to find the OS and the hardware that best match my interests and needs.

Even if all other manufacturers drop the 3.5 mm jack, that leaves some companies using various iterations of USB and Apple pulling a Sony and using a very proprietary connection. If they use one at all. It will be interesting to see where the industry goes. I'm going to keep my eyes and options open at this point.

 

[psac]

It bothers me as a shareholder.

Due to the lack of headphone jack, this year's iPhone will see significantly fewer sales than the 6s/6s+. That will lead to a share price falling even lower than now. It will lead to Android gaining even more market share and see more developers abandoning iOS. They have already been abandoning the iPad in large numbers. The Mac App Store is dead.

There is no good reason for Apple to abandon the headphone jack, a port which is used on everything and will carry on being used due to its usefulness. Apple's blindness in this matter sums up everything that is wrong with the company. Cook wants to concentrate on politically correct topics like fitness, hence waterproof iPhone, hence no headphone jack. But he will sacrifice huge market share for this niche obsession.

I would like to see Samsung buy Apple and fire Sir Jonathan Ive and Tim Cook. Samsung have their pulse on what people want in a phone much more than Apple these days. For as long as Cook is CEO, Apple is a dead company. He must be forced out of Apple this year for the sake of its long term wellbeing.

I don't know about the last part, but specifically regarding this, I'm totally with you. I'm really tempted to sell my shares before the announcement for this, because I think there will be a lot of doom and gloom, and rightfully so. The next model will sell terribly without the headphone jack, unless there is some super-compelling new feature, and stereo sound is not it.

 

[mantan]

It didn't bother me at first but then it occurred to me I have some accessories for which I still need the 3.5 mm connection. I don't want to keep track of the adaptor, I just want to be able to plug and play.

@Benjamin Frost has worded it rather in the extreme but I can't deny it...I'm taking this opportunity to explore Android. I'm waiting for the Note 7 debut, in particular. It's not that I'm displeased with the IPhone 7 leaks, I think it seems like a decent incremental upgrade.

But I'm super pleased with the SE and not as in love with my 6S Plus, though it's an excellent device. No sense in me getting an incremental upgrade of a device I've already cast aside, that is also minus a port that I use all the time.

So...there's no time like the present to wean myself off my dependency on iOS and iPhone. I think I'll be back for the 2017 iPhone.

But just in case Apple has lost their way, I don't want to be sticking with them because they're all I know. I've always been one to try to find the OS and the hardware that best match my interests and needs.

Even if all other manufacturers drop the 3.5 mm jack, that leaves some companies using various iterations of USB and Apple pulling a Sony and using a very proprietary connection. If they use one at all. It will be interesting to see where the industry goes. I'm going to keep my eyes and options open at this point.

I was very very close to doing the same thing. I ended up getting a 6s to replace my broken 6 last week...but I looked at the Galaxy S7 for a LONG LONG LONG time at the store. It would have been the perfect time to switch to Android. If I didn't like it, I wasn't missing much with the new 7 and could always trade back in for next year's release using AT&T Next.

 

[Savor]

The removal of the headphone jack is the most telling sign that iPhone 7 will be IP68 certified. Perhaps even IP65 since less entrances.

Like I said in another thread, it is very hard to predict what companies do year after year. For all we know, iPhone 8 won't be water-resistant but they could bring back the headphone jack. Then Apple brings back water-resistant for the 8s. Look at LG. G2 didn't have removable battery or sd slot. Brought both back for the last three flagships. Moto X and One M7 didn't have sd slot. Brought them back the following year. Samsung went from water-resistant with S5 to nada with S6 to back again for S7. They name what is supposed to be the Note 6 as the Note 7 to match the number of the S series. Apple surprised some with the SE.

We expect a tick year, Apple might go tick next year again. Back to back non-s years. They might go water-resistant this year, piss people off next year by removing it, then tick more people off by bringing it back in 2018. From naming schemes to adding or removing features, it is hard to predict what each company does year after year...

 

[eoblaed]

Is anyone bothered the apparent lack of a headphone jack in the iPhone 7?

Not in the slightest.