The previous week saw a lot of iPhone 7 rumors. If you pay attention to that sort of thing, you saw photos and videos of the device itself, as well as the oft-rumored Lightning EarPods, which are said to be replacing the standard 3.5mm EarPods later this year. And while I’ve already touched on why that potential reality, plus many other factors, has me on the edge regarding future upgrade plans, I want to specifically talk about the change in the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Not too long ago, back before I realized that maybe I didn’t need, or really want, to upgrade to the iPhone 7, I didn’t care at all that people expected Apple to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack. After all, I use either wireless headphones, or I use the headphones that come in the box. And simple logic would dictate that Apple wouldn’t include headphones in the box that couldn’t directly connect to the phone they were sold with.
My expectations started to waver a bit when those first rumors about an adapter started showing up. For those who missed them: It’s still being shot out into the wild that Apple will include a 3.5mm adapter in the box with the iPhone 7, along with 3.5mm EarPods — but still remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from the phone.
So if these rumors are true —and they won’t go away!— that means Apple’s bold enough to remove this jack that’s been around for what feels like forever, but at the same time admit that it might be dumb they removed it by including an adapter for headphones meant for that old jack.
The only saving grace here is that I don’t think Apple is that ridiculous.
Is Apple ridiculous enough to create an adapter such as that? Yes, absolutely. It’ll probably retail for $30. And Apple will have the Lightning EarPods, too. But they’ll more than likely put the majority of their marketing power on truly wireless earbuds, something we’ve also heard spewed from the Rumor Mill quite often, too.
But, ignoring all of that, and just assuming that logic should rule the day here, and Apple does include Lightning EarPods. So they’ll plug into the only port available, leaving no option for charging the device while you’re listening to music. This is something that has been brought up before, even by me, and that’s not really the point.
The point here is that, if Apple is going this route — then the iPhone 7 needs to feature wireless charging.
As I write this, I’m charging my iPhone and I’m listening to music with my headphones plugged in. There’s a potential future where I can’t do that, and that seems ridiculous to me. I don’t mind that they want to get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack — I really don’t. It was always going to happen eventually, and technically Apple’s not even the first one to do it. Motorola beat them to it! So if we’re going to blame someone, it’d be them. (Sure, they probably did it because Apple-based rumors, but still.)
It has been rumored before that the iPhone 7 will get wireless charging, but then they were quickly shot down by other rumors suggesting the iPhone 7 Plus will be the only new model that might feature it. And no, I don’t think Apple’s crazy enough to include an adapter with their new phones, I do think Apple’s crazy enough to make the iPhone 7 Plus feature wireless charging as one of its standout features compared to the iPhone 7. (It will also probably have a dual-camera, but apparently it needs more.)
A scenario where Apple includes wireless charging with the larger model, and uses it as a major selling point, is a future that I can see becoming a reality. And then, next year, both models will feature wireless charging.
The iPhone 7 needs wireless charging. Apple’s late to this game anyway, but if they’re going to remove one of the jacks, and force people to use only one, then I need wireless charging to make sure I don’t have to sacrifice listening to music or charging my phone. Would you buy the new iPhone if it had wireless charging?
