[schalliol]

I found this article very interesting.  With outboard DACs and Amps many folks here use, I don't have a problem with this at all with exception to the notion you would need a dongle or something else to power the iPhone/iPad.  Realistically, I don't need my iPhone any thinner and I'd prefer more battery at the same size.  Eventually I can see ultra thinness could offer some benefit through more flexible shapes, but that's not going to happen for a while.  It's interesting to imagine power supplied from an iOS device versus through a dedicated source and might offer unique mobile products that reduce weight by using Apple's battery buying power as well as more control potential.
 

Lightning headphones could allow Apple to make slimmer iPhones by ditching 3.5mm headphone jack

 

[Brubacca]

This is horrible. You would be forced to use their headphones for the average user. I hate apple. Got my Geek Wave on order.

I'll bet you'll be able to get beats by Apple lightning headphones.

 

[InternetSandman]

The iPhone is already too thin, whenever I take it out of my battery case it feels like a rather thick credit card that I could snap in half if I got pissed, and the battery is rather weak IMO

Apple won't do this. There's no feasible benefit to this. They would alienate potential new iOS users and drive away a significant portion of their current user base, only keeping those that are already too locked in to care. Besides, moving the DAC, the amp, and requisite power sources into the headphones themselves will make them more expensive, heavier and bulkier, which is horrible for portable use, or else it means that you have to carry around an outboard portable DAC/amp setup to listen to headphones of your choice, and at that point you might as well just get a dedicated DAP

 

[zeroviz]

While Apple has in the past introduced some changes that initially seemed strange (abolishing floppy disc, going to lightning connector etc) that looking 
back upon now, seem like reasonable changes, now more than ever they are market driven.
 
My Ipod 5 went straight into a hard shell case because I knew I would bend it.....thin is nice but battery life is also crap due to small capacity...lucky to get 7 hours
just playing music, no wifi etc.
I'm often outside and the display is barely readable in sunlight. Obviously I don't quite fit the demographic that these devices are aimed at. Perhaps the ipod
being "engineered for maximum funness" means indoor use only.
Don't get me started on the white, white look of ios 7.....totally useless outside in bright light.
 
If apple implements a 2.5mm plug its no big deal, but I'm nearly ready to jump off the bus after 20 odd years.

 

[rfvijn]

Never going to happen.
 
And no reason for anyone to get worked up, or threaten to leave Apple over a rumor article.

 

[floodo1]

lol at everyone that thinks their iphone would bend or snap or something.

 

[D3Seeker]

I theory, neat idea. However they are not the one to implement this in any meaningful way, especially since they bought Beats. this is gonna be absolute garbage.

 

[rfvijn]

  I theory, neat idea. However they are not the one to implement this in any meaningful way, especially since they bought Beats. this is gonna be absolute garbage.

What's going to be garbage?  This isn't happening.

 

[D3Seeker]

  What's going to be garbage?  This isn't happening.

For at least one iteration of the iphone it may. and you know them sheeple are gonna eat it up like it's the best stuff on Earth. This is Apple we're talking about; They messed with Final Cut, something that is supposed to be determined by the INDUSTRY what features are there, built-in or  left to plug-ins, and they watered it down to uselessness, to find they shouldn't have messed with an INDUSTRY'S tools. With the consumer however they aren't gonna be remotely as concerned with backlash, and are gonna do what they please. It might not get far outside of their stuff but aren't the kind of company to think about this stuff before they do it.

 

[goodvibes]

The thinner they get, the easier they are to break by bending, especially as the screens get larger. the 3.5 mm plug is not larger than what is functional reasonable for phone thickness. 

 

[schalliol]

I would be all for this if they had a pair of these ports in the phone, so they could create something better than the ancient crap of 3.5mm, which has no good signaling functions, no ability to do balanced, and the ability to have a DAC plugged in with power/sync at the same time etc.  They just need to make a tiny adapter for those on 3.5.  Fortunately Apple decided to use 3.5 instead of 2.5 like everyone else when they released the iPhone.