iPhone 7 Will Revolutionize Portable Audio for the First Time in a Decade

[Bombarde]

  Haha! It happened! Just got the EL8 titanium and am listening to them before i inevitably return them to the apple store. It was on 30%, went to plug it into the charging cable, BOOM! No charge for you, son!

Well, lucky for you that you're not using an iPhone 7! Cuz you can just switch from the Cipher to the standard 3.5 plug and charge away!

 

[Armx]

Well, lucky for you that you're not using an iPhone 7! Cuz you can just switch from the Cipher to the standard 3.5 plug and charge away!

He can even if he's using iPhone 7 with Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter

 

[RugbyPlayer]

I still don't understand why the dongle didn't work until an Apple device had any form of iOS 10 installed. Maybe the omniscient "Rugby Player" could elaborate on that logistical deviation? The Lightning port has been supporting audio for a while now.

Seperately, I distinctly remember a time when none of the companies had a headphone jack... Until Apple released the OG iPhone (well technically that Apple/Motorola). I find that an interesting point to remind.

 
Could be because the protocol and timing to talk to the new DAC is different and they dont want to release a new rev of ios9, or a new authentication chip (all of apples official accessories including cables have authorization chips) and again they didnt want to rev it into an old os they are replacing, there are a ton of reasons they would do this

 

[Spronic]

I see it like this, the history of the idevice ecosystem as:
iPhone SE (iPhone 5, small form device)
iPhone 6s (legacy device still sold and having HP plug, but will be upgraded slightly behind current editin)
iPhone 7 (newest and greatest, before the real upgrade next year for 10th anniversary)

My point, the 3.5 jack will still be around, and that's Apples plan. Offer a future (for a bit) but push it forward. There's no "killer app" to make you get the 7 other than the waterproofness? I wouldn't be surprised if next year the iPhone 6s is still available as an SE with better internals. Point is, nothing is solidified yet, options are still available with the 3.5 jack, and for a while.

 

[Currawong]

I remember the crapfight when Apple released the iMac without a floppy drive, then refused to allow Flash in iOS. In those cases, the tech was inevitably going to end up dead. In the case of the headphone socket, while not a dead technology, wireless headphone sales have globally overtaken that of wired, and I've heard what Sony is capable of delivering wirelessly. I think in the consumer space wireless audio become the main technology, and wired audio will be relegated more and more to the space of "audiophiles". Though after hearing what Audeze has been capable of through a Lightning cable, that is what the future is going to look like for a significant segment of the market I reckon. 

 

[SparkOnShore]

I remember the crapfight when Apple released the iMac without a floppy drive, then refused to allow Flash in iOS. In those cases, the tech was inevitably going to end up dead. In the case of the headphone socket, while not a dead technology, wireless headphone sales have globally overtaken that of wired, and I've heard what Sony is capable of delivering wirelessly. I think in the consumer space wireless audio become the main technology, and wired audio will be relegated more and more to the space of "audiophiles". Though after hearing what Audeze has been capable of through a Lightning cable, that is what the future is going to look like for a significant segment of the market I reckon. 

+1

Wise post & up to the point!! Thanks!

 

[dbaker1981]

The only problem I have with this is the fact that Apple still uses proprietary connections. So it's more work for manufacturers and more money for us that use both OS's.

 

[Bombarde]

He can even if he's using iPhone 7 with Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter

 
...assuming he's carrying one around with him.

But that's exactly what I don't like about Apple's new thinking. 
 
It used to be that devices were self contained, even going so far as to build SD card readers into the MacBook. 
 
Suddenly now, they think it's good to off-board these functionalities. My iMac now is connected to an external optical drive so I can make my lossless files from the CDs I buy. Users of the 1-port MacBook have to by an $80 octopus to plug in multiple devices simultaneously. And now we have the iPhone 7, which needs a headphone adapter cable, and the Camera Adapter to match the functionality of prior versions.
 
All to honor some misguided design aesthetic which say that purity of design is more important than providing a versatile user experience. This is an about face from how Apple used to design products.
 
I don't want to have to purchase and tote around all these adapters. I'll buy a product that doesn't require them.

 

[dbaker1981]

...assuming he's carrying one around with him.


But that's exactly what I don't like about Apple's new thinking. 

It used to be that devices were self contained, even going so far as to build SD card readers into the MacBook. 

Suddenly now, they think it's good to off-board these functionalities. My iMac now is connected to an external optical drive so I can make my lossless files from the CDs I buy. Users of the 1-port MacBook have to by an $80 octopus to plug in multiple devices simultaneously. And now we have the iPhone 7, which needs a headphone adapter cable, and the Camera Adapter to match the functionality of prior versions.

All to honor some misguided design aesthetic which say that purity of design is more important than providing a versatile user experience. This is an about face from how Apple used to design products.

I don't want to have to purchase and tote around all these adapters. I'll buy a product that doesn't require them.

You have to remember the real reason there doing it. They are shifting the cost of the things we use on to us so there profit margin is higher.

 

[Bombarde]

  I remember the crapfight when Apple released the iMac without a floppy drive, then refused to allow Flash in iOS. In those cases, the tech was inevitably going to end up dead. In the case of the headphone socket, while not a dead technology, wireless headphone sales have globally overtaken that of wired, and I've heard what Sony is capable of delivering wirelessly. I think in the consumer space wireless audio become the main technology, and wired audio will be relegated more and more to the space of "audiophiles". Though after hearing what Audeze has been capable of through a Lightning cable, that is what the future is going to look like for a significant segment of the market I reckon. 

As you pointed out, the floppy and Flash were flawed and would be short lived. Do you really feel the same way about analog phone plugs? Seems to me that we will always have a need for those, as they are an extremely elegant way to connect analog devices and transducers. Unless we want to go balanced with everything.
 
And while I take your point about it being relegated to audiophile use, the headphone jack is one of the few things we use on the audiophile side that is actually ubiquitous on the consumer side. I see no advantage to consumers to do away with it.
 
Wireless is appealing, but will always have it's drawbacks in that it is susceptible to range, interference, and requires charged batteries. Wired connections will always be desired as an alternative connection. 

 

[Bombarde]

You have to remember the real reason there doing it. They are shifting the cost of the things we use on to us so there profit margin is higher.

And if they would really do that, at the expense of creating an elegantly useful product, that's a very sad evolution for Apple.

 

[SparkOnShore]

...assuming he's carrying one around with him.


But that's exactly what I don't like about Apple's new thinking. 

It used to be that devices were self contained, even going so far as to build SD card readers into the MacBook. 

Suddenly now, they think it's good to off-board these functionalities. My iMac now is connected to an external optical drive so I can make my lossless files from the CDs I buy. Users of the 1-port MacBook have to by an $80 octopus to plug in multiple devices simultaneously. And now we have the iPhone 7, which needs a headphone adapter cable, and the Camera Adapter to match the functionality of prior versions.

All to honor some misguided design aesthetic which say that purity of design is more important than providing a versatile user experience. This is an about face from how Apple used to design products.

I don't want to have to purchase and tote around all these adapters. I'll buy a product that doesn't require them.

Why are you buying CDs in 2016??? You know you can stream all the music of the world anymore, wherever you are, isn't it???

 

[Bombarde]

Why are you buying CDs in 2016??? You know you can stream all the music of the world anymore, wherever you are, isn't it???

Not in lossless format I have a lot of somewhat obscure tastes in music... 
 
Also, what is available to stream today is not always available tomorrow. And I like paying the artist for a hard copy of work I like.
 
I would, however, likely buy a Hi-Res download - but those are still a bit sparse, especially for some of my eclectic tastes. 
 
Sorry... back on topic.

 

[oryan_dunn]

Not in lossless format I have a lot of somewhat obscure tastes in music... 

Also, what is available to stream today is not always available tomorrow. And I like paying the artist for a hard copy of work I like.

I would, however, likely buy a Hi-Res download - but those are still a bit sparse, especially for some of my eclectic tastes. 

Sorry... back on topic.

Same here. Also, I really only need a 16/44.1 download, not anything higher. Most high res downloads are higher than that, and cost that much more. Even 16/44.1 downloads many times cost more than if you just bought the CD.

 

[SparkOnShore]

Not in lossless format I have a lot of somewhat obscure tastes in music... 

Also, what is available to stream today is not always available tomorrow. And I like paying the artist for a hard copy of work I like.

I would, however, likely buy a Hi-Res download - but those are still a bit sparse, especially for some of my eclectic tastes. 

Sorry... back on topic.

Strange! Because I can find anymore many "eclectic", as you put it, pieces of music in streaming services, old and new. You know that all major classical works are available, jazz, experimental, practically everything. You pay the artists by your monthly fee to the streaming services, no worries!!

To my ears there is no difference between AAC and cd quality. But this is objective. If you can feel differences then check hi res files in Tidal or download Flac files, but no CDs on wall placements in 2016!!!...

And in any case you have to admit you are a rare case. Apple could not think about you when they decided to stop putting CD drive in Mac computers. Because of that they were able to add fusion drives and more, so that you can store on your 1TB iMac a good amount of files!!