Hit The Road, Jack: iPhone 7 Will Lose Headphone Jack, Become Water Proof, Plus More Features

Apple iPhone 7, which is expected to hit the markets in fall this year, is already making waves on the internet.

There are several reasons for iPhone 7 to be able to create a buzz so many months before its release, but the one feature that has got everyone talking is that Apple is going to do away with the headphone jack once and for all. Fast Company reported last week that Apple was killing off the traditional 3.5mm audio jack in a bid to make iPhone 7 much slimmer than its predecessors, and although the company has yet to make an official statement confirming the rumor, internet seems to have reached a consensus about its veracity.

The move would obviously be deemed controversial if it comes to pass. As Business Insider reports, without a headphone jack, just about every wired headphone set currently on the market will become incompatible with the iPhone 7, meaning it could turn off scores of loyal Apple users who have trusted the company in the past with unflinching faith. An online petition asking Apple to make a U-turn in its plans to ditch the headphone jack has already garnered more than 250,000 signatures. But then, Apple is known for its penchant in making technologies obsolete, and now it would be a surprise if the reports do not turn out to be true.

It would leave Apple users with only two options — they will either be forced to switch to wireless headphones or use a pair compatible with the device’s Lightning port; and from what can be gleaned from the various technology blogs reporting on the move, it appears the company is planning to do both.

So Apple is dropping the headphone jack to make the iPhone thinner. Has anyone, ever, complained that the iPhone was not thin enough? Ever?

— Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) January 8, 2016

According to the report, Apple is working with its longtime audio chip partner Cirrus Logic to adapt the audio chipset in iPhone 7 to work with the Lightning port. Furthermore, the audio system is expected to employ a new noise-canceling technology from Wolfson Microelectronics — a U.K.-based audio tech company Cirrus acquired last year. The technology will be integrated not only into the new phone, but also into the headphones that will plug into it, helping remove background noise in music playback and in phone calls. But what will come as bad news to consumers is that the headphones with such technology will not be sold with iPhone 7, but will be sold separately at a premium price.

Having said that, there are always other positive to counter the loss of the headphone jack. For instance, Apple is keen on making iPhone 7 waterproof, a rumor that has gained credibility over the last week. Japanese technology blog Makotakara reports that Apple has already been testing waterproof and dustproof prototypes of the iPhone 7. The move would make sense considering the company has been working to make its phones more and more water resistant, and the inclusion of new seals and gaskets in iPhone 6 was a testament to that attempt. Furthermore, the fact that the iPhone 7 will contain no headphone jack will help in Apple’s attempts to make it waterproof, as the two features are mutually compatible.

Apple could make the iPhone 7 waterproof https://t.co/ZTp5RmFXZu pic.twitter.com/TdkOqDo245

— Insider Business (@BusinessInsider) December 31, 2015

Moreover, Apple is also mulling ditching its mainstay liquid crystal display screens in favor of organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens for iPhone 7, according to a report published by Korea’s Electronic Times. If it does happen, the report adds, Apple will use the panel-making unit of Samsung to switch to OLED screens, which are considered to provide a better picture quality than the technology which Apple currently uses.

Last but the not the least, it has also been reported widely that Apple is considering to jump the bandwagon and finally employ wireless charging in the new iPhone 7. Although Samsung and some other companies have already had the technology for some time, Apple has insisted on using wires for the charging of its batteries, which are also reported to become bigger in the new iPhone 7.

[Photo by Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images]