Apple May Introduce Futuristic Wireless Earbuds For iPhone 7
Wireless earbuds have become all the rage lately and are something that Apple may capitalize on for the upcoming iPhone 7. CNNMoney has the news.
“Apple has been granted a patent for new EarPod headphones, which could hint at what’s going to ship with the new iPhone 7. The new patent, granted on Tuesday, is for headphones that connect to an iPhone both wirelessly and with a wire. They can be used without being plugged in, but have a connector that lets you magnetically attach a cord to the earbuds and plug the other end into a jack.”
In other words, Apple has patented a unique concept: hybrid, detachable headphones. They’re wireless when you want them to be and have a wire when you need one. Commenters after an article about the same topic on AppleInsider aren’t very thrilled.
“A wire hangs under your chin in wireless mode? I’ll stick with my existing BT cans with optional 3.5mm jack connection thanks,” says Crowley.
There was controversy after it was revealed that Apple is removing the 3.5mm headphone jack. However, BGR feels removing it is a brilliant idea.
BGR quotes a San Francisco designer who believes that removing the headphone jack will allow for a thinner design as well as more screen space. It also makes it possible for Apple to remove the Home button, which he argues is good. However, not everybody is happy about Apple’s alleged plans to remove the headphone jack. Approximately 298,000 people have already signed a petition against Apple’s plans at the Some of Us petition site. The mission statement is pretty harsh.
“Apple is about to rip off every one of its customers. Again. Forbes and FastCompany are reporting that Apple plans to ditch the standard 3.5mm headphone jack when it releases the iPhone 7 later this year. Only a massive international campaign can force Apple to change course now.”
The petition adds that not only will removing the jack force iPhone users to need more cash to replace their hi-fi headphones but that the wired headphones that won’t work with the new iPhone will now create mountains of electronic waste. The petition doesn’t mention that there will likely be an optional adapter for the iPhone 7 that allows people to still use their wired headphones.
Still, the iPhone 7 continues to cause massive excitement on Twitter.
Saving up for iPhone 7 Pro. So excited. Haha.
— Jannie Gavile (@JannieGavile) March 2, 2016
There are other rumors that claim that the iPhone 7 (at least the Plus version) will have a Quad HD screen, a flat DSLR quality camera, and will be 1mm thinner than the iPhone 6s. However, many people want a waterproof iPhone and Gotta Be Mobile has added that to their wish list.
“Apple upgraded the iPhone 6s design to make it withstand water better than the iPhone 6, and there are several Apple patents focused on delivering an iPhone that survives in water, which gives us some hope for a waterproof iPhone 7.”
The article adds that if Apple is able to deliver this, they would only provide protection for 30 minutes of submersion for three to six feet or less. Still, one can feel comfortable knowing that if they drop their iPhone in the toilet, it will still work.
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will have stiff competition from Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Plus. By that time, the Galaxy Note 6 will be available as well. It’s also possible that Microsoft will release their Surface Phone by then as well. Are you excited for the iPhone 7? Let us know in the comments section.
[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
