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iPhone 7 Will Lose Audio Jack To Become Apple’s Thinnest Phone Yet, Insiders Say

By Val Powell
Published on: 13:13 PST, Jan 7, 2016

When the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were launched, no one was surprised that they looked very similar to their predecessors. That’s because Apple only makes minor adjustments for “S” iPhone versions.

However, for the upcoming iPhone 7, and even the iPhone 7 Plus for that matter, the Cupertino-based manufacturer is expected to tinker with the current models’ designs and appearance to create a fresh new look.

One rumor that leaked a few weeks ago claims that the upcoming iPhone will be even thinner than the current models. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are 7.1 mm and 7.3 mm thin, respectively.

The upcoming iPhone 7 is said to be “more than a millimeter” thinner.

How can the company achieve this? The rumor from Japanese blog Macotakara said Apple will ditch the 3.5 mm audio jack to reduce the thickness of the phone.

The rumor immediately spread like wildfire mainly because no one expected Apple to take out one of the most common features in smartphones today.

If this is true, then the only port in the iPhone 7 would be the Lightning port, which is primarily used for charging.

This drastic change in the iPhone 7’s design may not be too surprising considering the recent changes Apple has made to its MacBook lineup. After taking away the DVD disc drive, the company scratched out all other ports, leaving only the USB Type-C port.

As a result, the latest MacBook is the company’s thinnest.

In a similar vein, the company may be willing to leave out the audio jack to make the iPhone 7 thinner and sleeker.

A recent report claims that two insiders from Apple’s Chinese supply chain confirmed that the upcoming iPhone 7 will not have an audio jack. Without an audio jack, users would have to use the Lightning port for a wired audio connection.

Reports claim that Apple’s alleged move to phase out the 3.5 mm audio jack is not only to make way for a slimmer phone, but also promote the use of wireless headphones.

In order to compensate for the absence of the audio jack, tech website WeiFeng said that Apple will introduce audio output profiles that will set up the iPhone conveniently between different wired and wireless profiles.

According to the report, “multiple sources” from the Portable Audio Festival held in Japan in December said that the California-based manufacturer is planning to include “super high resolution audio” to Apple Music, but would only apply to headphones that are connected using the Lightning port.

So what would Apple offer its consumers in return for taking away the 3.5 mm jack?

Rumors claim that Apple will finally use wireless charging for the iPhone, which enables users to charge the smartphone even if a headphone is connected to the device’s Lightning port.

If the rumor is true but the company fails to include this feature, iPhone 7 owners will only be able to do one thing at a time – either listen to music via the Lightning port-connected headphone, or charge their phones.

In addition, the absence of the jack allows Apple to put in a slightly bigger battery and develop a thinner frame for the iPhone 7. Rumors also claim that Apple will make the device waterproof just like some high-end Android smartphones on the market today.

While Apple’s alleged move may be considered a high-risk, high-reward step to sparking innovation in the field, some consumers are not happy about it. More than 3,000 Apple consumers have already signed a petition against the reported removal of the audio jack.

Aside from the thinner design, other rumors surrounding the iPhone 7 include an earlier release date as well as a cheaper variant called the iPhone 6c.

[Image via Twitter]

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