Since its acquisition of Beats back in 2014 for an eye-watering $3billion, Apple has placed emphasis on Music, as demonstrated by the launched of its Apple Music streaming service back in 2015. Despite facing strong competition from the likes of Spotify and Google Play, Apple has managed to convert 13 million users into paying subscribers, and recently announced plans to overhaul the service as part of iOS 10. In September, the service will be given an overhaul including a newly-designed Apple Music app, larger artwork displays and lyrics for every song on the streaming service, giving users a more convenient way to access and enjoy the music they love.
It’s clear that Apple isn’t alone in thinking wireless is the way forward for music and phone calls – indeed, several audio manufacturers have been producing wireless headsets for decades to much success. Apple’s Beats has been producing wireless headphones for several years, and the Beats Solo 2 Wireless range is regarded as one of the best pairs of wireless headphones in terms of sound quality. Despite being criticized for a bass-heavy sound in the past, its later offerings offer a more balanced sound and is making stead in the marketplace.
Other manufacturers, such as Bose, Jabra, Sennheiser and Sony have all continued to see a growth in sales of their headphones as more emphasis is placed on sound quality in our ever-increasing tech-savvy market. The industry is not set to slow down, either, with experts predicting that the earphone and headphone market will top $17.55 billion by 2022, with wireless headphones playing their own role in the marketplace.
Since the release of the iPhone 5 back in 2012, Apple’s Made for iPhone program has allowed manufacturers to create Lightning Adaptor headphones for their smartphones. Although some companies stuck to the audio jack, Audeze and Phillips are amongst those who currently offer Lightning Adaptor headphones, as well as Apple’s own Beats range. Therefore, it’s little wonder that with speculation over the new iPhone 7, which is expected in September, fans and experts alike are speculating over what Apple could do to improve their already impressive smartphone offering.
Apple is famously known for killing off old technology – the floppy drive, CD drive, USB-A – and replacing it with their own – like the Lightning Adaptor, Thunderbolt, so waving off the 3.5mm audio jack isn’t unfeasible. If Apple does decide to remove the audio jack, they’ll be able to shave off 1mm from the width of their flagship smartphone. While this doesn’t sound much, it’s valuable space which could be used for extra battery power, a rumored second back camera or a thinner overall casing.
Wireless headphones are a convenient option for workouts, home entertainment and onthe-go use, but many fans of the Cupertino brand have criticized them over their rumored decision, as it will render any current earphones useless. Of course, if Apple does decide to kill off the jack, they’ll likely offer adaptors and alternative ways of using headphones, but it’s an inconvenience many fans just don’t want to face.
Despite 300,000 people signing a petition against the decision, recent blueprint leaks suggest the firm at definitely going ahead with an audio-jack-free iPhone 7 design. In the world of Apple, however, nothing can be taken as truth until we hear it directly from Tim Cook himself at the next product unveiling event in September. Until then, though, it may be worth making good use out of your EarPods… you probably won’t need them for very much longer!