Apple cultivates a unique kind of rumour mill, one that often gets fixated on an idea and just keeps bringing it up year after year. Because eventually, it’s bound to be right…right? That’s the case with a new rumour suggesting Apple’s going to ditch the trusty 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone. But unlike past speculation, this time it has a little more weight behind it.
The reason that this rumour is more believable this time around is the source, a reliable Apple-obsessed Japanese site Macotakara, claims insider sources confirm Apple will be ditching the 3.5mm port to shave off one millimetre of the iPhone. Instead, the iPhone will rely on bluetooth headphones and a new audio-enabled lightning port, which some headphone makers like Philips already make. This means Apple’s usual earpods will be replaced with Lightning-enabled ones, and if you want to use your old, trusty, non-Bluetooth headphones, you’ll need a converter (which I’m sure Apple will happily sell you.)
With more convincing specifics on why Apple would ditch the port, along with Macotakara’s good record of accurately predicting and reporting on other Apple rumours, this one might actually come to pass. The iPhone 7 is also the year the phone will see significant physical changes in comparison to its “S” years.
So, no more 3.5mm jack. Add it to the already-growing pile of iPhone 7 rumours that won’t be put to rest until Tim Cook takes the stage in early September next year. [Macotakara]