Apple is out to make a splash with new waterproof iPhones and a smartphone game starring Nintendo's beloved "Mario", but it has raised eyebrows by eliminating headphone jacks in a push for wireless. The iPhone 7 and larger iPhone 7 Plus, with sophisticated camera technology, improved water resistance and other features, were shown off to applause at an Apple event in San Francisco.
The flagship devices with boosted memory capacity will be sold at roughly the same price as the models they replace with deliveries in 25 countries beginning September 16. But gone is the traditional headphone jack, requiring audio to be delivered via Apple's proprietary "lightning" connector or by wireless -- and that may ruffle feathers. Lightning connectors were designed from the outset to handle high-quality audio, Apple vice president Phil Schiller told the audience, addressing concerns about the headphone jack removal. "It comes down to one reason: courage, the courage to move on," Schiller said of the decision to get rid of the traditional headset port. "Our smartphones are packed with technologies and we all want more, and it is all fighting for space in that same enclosure. Maintaining an old, single-purpose connector just doesn't make sense."
Apple "AirPods" wireless ear pieces and adaptors to plug wired headsets into Lightning ports will come with iPhone 7 models, according to Schiller. The 3.5mm analogue jack for wired headsets dates back more than a century, and it was time for someone to "break from the past and start pushing people into the future," Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin said after the event.
Apple may be setting the stage for a dramatically different iPhone model to debut next year on the 10th anniversary of the smartphone first introduced in 2007, Bajarin said. "It could be a first step for Apple making this completely wireless, and maybe next year a new iPhone with wireless charging," the analyst said.
The new-generation iPhones and Apple Watch boast the ability to get wet without getting ruined. "The first Apple Watch was splash-proof, the Apple Watch Series 2 is swim-proof," Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams said during the presentation. Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the new smartphones take advantage of the latest iPhone software, iOS 10. The iPhone 7 Plus, Apple's version of a "phablet," includes dual cameras to improve optical performance and photo quality.
