ABC News(SAN FRANCISCO) — OK, take a deep breath. Change is hard and saying goodbye is never easy, but you can’t say that we didn’t see this coming.
Wednesday in San Francisco, Apple broke off its long-running relationship with the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack by excluding it from the forthcoming iPhone 7.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s marketing chief, delivered the news, saying that the company had the “courage” to remove the jack and focus on its Lightning connector (the same port that recent iPhone models use to charge and sync).
But wipe away those tears because we’ve compiled your go-to guide for everything you need to know about this shift in the mobile audio world.
What Happens to My Old Headphones?
Don’t get rid of them just yet: Apple was quick to make clear that an adapter allowing you to use your old analog headphones will be included with every new iPhone 7/7 Plus.
The adapter allows your analog headphones to connect to Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector.
If I Don’t Want to Use the Adapter, What Are My Options?
Well, let’s be clear, Apple wants you to ditch your old headphones in favor of an array of new Lightning-connected headphones that it announced Wednesday.
If you’re not ready to purchase new headphones, you’re in luck, because Apple is throwing in a pair of Lightning-based EarPods — essentially the same headphones that have come with iPhones until now, minus the cylindrical jack — with every iPhone 7/7Plus.
But Apple also introduced an array of new Lightning-based headphones for premium consumers.
In October, you’ll be able to purchase new Apple’s new AirPods — wireless headphones that look like Apple’s current offering without the wires — for $159.
Apple also announced a slew of other headphones that will be released under its Beats brand.
All three new Beats models, as well as the AirPods, will feature the so-called W1 chip. That chip, Apple’s Schiller said during the press conference, makes connecting the headphones to your iPhone easy through Apple’s cloud service, iCloud.
“There’s no buttons, there’s no switching. There’s no pairing, there’s no unpairing. Those things are of the past,” Schiller said.
But Will the Lightning-Based Headphones Work With Other Devices?
Nope, unless the new device features a Lightning connection.
As mentioned above, Apple showed off an adapter that allows analog headphones to be connected to a Lightning port. But it did not mention plans for an adapter that goes the other way (connecting a Lightning port to an analog jack). It is not clear if the company plans to release one.
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