Apple is
yet to confirm the new iPhone will lack a standard audio connector, but pretty
much expects the iPhone maker to kill the aging port.
“If it’s
missing the 3.5mm earphone jack, that’s going to tick off a lot of people,”
Wozniak told The Australian Financial Review, echoing the
worries of many others.
His main
concern is with audio over Bluetooth, which he says is inferior to the 3.5mm
output.
“I would
not use Bluetooth … I don’t like wireless. I have cars where you can plug in
the music, or go through Bluetooth, and Bluetooth just sounds so flat for the
same music,” he said.
However,
Apple is yet to confirm whether the bundled headphones that ship with every
iPhone will be wired or wireless. Apple is rumored to either launch Lightning
EarPods, or introduce its first wireless headphones this year.
Woz would
like to use his current headphone setup with the future iPhone, even if that means
buying adaptors for them. “Mine have custom ear implants, they fit in so
comfortably, I can sleep on them and everything. And they only come out with
one kind of jack, so I’ll have to go through the adaptor,” he said.
On the
other hand, it’s likely that the company that makes Wozniak’s favorite
headphones will come up with Lightning versions if the market demands it.
But the
man who started Apple with Steve Jobs in a garage is convinced that Apple is
skating where the puck is going. “If there’s a Bluetooth 2 that has higher
bandwidth and better quality, that sounds like real music, I would use
[wireless headphones],” he said. “But we’ll see. Apple is good at moving
towards the future, and I like to follow that.”
Wozniak
also praised the USB-C port, and saying that the new port is going to be “the
future,” and implying Apple should use it in smartphones too. Interestingly,
Intel has recently explained why audio over USB-C will be so much better than
current 3.5mm musical experiences in the near future.
Rumors
have been flying about the iPhone 7 and one of the rumors that has some folks a
bit concerned is the one suggesting Apple is ditching the headphone port on the
smartphone. These rumors suggest that Apple is going to ship the next iPhone
with EarPods that have Bluetooth connectivity with the iPhone for steaming
music wirelessly. Rumors also continue to suggest that there will be a
Lightning adapter that will allow you to connect headphones via the Lightning
port.
This
rumor doesn't sit well with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Woz recently said
that he doesn’t like Bluetooth because the sound is flat compared to a wired
connection. He said, "I would not use Bluetooth … I don't like wireless. I
have cars where you can plug in the music, or go through Bluetooth, and
Bluetooth just sounds so flat for the same music."
Woz says
that he would likely use the adapter and continue using his current earphones
and noted that he was as attached to his accessories as he is to the iPhone.
"Mine have custom ear implants, they fit in so comfortably, I can sleep on
them and everything. And they only come out with one kind of jack, so I'll have
to go through the adaptor," he said.
He
continued saying, "If there's a Bluetooth 2 that has higher bandwidth and
better quality, that sounds like real music, I would use it. But we'll see.
Apple is good at moving towards the future, and I like to follow that."
Perhaps
Woz's Bluetooth concerns will be addressed. Rumors have suggested that
the iPhone 7 would use a custom Bluetooth chip inside. That custom chip
might have improved sound quality that could lure people who like their music
via a wire to a wireless option.
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