I hear ya. Lose your headphones or they break..and problem solved :D


I'm guessing you use bluetooth in the car because it's more convenient to go cordless. And if you could, you would in your truck. That's what I'm driving at...it's more convenient, it's a good thing. And I'm pretty sure new headphones and cars will have bluetooth as std features.


You bet!


No need to convince my why you prefer that N7. I'm sure Samsung will follow suit and go without headphone jack.

Yes, the USB-C connector is HYUUUUUGE. Believe me.

Get a phone with a headphone jack and bluetooth and you don't have a problem to solve.

And of course I'll run out and replace my truck and 3 A/V receivers just as soon as that's a reality. The convenience will certainly outweigh the tens of thousands of dollars it will cost me ...

Kicking yourself over that Apple investment already? You still have time to return/cancel it :D

Given the lukewarm reception the iPhone 7 is receiving, I wouldn't be so sure of that ...

I could really see Samsung doubling down and promoting the fact that their phones have a headphone jack.

I get that you are all aboard with the removal of it. For many people such a simple thing is really a fairly big deal. A true audiophile is going to want optical ports anyway.

The death of the floppy drive and optical drive weren't surprising. They both had limits, and flash memory prices are dropping as well. Plenty of people have become accustomed to the fact that the Macbook only has one port, but plenty of people have probably opted for something else.

Some people, like you, won't care or mind that it is gone. Others, like me, will just wait for the upgrade instead of doing the yearly one, or explore other options. There's other phones, and Apple is certainly gambling with this one.

So how are we defining "lukewarm" reception? Last I heard shipping dates for some models slipped to a minimum of 2-3 weeks (with the jet black model slipping to November), so some people are apparently still buying them.

There's a new sign that Apple expects iPhone 7 sales to be disappointing

I wonder how much of that is manipulation on Apple's part since they're not releasing numbers this year.

The fact that all of the major US carriers are giving them away to attract customers is a pretty solid indicator. Used to be you couldn't get an iPhone for less than $300-$400, well after the AT&T exclusive expired.

The specs are official, and they've been met with a resounding "meh." So I'm betting that most will simply wait until Apple realizes its mistake and comes back with something that isn't so, uh, "courageous."

I like this comparison:

http://josh-ua.co/blog/2015/3/15/usb...and-usb-type-a

;)

Of course, we don't know how much space inside the port a USB-C would require vs. a Lighting port.

Like the diagrams showed, the headphone jack took up some volume inside the phone.

Some iPhone 7 models are going to use Intel modems:

Kind of wary about that, the nice thing about iPhones (and iPads) for travelers is that it supported all the LTE bands of major carriers around the world in one SKU.

I have an upcoming trip to Australia and bands 28 and 40 are used there, as well as 1, 3 and 5.

All the iPhone 7 models appear to support the same number of LTE bands. Main difference is the Intel models won't support CDMA. However, I'd be wary about having a model with Intel modems for the first time on iOS. Never know if the drivers are as mature or if Intel modems would be as reliable as the Qualcom ones on iOS for the first time.

http://www.apple.com/iphone-7/specs/

I have switched from Apple to Android a few years back when Apple refused to produce a phablet. My wife has been a loyal Apple fan since iPhone 3G. She thought I was silly to need such a big screen back then. Now she has the iPhone 6 Plus and will never go back to the small screen. I have been upgrading her every 2 years to the latest iPhone (3G, 4, 5, 6 Plus). Yesterday she just told me DO NOT upgrade her to the iPhone 7 Plus. I asked her why.. she said it does not have a headphone jack. But you don't use headphones. I still like to have it so don't "downgrade" me. Okay you are the boss! I think I just saved $850! Thank you Apple! :D

Well all the other components are upgrades over the 6S Plus.

Maybe teach your wife not to be so gullible about Internet outrage over nothing.

It was time to dump US Cellular (who I learned you should never have as a carrier if you travel outside Wisconsin), so this morning I went to Verizon.

Moved our 4 lines over. Pre-ordered 2 iPhone 7+ models. By 10AM CDT, there were models with NOVEMBER estimated delivery dates. By choosing the 256GB models, we only have to wait an extra week, although they cost an extra $100 each. The Jet Black would've been delivered sometime about Thanksgiving.

This was the first time since the original iPhone I waited 2 years to replace a phone. Still works fine, although battery charging has been a bit odd lately.

Curious to know what would be better between intel or Qualcomm equipped phones.

You thinks she needs those upgrades? :p Tell her iPhone 7 Plus is awesome and spent $850 + tax on it or let her keep the completely over powered iPhone 6 Plus for her usage... hard choice hard choice....

I have 8 iPhones (5s, 6, 6 Plus, 6S Plus) on my 10 lines, and not a single owner wants to upgrade to iPhone 7.

No money down in exchange for your old phone. They're not offering the iPhone without anything in return.

Yeah I just chatted with T Mobile.

They said $120 to upgrade from my 6S Plus to 7 Plus. $220 if I want to upgrade to the 128 GB SKU.

Oh and I have to pay off the remaining amount on my 6S Plus too.

End up being more expensive than buying it directly unlocked from Apple.

Gonna try a store, because that deal is ridiculous.

When she changes her mind, you can still save a lot of money with The Apple Plug. Instant iPhone 7 upgrade for iPhone 6 owners!

Verizon is giving pretty good money for old phones, but they have to work with intact screens, etc.

We got something like $200 for a 5s just to upgrade to a 6s (for my daughter, who wanted a Rose Gold 6s over a 7).

Qualcomm. The intel chip phones lack CDMA radios. If you ever decide to change carriers to Verizon or Sprint you'll need a new phone. The Qualcomm ones will likely have a slightly higher resale value because of this.

Great! I guess that means I'm safe! :cool:

Which begs the question, when is CDMA expected to be killed off in favor of newer technology such as LTE?

Couple of years. If you're on one of the big four carriers, you'll probably be using VoLTE often anyway.

GSM only devices aren't the worst thing. They've been around for years anyway. If you're looking at resale thats the only time I'd even be worried. If you hang onto the phone for a few years no worries.

Looks like it'll be killed off by 2021 at the latest.

But doesn't CDMA take up space in the phone? Maybe they can use the space inside the phone for much faster LTE? And wouldn't it be much more efficient to manufacturer one type of phone for all networks instead of 2 types for 2 different networks?

This is an interesting take by Engadget.

The iPhone 7 is the walled-off computer Apple has always wanted

The SoC is probably the same size. The antenna is going to be there regardless.

Yes, they are, Apple confirmed this. They can be used with non-Apple Bluetooth devices and there is a pairing button on the case. They just have the proximity pairing function on Apple devices.

This is not quite an apples to apples comparison (no pun intended). The the revenue models for phone companies have changed in recent years from subsidies to buying the phones at "full price", usually through an effective 0% interest 24-month loan as most people would prefer not to shell out $650 up front vs $25-30 a month.

The current "free" deal for each of these carries involves trading in your existing iPhone 6 or 6s which has a value of about 200-400 dollars. The "free" deal also locks you into a 24-month contract. If you leave before 24 months or you want to upgrade next year, you must pay off the remaining unamortized cost of the phone.

Speaking of expected sales and revenue, Apple needs something new. They're never going to see the kind of growth they had with earlier iPhones because:

• Everyone who wants (and can afford) one has one
• They build them to last
• The last revolutionary iteration was the 6/6 Plus, which is still a perfectly decent phone
• They have the same issue with Macs and iPads which, in my experience, last for years
• And the watch by itself wasn't enough.

If that car they're alleged to be working on isn't absolutely ground-breaking, I don't see where Apple has to go in terms of growth

What I've seen lately shows a pivot from a car to self driving technology. Probably a smarter move for them anyway, create and sell the tech, get it into the hands of a manufacturer, and let them do what they're good at. Win/Win for everyone. Although CarPlay runs on QNX, which is actually Blackberry. Sooooo.... there's that.

My smartphone is water and dust proof and went with me to the beach today. No way I'd try that with a normal media player.

Did you also take your hi-fi cans with you to the beach? If not, the source might make little difference - the weakest link, and all that.

Most People Have No Interest in Buying iPhone 7

Sounds like it's more because people really don't feel they need to upgrade every two years than anything about the headphone jack. Also, it's harder to justify a $650 phone when a ~$300 Android device does 95% of what people want.

It doesn't help that, name aside, Apple has effectively made this the third iteration in the iPhone 6 series. It's a lame duck and everyone is anticipating what revolutionary changes might come with the anniversary iPhone X next year.

That said I bet Samsung's Note 7 troubles will really help boost iphone 7 sales.

My 6+ was having some battery issues and I decided it was time.

But I'm also planning on upgrading next year -- my plan allows for it, so it's fine if I only keep this for a year and then sell it -- I've always gotten good money for my used iPhones.

The problem is not that the phone itself has an issue after 1-2 years old. They push updates and both Apple and Android devices become slower and slower. It's akin to installing the newest OS on a machine that meets the recommendations but not it not OPTIMIZED for it.

This happens on every single phone. The final few updates before the new phones I just don't download. I have a 2nd gen Retina iPad(Large one) and I was doing updates and it basically become unusable it was so slow. I was able to force restore to the factory and choose an update that works with all the apps I wanted to use(Netflix, Plex and sports streaming) and it works amazing.

It's programmed 'failure'. "My battery is dying faster and it seems to be getting slow". Same apps are not the phone since the day you restored off iCloud and now it runs like crap.

Well, my battery issues are actual issues. Phone shutting down at 15% life and starting up (after being plugged in for 5 minutes) at 24%....things like that.

I use my phone HARD and I just think it's outlived it's useful life. Besides, Verizon's gonna give me $300 towards the 7+, so I'm happy. I've spent 2 years with Android and it's unlikely I'll ever go back. I was never quite happy with it and how it interacted with my Mac.

Well yah. That just works well for Apple as the battery is not serviceable basically.

I consider 2 years right for getting a new phone. So no problem.

I change my phones when they break. Since 2008, I've changed mobile phones 3 times. I expect to change the device not before 2019. By then my current iPhone clocks in 7 years of usage.

I'm trying to reconcile what you are saying with the fact that my iPad 2 still works well with the latest (I heard it was also the last update).

My wife's iPad 2 got horribly slow after the latest updates. We tried a number of google'd solutions but nothing worked. Replaced it with an iPad Pro 9.7 and she's thrilled.

Perfect for Apple :)

Device that worked fine but they drop an update that dogs it :(