Set as Homepage - Add to Favorites

【2024 Archives】

Source：Miracle Information Network Editor：Life Time：2025-06-25 23:41:44

Relax024 Archives Apple's not dumping the Lightning plug for its iOS devices (yet).

A report from 9to5Macstoked fears that Apple might once again switch to a new smaller, 8-pin "Ultra Accessory Port" (UAC) for iPhones and iPads after the company gave a preview of the new plug to accessory manufacturers.

SEE ALSO: Why your iPhone battery meter sometimes goes haywire

The plug, which has been confirmed by The Vergeto be the same 8-pin port used in Nikon cameras, is non-symmetrical and will be a part of Apple's "Made For iPhone" (MFi) program.

But make no mistake: The UAC is not a port/plug Apple will force on users or accessory makers. Apple only added the 8-pin connector to the MFi program at the request accessory makers, ArsTechnicareports. Do not -- I repeat -- do not throw your Lightning cables away in a fit of rage.

So what's all the fuss about this new port, which isn't, in fact, even new? It has to do with wired headphones.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

If you look at the smartphone landscape right now, you'll see it's an ugly mess for music listeners. Here are your wired headphone options:

  • Lightning (iPhone 7/7 Plus (and presumably all future iOS devices)

  • USB-C (Moto Z, HTC U Ultra, and many new Android phones)

  • 3.5mm (Pretty much every phone)

The problem is your wired Lightning headphones won't work with USB-C phones (and vice versa) and headphones with the trusty ol' 3.5mm jack won't work with either. Sure, you could get a dongle, like the one Apple includes with the iPhone 7, to convert headphones with a 3.5mm jack to Lightning, but that still doesn't solve the problem of all the different aforementioned conversions, of which there aren't any dongles for.

With UAC, headphone makers would get a solution that (sort of) fixes the problem. Instead of making headphones specifically for each type of port, companies would be able to make headphones with a female UAC port on the earcup. With UAC, a company like Bose or Beats can sell the same wired headphone model to all customers, simply subbing out the cable to make it compatible with a specific kind of device.

It'll be up to individual manufacturers which cable to offer -- a male UAC-to-Lightning, UAC-to-USB-C, or UAC-to-3.5mm headphone jack -- or simply offer all three, so users can switch devices easily. That would be especially useful to users who often switch between a phone and laptop or PC, which still tend to offer 3.5mm jack connectors for audio.

But what about earbuds? UAC probably won't work so well for those, due to obvious size constraints, though earbuds also tend to be cheaper and used mostly with one device. For those reasons, manufacturers will likely continue to offer earbuds that work with only one type of connector.

Of course, you could bypass all of this wired cables/port nonsense with wireless headphones -- but don't tell that to audiophiles or they'll have a field day explaining to you the advantages of wired over wireless.

Featured Video For You
Testing out Apple's new wireless AirPods

Topics Android Apple iPhone

Previous：Don’t Troll, Organize

Next：Trumpspeak

Related Articles
Related Recommendations
Categories
Latest Articles
Popular Articles
Hot Recommendations
Featured Column

Quick Links

Here's one birthday cake Pinterest fail that will give you nightmaresHere's one birthday cake Pinterest fail that will give you nightmaresAmber Rose posted an important Instagram message about Cam Newton's sexist remarksTrump attacks retiring senator, who hits back with an appropriately epic burnTrump suggests this is the 'calm before the storm,' and no one is laughing but himThe weirdest Valentine's Day tweets filling up our timelinesApple Maps will soon let you report accidents and speed trapsWoman Instagrams her catcallers to prove an important pointLyft and Uber saw increased use among essential workers in 2020Would you buy Apple's VR headset if it looked like this?Apple Maps will soon let you report accidents and speed trapsKoala found more than 300 yards offshore rescued by coast guardHell freezes over as NRA supports a gun control measureWatch Naomi Osaka's delightful butterfly moment, midGoogle apps on iOS telling you they're outdated? Don't worry, it's a bug.Clubhouse issues security update over Chinese dataWhy it matters actors are aged up in 'Judas and the Black Messiah'Koala found more than 300 yards offshore rescued by coast guardThe dudes exposed by alt'What's Your Mutt?' Our new Facebook Watch show helps you figure it out TikTok trend sets obscure NBA highlights to indie music. It rules. The Moral of the Story by Anthony Madrid Does ChatGPT flirting translate into good dates? 'The Idol': How to use ice cubes during sex NYT's The Mini crossword answers for November 28 'The Idol' episode 3: The most WTF scenes from 'Daybreak' Castles as Coffins by The Paris Review The Shocking, Subversive Endings of Taeko Kōno’s Stories by Gabe Habash A True Utopia: An Interview With N. K. Jemisin by Abigail Bereola Cooking with Nescio by Valerie Stivers Rethinking Schiele by Cody Delistraty Apple shares most popular podcasts and books of 2023 Apple Card ends partnership with Goldman Sachs: 3 reasons we saw it comin' Kevin Killian’s Memoirs of Sexed Redux: The Famous Sideshow by The Paris Review Online misinformation runs rampant during coup attempt in Russia In Defense of Puns by James Geary ChatGPT's 'make it more' is a new trend that takes images to their absolute limit Coveting Cartier Necklaces and Celtic Torques at the Met by Julia Berick We Tell Ourselves Stories: Didion’s “White Album” Takes to the Stage by Daniel Penny

2.3497s , 8221.2734375 kb

Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【2024 Archives】,Miracle Information Network  

Sitemap

Top

Quick Links