AAPL Apple Inc

By Nathan Olivarez-Giles 

Apple Inc. wants you to give up on the headphone jack.

With the iPhone 7, Apple is shipping a new set of EarPod headphones that plugs into the device's Lightning port -- the same one used to for charging the phone -- as well as an adapter to connect existing headphones with the new handset.

Ditching the old 3.5 millimeter headphone jack is a bold move. Apple said it is necessary to make the phone more water resistant and to beef up the speaker system -- space on the hardware is at a premium. But it also means you will be unable to use wired headphones while charging an iPhone 7, something you might want to do during, for example, a cross-country flight.

The more significant reason involves no connections or ports at all. The future of Apple's headphones is decidedly wireless, Apple executive Phil Schiller said during the company's presentation Wednesday.

Apple's new wireless headphones are called AirPods. They include a chip, called W1, that handles playback between the iPhone and the headset, and infrared sensors that detect when you are wearing them.

There are no physical buttons on the AirPods. Double-tapping the side of the AirPods triggers Siri, and a built-in mic lets you both talk to Siri or place a phone call. Apple said the AirPods will offer five hours of continuous music playback on a single charge, and will be sold with a charging case that offers up to 24 hours of battery life.

The big claim is how effortlessly the headphones are supposed to pair with iPhones. Apple said they automatically connect in a one-tap setup by recognizing when the charging case is nearby.

The introduction of AirPods marks the biggest change to Apple's iconic white, plastic headphones since they debuted alongside the first iPod in 2001. This wireless future won't come cheap. AirPods will cost $159 when they become available in late October.

Apple's Beats Electronics is coming out with its own set of headphones using the same W1 chipset. It is supposed to be just as easy to pair to the iPhone, and offer better battery life. Apple didn't give any details on the timing or price, however.

What we don't know, yet, is whether Apple's new Lightning-cable EarPods or the wireless AirPods will sound any better than existing Apple headphones.

It might not matter to hard-core music fans anyway -- audiophiles scoff at listening to music via Apple's headphones. The only reason the older headphones are ubiquitous is because they're found in the box of every iPhone and iPod sold going back 15 years.

Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at Nathan.Olivarez-giles@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 07, 2016 20:50 ET (00:50 GMT)

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