Accessory maker SteelSeries designs some pretty cool Apple-compatible accessories. I use their Nimbus Wireless Gaming Controller to play games on my Apple TV and couldn't be happier with it. Today, the company said in an email blast to customers that they'll be “changing the gaming headset” next Tuesday.
“On October 4, we’re releasing our love letter to gamers,” teases the firm. The email offers a sneak peek at the upcoming on-ear wired headset said to provide comfort and high-quality sound.
Many anxious Apple customers are anticipating their new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus handsets and are scheduled to receive them as early as this Friday.
Some customers are dealing with shipping times extending as far out into the future as October or November, but regardless of how long you'll be waiting, everyone who bought an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus has one thing in common: we should all be preparing for the day when it arrives.
Although Samsung's latest Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone series proudly boasts the 3.5mm headphone jack, the South Korean conglomerate may also remove the industry-standard jack from its next-gen Galaxy S8, reports Digital Music News. Internally code-named “Dream” (Galaxy S8) and “Dream2” (Galaxy S8 Edge), these devices may replace the 3.5mm jack with a proprietary port.
The company is said to be “actively” and “aggressively” exploring the possibility of releasing a proprietary headphone jack to see how viable it would be.
Now that you've ordered your iPhone 7 and picked out a case, it's time to think about getting another accessory: Bluetooth headphones. With Apple choosing to remove the 3.5mm jack from its latest handset, wireless headphones make the perfect companion for your new gadget.
As for which model to get, Apple's just-announced AirPods look pretty cool. But between their steep $160 price tag and unproven real-world performance, we think there are some better options out there. Here is a list of 7 great pairs of Bluetooth headphones for your new iPhone 7.
The AirPods, Apple's new $159 wireless earphones, are scheduled to go on sale in late October so we'll need to be patient for a while before getting our hands on a pair of these and learn just how long it takes to charge both the earphones and Apple's Lightning-based charging case from 0 to 100 percent.
Meanwhile, I stumbled upon a nice tidbit in BuzzFeed's interview with Apple executives saying that it only takes a short 15-minute boost from the tiny charging case to give AirPods three hours of run time.
In case you haven't already figured it out, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus both do completely away with the 3.5mm headphone jack. Instead, Apple is now pushing the industry to use Lightning-based and wireless Bluetooth headphones and speakers.
So with that in mind, how will you possibly use your existing headphones and speakers with your new iPhone while you're trying to charge it? Well we've got four solutions for you that will get your mind off of the missing headphone jack.
One of the things that sets the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus apart from the rest of the iPhone lineup is the exclusion of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Apple is now requiring headphones to either go wireless or utilize the Lightning port.
With the removal the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple has answered many kinds of concerns with the all-new Apple wireless AirPods.
On Wednesday, Apple confirmed that the rumors are true: there is no headphone jack in the iPhone 7. Apple is including a new pair of EarPods in the box with the handset, as well as an adapter for connecting the headphones to the legacy 3.5mm port, and it also announced new wireless earbuds called AirPods.
Apple SVP Phil Schiller explains the move: "The reason to move on: courage. The courage to move on and do something new that betters all of us." Schiller says removing headphone jack will free up space, which is growing ever-limited with new components, and Apple's ultimate vision for mobile audio is "wireless."
Apple is hosting a special media event on September 7 at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium at 10am PT. As always, we'll be covering the latest in Apple's big fall refresh thoroughly here at iDB. Of course, the iPhone 7 will be the event's biggest story, but we're also hoping to see other hardware refreshes, accessories and related products come into full view next Wednesday.
Here's everything we think Apple could introduce come September 7, plus some of the things we'd like them to announce but they probably won't (yet).
Another day, another iPhone 7 leak. A high-resolution photograph of an alleged iPhone 7 Plus packaging that surfaced this morning would have us believe that a 5.5-inch iPhone 7 model could ship with Apple's new wireless earbuds in the box.
The info sticker on the back of supposed packaging shows the details for a 32-gigabyte handset model, suggesting the purchase is bundled with an “AirPods Wireless Earphones”. The purported photo was uploaded anonymously and sent to AppleInsider.
An image of another claimed spec sheet has surfaced on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo, indicating that the iPhone 7 could come with both a Lightning edition of Apple's wired EarPods and a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter in the box. As a result, the iPhone 7 should provide its owners with an appropriate solution for connecting their existing wired headphones to the handset right out of the box, without requiring them to purchase a standalone adapter.