Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Apple Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Moonray who wrote (170469)	6/5/2014 10:37:05 AM
From: slacker711	1 Recommendation Recommended By Zen Dollar Round Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213172

Like most Apple innovations this brings some notable upsides. The 3.5mm jack (technically called a ‘TRS’ connector) is rarely the bottleneck to audio quality, but the Lightning port will enable a switch from analogue to digital audio with an exceedingly high lossless stereo 48 kHz digital output and mono 48 kHz digital input. If you can afford a $1,000 pair of headphones you make well pick up the difference. That would be a nice boost to the audiophile market but eventually getting rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack would be really screwing customers. You would need to find some advantages above and beyond audio quality that most people wouldnt be able to hear and even fewer care about. Slacker

To: Moonray who wrote (170469)	6/5/2014 10:41:00 AM
From: Zen Dollar Round	1 Recommendation Recommended By Stock Puppy Respond to of 213172

Apple To Abandon Headphone Jack. *Suddenly Beats Deal Makes Sense* Well...at least Apple will have to make a converter cable/connector for Lightning to 3.5mm. They'll probably be out of stock at launch and $29 each when they are available, buy hey, that's Apple. I'm being facetious. Hopefully they'll only charge $19 for that converter. :-) The Chinese manufacturers could be on it right away this time though, since they've already cracked the copy protections for the current Lightning cable. Oh, and yes, I am an Apple shareholder again. I just wish they didn't go so far with their proprietary designs sometimes, because I think it's one of the things that angers people about the company.

To: Moonray who wrote (170469)	6/5/2014 11:17:37 AM
From: Doren	2 Recommendations Recommended By Moonray Ryan Bartholomew Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213172

> Lightning port will enable a switch from analogue to digital audio with an exceedingly high lossless stereo 48 kHz digital output and mono 48 kHz digital input. Nope, this is incorrect. By the time the signal gets to the output jack its been converted from digital to analogue. There is no bottleneck at the jack. I regularly listen to 24/48 music on my $20 headphones. Unless the headphones themselves do the digital to analogue conversion and there is really no advantage to that unless... perhaps... you are using bluetooth headphones. I'm not even sure the Lighting ports can carry analogue although I suspect they can. Can bluetooth carry an analogue signal? I'm guessing once again it can. (Answering my own question after a quick search, bluetooth has its own digital audio format and its LOSSY which means essential data is lost. So beats bluetooth headphone work this way. Apple's Lossless codec, ALAC is better than CD (16bit/44khz) quality and theoretically lossless, but as I said currently the DAC is on the device so there is no loss from the device to the headphones at 24/48.) If Apple does this I would probably not buy an Apple phone. It would mean ONLY Apple headphones would work on an Apple device. That's just TOO much of a sandbox for me. This is a terrible development for audiophiles.

To: Moonray who wrote (170469)	6/5/2014 12:28:16 PM
From: yofal	3 Recommendations Recommended By HerbVic Sr K Stock Puppy Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213172

Apple To Abandon Headphone Jack Other than Forbes click bait headline, where does it say Apple is getting rid of the 3.5" jack? 9to5Mac has learnt that Apple submitted a specification to its MFi (Made For) licensing program for headphones which connect using the company’s proprietary Lightning port instead of the standard 3.5mm jack. Furthermore all it will take for the Lightning port to start accepting these new headphones is a firmware update. Doesn't this just mean you can either use the 3.5 or the lightning jack for some extra capabilities (depending on your headphone's needs)?

To: Moonray who wrote (170469)	6/5/2014 2:54:21 PM
From: Stock Puppy	1 Recommendation Recommended By Moonray Respond to of 213172

Apple To Abandon Headphone Jack. Suddenly Beats Deal Makes Sense Oh - drat - it sounded (ha ha) at first as though Apple would be doing something wirelessly. The main issue I have with those TRS connections (why did that make me think of a PC? Oh yeah - TRS-80) is that unless very new, they don't always make good connection and thus snap crackle pop or you think that you've gone deaf in one ear so you turn the balance all the way over to that side and keep increasing the volume and then - bang - it connects and you are deaf in that ear! Another thing about getting older. I first read the above as "dead-beat deal" Hrumph. Now off my lawn!

To: Moonray who wrote (170469)	6/5/2014 6:20:19 PM
From: MGV	2 Recommendations Recommended By Moonray Zen Dollar Round Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 213172

Apple introduces MFi specs for Lightning cable headphones, support arriving in future iOS update We’ve learned Apple has quietly introduced a new specification for manufacturers in its Made-For-iPhone/iPad/iPod ( MFi) program that allows them to create headphones that connect to iOS devices using a Lightning connector instead of the usual 3.5mm headphone jack. Apple has not flipped the switch on the audio input support for Lightning cables and existing iOS devices, but it will release a software update in the future that will enable support in devices running iOS 7.1 or later. The Lightning headphones will be capable of receiving lossless stereo 48 kHz digital audio output from Apple devices and sending mono 48 kHz digital audio input. The input means that the headphones will also support a microphone for audio input following Apple’s upcoming update. Manufacturers will be able to take advantage of Apple Headphone Remote controls like Volume Up/Down/etc, as well as other buttons for launching specific apps such as iTunes Radio or initiating playback controls on iOS. In addition, the headphones can be made to work specifically with a companion iOS app and launch a specific app when connected to an iOS device. There are a few benefits of using the Lightning cable to send audio. Apple says the headphones will be able to draw power from an Apple device (even if the device is asleep), which for some products could eliminate cost associated with an internal battery. It could also work the other way around by providing power to an Apple device from an internal battery or external power source. That enables you to listen to music and also use a passthrough setup so you could charge the device simultaneously, much like you can with an audio dock that uses a Lightning connector. The headphones will also be capable of receiving firmware updates. Apple will allow two configurations for the headphones. Standard Lightning Headphones are described by Apple as using minimum components when paired with a digital-to-analog converter supported by the Lightning Headphone Module. It also has an Advanced Lightning Headphones specification that allows digital audio processing features like active noise cancellation and uses a digital signal processor and digital/analog converter. Manufacturers building the Standard configuration have to use this Wolfson digital-to-analog converter. While everyone has been focusing on what Apple’s purchase of Beats Electronics means for its audio and headphone business down the road, the news Apple is developing some innovative new headphone tech using its own proprietary Lightning connector is significant. If Apple does get partners on board and Lightning headphones prove to be popular with users, it’s easy to see how Apple could push Lightning headphones as a big differentiating feature for iPhone and other Apple devices. A previous report claimed Apple was working on a version of its own in-ear EarPods using a Lightning connector and planned to enable higher-resolution audio playback in iOS 8. I’m guessing we’ll see a Lightning cable eventually make its way to a pair of Beats. Perhaps Apple will even use Beats as the first pair of Lightning cable headphones to help promote the new tech when it finally flips the switch on support. http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/03/apple-introduces-mfi-specs-for-lightning-cable-headphones-support-arriving-in-future-ios-update/