Apple ditches the headphone jack in the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

by Blaine Kyllo on September 8th, 2016 at 2:55 PM

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It's true. Apple has removed the headphone jack from the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Intead of the usual white earbud, the new handsets, revealed during a media event in San Francisco, will come equipped with an EarPod, which plugs into the Lightning port (also available separately for $35). An adapter for headphones with a standard 3.5 mm jack will also be included (and available for $10).

Apple is also selling AirPods ($129), which are wireless headphones with a new proprietary communications protocol that the company says will deliver better sound and better battery life (up to five hours). The case for the AirPods is a battery pack of sorts that charges the headphones when they are stored.

AirPods are, Apple claims, a breeze to set up and will automatically connect to any of your Apple devices through your iCloud account. The headphones have a microphone built in for phone calls and so users can talk to Siri.

The new iPhones also include improved cameras, with a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera on the front and a seven-megapixel FaceTime HD camera. The iPhone 7 Plus also has a 12-megapixel telephoto camera.

The home button on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus has also been redesigned to be responsive to different levels of force.

Preorders for the devices begin this Friday (September 9) and they will be available the following Friday. They will be priced starting at $899 and will come in the following configurations:

• Silver, gold, rose gold, or matte black in 32 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB

• Jet black in 128 GB or 256 GB

Second edition Apple Watch built for activity, fitness

Meanwhile, the new Apple Watch, called the Series 2, looks much the same as the first. But its changes are significant.

For one, the new Watch is waterproof, thanks to a 50-metre water resistance rating. It can be used in swimming pools or even the ocean. And it can track laps and lap pace.

A built-in GPS means that cyclists can now more accurately track time spent in the saddle, too.

The aluminium case is joined by a stainless-steel case, and will be available to preorder starting at $489 on Friday (September 9) for shipping in October.