Wednesday Apple Rumors: Apple Issues Lightning Cable Headphone Specs

by Christopher Freeburn | June 4, 2014 1:03 pm

Here are your Apple rumors[1] and AAPL news items for today:

[2]Plug-In: According to 9to5Mac, Apple (AAPL[3]) has issued new specifications to headphone makers that makes it possible for them to design headphones that will connect to iPhones, iPads and iPods via Lightning cables[4]. Currently, headphones must use Bluetooth or the 3.5mm headphone jack to connect to iOS devices. The new specifications have been issued under Apple’s Made-For-iPhone/iPad/iPod program. Headphones that connect via Lightning cables will support the reception of lossless stereo 48 kHz digital audio output and the transmission of mono 48 kHz digital audio input. Recent rumors have indicated that Apple is looking to support the playback of high-definition audio on iOS devices in the future. Lightning-connected headphones will feature remote control functions, may be designed to interact with certain apps and can draw power from the iPhone or iPad, reducing the need for internal batteries in the headphones. While Apple has quietly released the new specifications to manufacturers, current iOS devices are unable to use Lightning cables to connect to headphones. Apple is expected to issue a software update to permit Lightning-cable headphones in devices running iOS 7.1 or later at some point in the coming months.

Debut: During Monday’s WWDC keynote, Apple introduced its new programming language: Swift, which TechCrunch notes is likely to replace Objective-C as Apple’s primary programming language[5]. Swift is designed to “unify the procedural and object-oriented portions of the language.” Swift offers programmers a number of options not found in Objective-C. Swift features include Closures, Tuples and multiple return values, Generics, Fast and concise iteration over a range or collection, Structs that support methods, extensions, protocols and Functional programming patterns. Apple’s Xcode IDE will offer an interactive “Playground” permitting developers to try out their code and make edits.

Rising Star: At this year’s WWDC, Apple engineering chief Craig spent almost an hour and twenty minutes[6] on stage previewing the iPhone-maker’s upcoming software innovations, CNNMoney notes. Federighi “captivated Apple’s audience and fans” and was praised as “Superman” by CEO Tim Cook. Federighi showed himself able to make fun of Apple’s sacred cows, at one point telling the audience, “Check out that trash can! That is a gorgeous trash can. You wouldn’t believe how much time we spent crafting a trash can.” CNNMoney notes that Federighi alternated passionate presentation with comedic turns and light-hearted commentary to keep the two hour keynote presentation moving along and maintain audience interest. Federighi’s stage presence drew a marked contrast to that of Cook who is known for his unflappable reserve. Federighi first took the stage at a major Apple event a last year’s WWDC, leading the audience through the features of the then-upcoming iOS 7.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[7] stories.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/06/wednesday-apple-rumors-apple-okays-lightning-port-connected-headphones/

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