Everyone knows by now that Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will be taking the wraps off a new iPhone 7 on Sept. 7. Now a leaked document from the PR team at Apple’s Beats Electronics division shows AAPL is also going to be showing off three different pairs of new Beats headphones at the event.
French website iGeneration was accidentally e-mailed the news of the new headphones by the Beats Electronics public relations team — who quickly sent a takedown notice of the supplied photos — so there is zero doubt it’s legit.
According to iGeneration, there will be three new models of Beats by Dre headphones announced by Apple on Sept. 7.
New Beats Adds Fuel to the iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Rumor
Probably the most persistent rumor about the upcoming iPhone 7 has been that it will ditch the headphone jack. This has also been the source of considerable controversy. That 3.5mm connector has been around for decades. Eliminating it in favor of using the Lightning port for digital audio has music fans up in arms.
Apple looks to be following the lead of rival Samsung (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) by releasing its own Bluetooth wireless earbuds — or AirPods — but not all music fans are big on these. Earbuds can be uncomfortable, Bluetooth audio isn’t the same quality as wired and wireless earbuds have a short battery life.
It seems likely that AAPL will include a Lightning-to-headphone jack adapter so people can still use their traditional wired headphones with the iPhone 7. However, that’s an imperfect solution.
New Beats Lets AAPL Lead the Way in Lightning Audio
When Apple unveils the new Beats headphones on Sept. 7, it’s a sure bet that at least some of those are going to be Lightning-compatible.
Showing off the new Beats gear beside the iPhone 7 accomplishes several key objectives for Apple, but two stick out:
- It lets AAPL change the narrative from the current “taking away the beloved headphone jack” to one that’s more progressive. Having the new headphones that use the Lightning adapter there to show off will give the opportunity to talk specs, convenience and to play up the pure digital experience. AAPL will be leveraging the new Beats headphones to convince consumers their move to ditch the old-school analog headphone jack is a good thing.
- Second, with new Lightning-compatible Beats front and center, AAPL gets the first crack at what is likely to turn into a rush to buy fancy new Lightning-compatible headphones. And while it’s nowhere near the size of the smartphone market, headphones are big business. The market is predicted to hit $17.55 billion by 2023, and by forcing a new standard and then being right there with premium offerings that were designed for that new standard, Apple stands to grab a big chunk of that.
So stay tuned for the Sept. 7 Apple event. It appears more certain than ever that you’ll see new iPhone 7 models that your old-school headphones won’t work with — at least not without a kludgy adapter.
But that’s OK, because AAPL will have some shiny new Beats by Dre Lightning headphones to sell you.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
