But it will mean that anyone using headphones other than those blessed by Apple will need an adapter, which could be a little cumbersome. The traditional 3.5 mm headphone jack could be altered in order to help slim down the iPhone, Tech Radar reports.
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The patent (number 9,142,925) is for a “D-shaped connector“, which would replace the current 3.5mm plug found pretty much everywhere, including the iPhone.
This new connection is called a “D jack” and has a diameter of just 2mm.
The tame Apple Press is trying to spin this as “it means the iPhone 7 can be thinner” but actually it doesn’t.
“9to5Mac&txt=Patently Apple”>Patently Apple this week (via 9to5Mac), the company is planning to ditch the trusty 3.5mm jack for future iOS devices.
Of course, a patent filing isn’t a surefire indication of Apple’s plans, often it just signifies the firm is playing with ideas.
The iPhone 7 is likely to be a major redesign of the iPhone 6S, so it wouldn’t surprise us if Apple decided to go even thinner than before.
This wouldn’t be the first time Apple has angered fans with changes to its iPhone design.
Dropping down to a smaller headphone jack would be another hurdle jumped in the race to make the phone thinner.
The new iPhone 6s includes 3D Touch, which required a new design for the screen of the device.
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While Apple has a fondness of making their products as thin as humanly possible, they did not accomplish this with the new iPhones.
