Apple seems likely to continue bundling a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter with its new lineup of iPhones this fall. The inclusion, which was implemented with the release of the iPhone 7 last fall, was put into place to help ease the transition to a handset without a traditional 3.5 millimeter headphone jack.
The news is according to a research note out today from Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis who speculates that Apple will likely drop the complimentary adapter sometime in the future, possibly with the 2018 lineup.
Curtis offered the following comment in his notes:
Debate whether Lightning adapter stays in box, we believe it stays this year but goes away at some point, potentially in the 2018 model
Curtis’ research appears to originate from supply chain sources, the report noting that Apple supplier Cirrus Logic will act as a source for the bundled adapter.
Last fall, Apple included both a Lightning to 3.5 millimeter headphone jack adapter as well as a a pair of Lightning EarPods with the device that connect directly. Within a few months, it had introduced its $159 cord-free wireless AirPods as a premium option for use with iPhone 7.
Other reports have suggested that Apple might replace the Lightning connector with a USB-C port, although later reports stated that Apple was more inclined to keep the Lightning port and implement support for faster charging.
Via 9to5Mac