It's official, there is no 3.5mm audio jack on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Apple wants people to move on from the 100-year-old standard to wireless ear buds apparently. However it knows that the transition cannot happen overnight, and for that purpose, Apple is bundling two accessories with the iPhone 7. There are Lightning-powered EarPods and the Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter that will be shipped for free alongside the smartphone. However, if you happen to lose the Lightning EarPods or the adapter, you will have to purchase them separately for Rs. 2,500 ($29 in US) and Rs. 900 ($9 in US) respectively.
(Also see: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus Price in India and Release Date Announced by Apple)
The adapter serves the purpose of not letting users feel the sudden redundancy of their favourite 3.5mm headphones. Attaching the adapter at the end of your headphones, will now make them work on an iPhone 7, however, it won't let you charge while you listen to audio. If you want to do both, stock up the Rs. 3,700 ($49 in the US) Lightning dock. It comes with a 3.5mm audio jack which allows you to listen to music and charge your iPhone 7 simultaneously.
Apple is betting big on wireless tech, and it recommends buying the Rs. 15,400 ($159 in the US) AirPods for listening purposes. The AirPods are a new accessory launched by Apple during the keynote, and CEO Tim Cook claims that the product will 'usher in a new era of wireless listening'.
Apart from these, Apple also launched a new range of Beats wireless headphones - Beats Solo3, Powerbeats 3, and BeatsX - all powered by the same W1 chip that powers the AirPods. This chip allows the new headphones to pair quickly and easily with the new iPhones. The headphones are priced at $299 (Rs. 19,900 approx.) for the Solo3, $199 (Rs. 13,200 approx.) for the Powerbeats 3 and $149 for the BeatsX (Rs. 9,900 approx.). The Solo3 is already available to buy on Apple.com, while the other two models will be made available later this year.
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