The rumor mill is once again rolling and the latest buzz is about the upcoming iPhone 7. Rumors indicate that the iPhone 7 will come without the 3.5mm headphone jack. The flagship Apple device will instead rely solely on the Lightning connector port for both headphone and charging uses.

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The rumor was first released by Japanese website Mac Otakara, citing anonymous sources. The website is a reliable source of rumors and leaks when it comes to Apple products.

The rumor has raised far too many questions than answers. Tech analysts are keen to know why would Apple ditch the standard 3.5mm jack and instead use the single Lightning port.

The idea of using the Lightning port for headphone purposes is not entirely a new plan. Apple has already allowed third-party accessory manufacturers like JBL and Philips to use the port for wired headphones.

According to Slash Gear, the Lightning port will retain its regular size in order to maintain compatibility with existing accessories. Rumors also indicate that there will be a 3.5mm to Lightning adapter in order to support backwards compatibility with non-Lightning headphones.

By ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack, experts believe that the upcoming Apple iPhone 7 will be 1mm thinner compared to the current flagship device, the iPhone 6S.

Apple has a long history of ditching older technologies either to make room for a newer one or to make its devices slimmer. One example is what Apple did with the iMac when it decides to ditch the floppy drive in favor of the then obscure USB port. The change helped the USB gain prominence and is now widely used throughout the industry.

The most recent example of Apple ditching older technologies in favor of newer ones is the 12-inch Retina MacBook. Almost all of the laptop's external ports have been ditched in favor of a headphone jack and a single USB Type-C port.

TagsiPhone 7, iPhone, iphone 7 audio jack, lightning port, iPhone news