In 2012, Apple introduced the Lightning connector, a small, digital 8-pin connector for iOS devices. Overnight, the consumer backlash seemed overwhelming because these new adaptors were incompatible with the thousands (upon thousands) of accessories out there that were made for the original 30-pin connection.
However, many cheered at the discontinuation of what was considered a ‘dinosaur’ in technology terms, and was long overdue for a change. Apple also released a Lightning to 30-Pin Adaptor, which enabled users of the old cables to adapt without buying all-new Lightning cables. I, for one, jumped for joy at the possibilities of what the Lightning connector could do.
But alas, two years later, not much else has been done to further utilize this technology. It hadn’t yet brought anything new to the table; it was smaller, and I could plug it in on either side (something the 30-pin connector couldn’t do), but that’s about it. The accessories hadn’t changed (though the Apple Dock was initially dropped until the 5s brought it back) and it wasn’t any faster (despite the name). USB 3.0 was announced for laptops that same year, but no, Lightning didn’t have USB 3.0 capabilities, either.
You’ll have to excuse my rant — as a fanboy, I had expected more. I’m a cable freak, and the Lighting cable — like Thunderbolt — had much more potential than they were using. So, as my co-workers can attest to, when I read that Apple introduced Lightning Cable MFi Specs for headphones, I lost it! This is the first time we’ll see Lightning reach greater potential.
With the Lightning connection, we can now increase to a higher frequency of digital music, and power our noise-canceling headphones from our phone, or vice versa (power our phones from the backup battery in our headphones). It means that apps like VLC, Plex and of course, iTunes can begin to work with 5.1 surround output on video. App developers will have access to this for who knows what else — can you hear my excitement?
The speculation is endless…did this development come from the Beats acquisition? Personally, I think yes; Beats Music claimed to have higher bit rate than Spotify, but who cares if you’re plugging in via a headphone jack. It’s like having a built-in DAC (digital to analog converter) on your iPhone.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, active noise canceling headphones have always required power, and Beats has two headphones in their lineup that require power for noise canceling. These now can theoretically use a Lightning connection to lighten the load of an onboard battery.
Lastly, Don, took the speculation a step further and wondered, “when do you think they’ll introduce Lightning ports on computers?” Boom, mind blown. I can’t wait to see where this leads, and as always, I’d love to hear what our readers think.
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