Intel Openly Declares Apple Made a Mistake Choosing Lightning for iPhone 7’s Audio Playback

As most of us know by now, Apple’s 2016 flagships are almost guaranteed to touch down sans the industry standard 3.5mm headphone jack – which has been a staple of smartphones since their inception – and instead, opting for digital Lightning-based audio.

And while this transition is sure to garner mixed emotions among Apple fans, Intel — one of Apple’s largest component suppliers — isn’t afraid to voice its opinions about the Cupertino-company’s forthcoming iPhone.

To be clear, the world’s largest chip manufacturer believed that Apple’s transition to higher-quality, digital audio is indeed a great move — and a clear stride in the direction of technological evolution. However, Intel didn’t mince words when it recently came right out and suggested that Apple’s choice of technology — Lightning — wasn’t a very good one.

According to a recent report from CNET, Intel — a firm who’s also credited with creating the Universal Serial Bus (USB)— will very soon be updating its USB 3.1 Type-C standard to include support for perhaps the highest-quality digital audio money can buy.

As if the forthcoming update isn’t enough of a milestone, Intel is also reportedly planning to equip USB-C with a new standard for digital video playback — which is said to effectively be an alternative to HDMI connectivity — and thus, will inherently support HD video playback and standard app mirroring. Unfortunately, the new USB-C video standard won’t offer a frame rate capable of mirroring games; however, it will, on the other hand, provide users with its own, in-built authentication protocol for improved security.

“At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco on Tuesday, Intel architects Brad Saunders and Rahman Ismail sketched out a coming USB audio standard that could help push the 3.5mm jack aside. The new specification, due this quarter, adds features to ensure a USB headphone doesn’t drain too much battery power and defines how buttons for pausing music or lowering volume work,” according to Intel’s Brad Saunders.

“The work will really make USB Type-C the right connector for audio.”

Now, any die-hard Apple fan will likely tell you how the Cupertino-company likes to “think different.” Indeed, Apple is known, among other things, for its tendency to stand apart from the mainstream, by simply going down its own path with the introduction of new technologies.

A classic example of this would be the company’s transition from the old-school 30-pin connector to Lightning back in 2012 on the iPhone 5; while the rest of the world’s leading manufacturers were essentially sold out to microUSB.

However, times have changed — as if you haven’t noticed already, and more manufacturers are coming around to adopting USB-C as a replacement for the rapidly aging microUSB standard. This transition is currently taking place primarily with Chinese manufacturers, such as Lenovo, for instance, however Samsung’s recently unveiled Galaxy Note 7 will also be shipping stateside with USB-C capability later this month.

Of course, with many users still holding a grudge against Apple for abruptly switching to Lightning back in 2012, it’s highly unlikely that the company will again switch to USB-C anytime soon — regardless of how much better it is, or how many other manufacturers are doing it. So it’ll be interesting, needless to say, to see how this move all pans out in the end.

Do you think Apple’s decision to remain the lone wolf is a good one, while the tech scene, as we know it, continues to embrace a better standard? Let us know in the comments!