Newly leaked photos of what are said to be the iPhone 5's earbuds show a new design. But is this just another fabricated ruse?
I’m not sure if earbuds are much more exciting to talk about than dock connectors. In my opinion, Apple’s current earbuds are pretty great compared to the other crappy earbuds you get with even some of the higher-end Android smartphones. That being said, earbuds are a means to an end — much like a dock connector — and changing the earbud design isn’t something that I’ve ever heard people calling for.
Even still, that’s what’s on the iPhone 5 rumor-disucussing agenda today.
According to MacRumors, the “Vietnamese site Tinhte.vn has posted a video of what it claims to be redesigned headphones for the new iPhone which is expected in September.” I don’t know what to make of the fact that the video has seen been made private — that’s either indication that Apple is extremely angry that these photos were released, or that these bogus photos are bringing way too much attention to the site in question. Take your pick. But the captured photo above gives us a good glimpse at them nonetheless.
iphone 5 earbud cable
This is a translated transcript of the now-defunct video:
In my hands are the new earphones for the iPhone 5 that is about to come out – Apple’s next generation of iPod [sic]. These will replace the current earphones that are on the market. These are manufactured at Phax Co factory in Vietnam. They have the appearance of a horse’s head, not like earbuds. When they are worn, they have a much smaller profile. They have the appearance of a fully integrated, single unit – there’s no part that looks like it would come apart – not like earbuds; the integrated design is characteristic of Apple products. Here I have the old earphones for comparison. The new ones are much smaller; when they are worn, they do not hurt the way earbuds do. You can see on the old ones the surface is a separate part that looks like it can be detached – not like the small surface of the new one. The old earphones were mostly made in China, with some in Vietnam. But the new ones are clearly made in Vietnam. (Reading from the wires): “Designed by Apple in California, assembled in Vietnam.”
MacRumors doesn’t really make any comments themselves on earbud design, but I would agree that the idea of “unibody” earbuds is very Apple. But there are some oddities to the design that call it somewhat into question for me.
First is the ize of the speakers built into the earbuds — they are remarkably small. There are examples of how very expensive, boutique speakers, from companies such as Bone, can produce big sound even when the speakers themselves are small. But in the case of earbuds, the size of the speaker and sound source would have a profound impact on the sound quality. A tiny speaker like the one used in this design would mean that the soundwaves would expand out into the eardrum from a considerably narrow starting point, meaning that the coverage of the wave would not necessarily be as expansive as traditional earbuds. A good example of the difference is between large, studio-style headphones that envelop the ear versus earbuds — the former has provocatively better sound.
Another strange design is the divot in the side of the earbud.
There would be no reason to have a second speaker on the side of the earbud, pushing up against the side of the ear canal, would there? The sound wave should shoot freely into the eardrum, not be muted by the side of the ear.
Finally, I’d take issue with the reviewer’s claim that this is a seamless earbud design. This photo appears to show a seam, making it a two-piece assembly like most other earbuds that I’ve ever seen:
iPhone 5 earbud side
The claim is that these earbuds are being produced in a Foxconn facility in Vietnam. Is that possible? Certainly, it isn’t hard to imagine that an accessory like earbuds could be easily smuggled out of the factory where they are being produced. But I think it’s also very possible that these are third-party earbuds that have been dressed up to look like Apple products.
It’ll be interesting to see if these earbuds really show up along with the iPhone 5.
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