Intel wants USB-C ports to replace the 3.5mm headphone jack
Intel has detailed a proposal for a new USB-C Digital Audio standard, which would replace the analog 3.5mm audio jack and help complete the shift from analog to digital.
Intel hopes that USB-C can be the connector that does it all. (Image Source: Huawei)
Nothing is irreplaceable, and that’s especially true today in tech where new connectors and technologies are just raring to push out their forebears. As it turns out, the innocent – and ubiquitous – 3.5mm headphone jack may soon be replaced by USB-C if Intel has its way. The chipmaker floated a proposal earlier this month at its Shenzhen developer forum, detailing a way to remove the 3.5mm audio jack from audio sources.
What did the headphone jack ever do to deserve this? That may just be because it’s an old interface from a simpler time – for one, it’s an analog port that serves only one purpose, which seems dreadfully out of place now when a single Thunderbolt 3 port can supply power to devices, transfer data, and even output video.
In Intel’s view, adopting USB-C for audio could drive the move from analog to digital. It could even allow manufacturers to build features like an amplifier or digital-to-analog converter (currently located on playback devices like smartphones) into their headsets and simplify connections of multi-channel audio equipment to our numerous gadgets.
Furthermore, as phones and devices get thinner, it is becoming more difficult to find room to accommodate multiple ports that only have one dedicated purpose. A single universal connector that does it all – USB-C for instance – would then be an ideal solution.
Image Source: Intel
More interestingly, this could even allow in-ear headphones to support features like an onboard thermal sensor, which could be used for health tracking.
Intel is currently finalizing the USB Type-C Digital Audio technology, and it plans to release the specification later this quarter.
When rumors started last year that the upcoming iPhone 7 would not have a typical headphone jack, it seemed like Apple was bucking the trend on its own. But since then, LeEco has released smartphones with USB-C-only audio, JBL debuted a pair of noise-cancelling USB-C headphones, and Intel has now announced its intention to formalize specifications for USB-C Digital Audio technology.
Suddenly, as hard as it may be given how widespread the 3.5mm jack is, it’s looking increasingly plausible that the industry is getting ready to leave the last holdout of analog technology behind.
Source: AnandTech
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