Today, the Apple-made EarPods that come nestled in the box of every new iPhone use a regular old 3.5mm headphone jack. That means you can use them with any other device with a 3.5mm audio port. It also means you can use virtually any other pair of non-apple headphones with your iPhone. A quietly updated spec to Apple’s “Made for iPhone” (MFi) standard suggests that may soon change. According to 9to5Mac, Apple has modified the MFi standard to include headphones that connect to iOS devices via the Lightning port instead of the headphone jack. The implications are huge—particularly with audiophiles and app makers. Headphones connecting through the Lightning port will be able to receive lossless 48 kHz digital audio, as well as send mono 48 kHz digital audio input through a mic, should they have one.
Read the full story at Wired, and the original report at 9 to 5 Mac.