Will iPhone 7 launch with wireless Apple "AirPods" headphones?

When Apple introduced the Lightning connector on the iPhone 5, speaker docks had to change their connection too. However, it also had the effect of boosting the number of wireless speakers on the market, with manufacturers wanting to release products that would work with multiple devices and weren't tied to a particular connection.

Could Apple be aiming to kickstart a similar move from wired to wireless in the world of headphones?

The information, uncovered by Mac Rumours, show a company called Entertainment in Flight LLC, based in Delaware, filed the trademark application. However, this could be a front company - this filing is its only visible operation and Apple has used this technique in the past to keep its plans under wraps. The application mentions audio accessories and earphones, and with the current crop of Apple’s earphones being called EarPods, it’s easy to see why the connection has been made.

The Cupertino tech giant has also recently filed a patent for a new D-shaped headphone connector, which won’t work with existing headphones - the perfect time to push wireless headphones, perhaps. It seems changes to headphones are high on Apple's agenda. Could it be the end for the infamously leaky Apple earphones? We’ll wait to see what launches alongside next year’s iPhone 7.

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.