Apple has created a new specification for its Made for iPhone (MFi) program that will allow OEMs to make headphones that use the Lightning port instead of the standard headphone jack, reports 9to5Mac. Headphones that use the specification will apparently be able to receive 48kHz digital stereo output, and headsets with integrated microphones will be able to send 48kHz digital mono input. The headphones could additionally send other kinds of input to the iDevice, including the ability to control playback or launch specific applications.

According to the report, there will be two different kinds of Lightning headphones. "Standard" headphones will simply use a digital-to-analog converter, while "Advanced" headphones will add a digital signal processor and "digital audio processing features like active noise cancellation." Use of the Lightning port for headphones will apparently be enabled in an update to iOS 7.1.

While high-quality audio playback through the Lightning port might be desirable for some, using the port as a headphone interface would be limiting in other ways. You would want high-quality headphones to really hear the difference in audio quality, but those headphones would only be able to work with Lightning-equipped Apple devices. Taking up an iPhone or iPad's only Lightning port with headphones would also keep you from listening to things and charging your device at the same time, barring some kind of adapter or wireless charging technology—the report suggests a passthrough capability that can send power from an adapter to the headphones to the device, but it's not clear if that's part of the specification or speculation on 9to5Mac's part.

A Lightning headphone specification could open the door to a future where iOS devices don't include standard headphone jacks, though it's unclear why this would be necessary—a headphone jack fits easily into the 6.1 mm-thick iPod touch, and the jack isn't much taller than the Lightning port itself. The idea of using the Lightning port for audio is interesting, but compared to headphones with more universal 1/8" (3.5mm) connectors or Bluetooth headsets, it just doesn't seem like a practical solution for most people.