14 DAY TRIAL // Apple can’t launch a new product without generating some sort of controversy around dongles, as the company is reportedly getting ready to remove the Lightning to headphone jack adapter from the box of new iPhone models.
In other words, should you decide to purchase one of the three iPhones launching this year, a headphone adapter will have to be bought separately for a price that will probably be higher than you expect. Right now, Apple sells the Lightning to 3.55 mm headphone jack adapter for $9.
Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis and his associates said in an investor note that Apple is getting rid of the dongle this year, and Cirrus Logic is believed to be the supplier most affected by this decision, as it makes audio-related components for the iPhone, including the said adapter.
The headphone jack saga
By the looks of things, after becoming the first prominent company to remove the headphone jack from its smartphones, Apple wants to be the first one that pulls adapters as well, if this report is accurate.
Apple officially ditched the 3.5mm audio port on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus following a rather controversial decision, and despite the public backlash, the company call this an act of “courage.”
Several other Android device manufacturers followed in Apple’s footsteps, and Cupertino itself tried to compensate for the hack of a headphone port by offering adapters bundled in the box of new devices. iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X also come with such adapters included in the box.
Most likely, Apple will continue to push wireless headphones more aggressively with the release of new iPhones, and the lack of a headphone adapter in the box could be part of this strategy. It remains to be seen if this indeed happens, and if it does, how the market receives what’s likely to become another controversial decision.