Because very soon, headphone adapters would go away too

Aug 8, 2018 12:43 GMT  ·  By

Apple is known as the pioneer of several new mobile features, but at the same time, it’s also the company that made many controversial decisions, as it’s the case of the headphone jack removal back in 2016.

While the Cupertino-based tech giant described it as an act of “courage,” ditching the 3.5mm port was received with mixed feelings by users worldwide, especially because buyers were thus pushed to a completely new world where their own headphones wouldn’t survive without an adapter.

For many users, including myself, not having a headphone jack was a major pain in the neck. Not necessarily because I couldn’t use my headphones to listen to music on my iPhone, but because I had to carry the damn adapter with me all the time.

I’m one of those people who lost such an adapter and broke down another one, so the one I’m using right now is my third $9.99 dongle that I had to buy because otherwise, I had pretty much no option to use my wired headphones. Call me crazy, though I’m sure I’m not the only one, but the AirPods not only that can’t be considered a solution for the lack of a headphone jack, but they also look ridiculous.

Plus, I’m pretty sure that I’d lose one the first time I use them, so I’m better off without any AirPods for the time being.

Unsurprisingly, Apple hasn’t reversed its decision to kill off the headphone jack, so its full bet on the Lightning port continued with the release of iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus. An adapter was still included in the box, so you could still use your old-school 3.5mm headphones with the new-generation iPhones.

But starting with the 2018 iPhone lineup, Apple is planning to give up even on this little adapter. In other words, it would no longer be included in the box with every new iPhone, but only sold separately.

This is the third adapter I had to buy for my iPhone after I lost one and broke down a second one
This is the third adapter I had to buy for my iPhone after I lost one and broke down a second one

It is another step that Apple uses as part of its transition to a wireless future and which has two major benefits for the company. First, it could push new iPhone buyers to AirPods, which is Apple’s rather expensive fix for the lack of a headphone port. As I said, I still think they look ridiculous, so for me, this can’t even be considered an option.

But at the same time, not including the adapter in the box can also boost sales of this little accessory. At $9.99, the Lightning to 3.5mm audio is one of the best-selling accessories currently sold by Apple, and there’s no doubt that by not including it in the box with new iPhones could help in this regard.

Of course, it’s hard to believe that Apple sees the adapter as a money-making machine, but every single dollar counts, and it’s one way to reach the $1 trillion market valuation that the company has recently touched.

Needless to say, Apple is very keen to continue this push for a world without headphone jacks, and what’s worse is that other phone makers seem to embrace this idea as well. HTC, for instance, has already given up on the 3.5mm audio connector and others could do it as well.

The only good news is that Samsung has until now resisted the temptation to kill off the headphone jack, and by the looks of things, it won’t do it anytime soon. On the other hand, it may all be just a matter of time until everyone joins the trend, and sooner or later, the headphone jack might be just a thing of the past.

How’s life without a headphone jack for you? Do you still think that iPhones should feature such a port or are you perfectly fine with the adapter that Apple has until now offered in the box with new iPhones? What do you think about the AirPods?

You can share your answers and let us what you think in the comment box after the jump.

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

iPhone 7 was the first model without a headphone jack
This is the third adapter I had to buy for my iPhone after I lost one and broke down a second one
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