Apple's 'courage' to remove the headphone jack has created a brave new world
It was barely two years ago when we lamented the loss of the headphone jack on the iPhone. The iPhone 7 had just arrived with a gorgeous jet black color, a solid-state home button, and a dongle in place of the 3.5mm headphone jack. At the iPhone 7 introduction, Apple VP Phil Schiller talked about having the "courage" to make the change, to leave the headphone jack behind.
At the time it was kind of cringe-worthy. Rather than try to convince the audience of the benefits of wireless charging or the annoyances of wired earphones, Schiller basically told the audience that they might not understand now, but one day they will. You could hear the snickers in the auidence when he said that removing the headphone jack required the "courage to move on and do something new that betters all of us." It sounded ridiculous. All we could see was the inconvenience ahead.
But you know what? He was right.
It might have sounded like the reality distortion field on steroids, but Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack from its most popular product wasn't a flippant design whim. It was the start of a new strategy that would bring convenience, simplicity, and downright delight.
The move led to courageous sales of AirPods.
See also: Poll: Looking back now, did Apple exhibit 'courage' in removing the headphone jack from iPhones?
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(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @02:02PM
It is really simple. If the headphones need their own batteries, you have to deal with even more charging of components (your phone, laptop, and now headphones too). When the headphones run out of power, you either need to use the phone directly (not an option in many cases, nor a preferred method for many people), or you need to wait for the headphones to recharge.
The reality is that the wire connecting your headphones to your phone is not a big deal as it will run from your pocket (purse, bag, or backpack) to your head.
I agree having bluetooth headphones as an option is good. Having them as the only option is bad.