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4 Reasons Why the iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Should Die

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It’s been rumored over and over again that the iPhone 7 headphone jack will be a no-show, which has upset a lot of iPhone owners. However, here are four reasons why the iPhone 7 headphone jack should die a painful death.

The headphone jack is currently the biggest port on the iPhone, and it’s also the oldest technology that the iPhone still has. However, it’s rumored that Apple will be getting rid of the headphone on the next iPhone in order to make the iPhone thinner, as well as make more room for other components.

We can’t say that this is far-fetched by any means, as Apple as been the leading the way on getting rid of legacy hardware for years now, and the headphone jack would simply be another piece added to that collection.

Read: Start Prepping Now for the iPhone 7 Release

However, the headphone jack is still widely used by many people, so we can see why iPhone owners would be upset by the possibility of Apple getting rid of the jack, but the truth is that it’s about time that something takes its place.

Here are four reasons why the iPhone 7 headphone jack should die.

Thinner iPhone

Let’s start with the obvious reason. Most of the rumors that say the headphone jack will be going away are claiming it’s because Apple wants to make the iPhone even thinner.

iPhone-7-release-date

The iPhone 6s is already really thin, but Apple knows it can go even thinner, and getting rid of the headphone jack is a good place to start when trying to make that happen.

However, Apple could make the iPhone thinner without throwing out the headphone jack, and the iPod Touch is a great example of how that would work.

The iPhone 6s is 0.29-inches thick, but it’s not the thinnest device that Apple sells. The latest 6th-generation iPod Touch is just 0.24-inches thick, which is 1.2mm thinner than the iPhone 6s. So if Apple wanted to make the iPhone thinner without sacrificing ports, it could probably do it.

Of course, the iPhone has more components inside than the iPod Touch, like radios and GPS chips, so that may be a hindrance, but the headphone jack certainly isn’t the one and only thing holding Apple back from creating a thinner iPhone.

Wireless Is the Future

Whether you want it to be or not, wireless headphones are the future, and Bluetooth is poised to grow substantially over the next couple of years.

Apple TV Bluetooth Headphones

While there are a handful of audiophiles who swear by wired headphones, most everyday casual users who have an iPhone probably don’t need wired headphones and could easily get away with Bluetooth cans.

Audiophiles argue that you’ll get much better sound quality through wired headphones, and that may be true, but the difference can be negligible for most casual users. Even headphone maker Jaybird told us that sound issues aren’t to be blamed on Bluetooth anymore, but instead it comes down to the design.

Furthermore, it’s rumored that Apple is making its own wireless earbuds that could release alongside the iPhone 7 as a premium alternative to the Lightning EarPods that will come with the new device.

So while wireless may not completely dominate the audio market yet, it’ll happen soon enough.

Larger Displays

Another reason why the iPhone 7 headphone jack should die is because it would make more room for larger displays on the iPhone without increasing the overall size of the device.

iPhone-6s-Plus-iOS-9.2-Update-92

Product designer Matt Galligan says it best:

“Think about it…that jack at the end of your headphones has to go somewhere in the phone. Grab a pair of headphones, then act like you’re going [to] connect them to your iPhone, but instead lay them on top of the phone instead where they’d otherwise go. See how close it comes to the screen? Basically there would be no way to fit the jack itself under the screen. Following me yet?”

In other words, Apple wouldn’t be able to extend the screen downwards since the headphone jack is there, and it’s actually pretty crazy how much internal space that the jack takes up.

If Apple plans on getting rid of the Home button at any point and extending the iPhone’s display downward, it’ll have to get rid of the headphone jack, plain and simple.

Better Waterproofing

The iPhone 6s is already more waterproof than previous models, thanks to a set of tiny rubber gaskets strategically placed all over, but it’s possible that future models could get even more waterproof, but it’s likely that the headphone jack would have to go.

We could see a new waterproof iPhone this year.

We could see a new waterproof iPhone this year.

The only other female port on the iPhone is the Lightning connector, which is Apple’s own creation. This means that Apple could easily make it waterproof somehow, especially since it’s a really small port with very little depth.

The headphone jack on the other hand is much more difficult to waterproof. In fact, most smartphones have water sensors inside of the headphone jack that tell you if your phone has been subjected to water internally, so getting rid of the headphone jack would likely make waterproofing the iPhone 7 much easier to do.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. mackabieviper42

    01/14/2016 at 10:41 am

    Yes make the iPhone thinner then when teenagers put them in their pockets and sit down it breaks in half also I wonder is Apple Company going give Bluetooth head phone go with the iPhone 7 or do you have buy it plus what will it cost you which will be two chargers to go with the iPhone one for phone one for Bluetooth headset people also don’t realize the bigger the iPhone less photos it will hold plus more MB it will use for each photo also I noticed most the iPhones are larger GB that are having the problem with the iOS 9’s been asking lot people with 16 GB iPhones are they having problems with 9’s they say no l

  2. Dakota Brewer

    01/14/2016 at 12:47 pm

    Coming from an Audio Video background, i would have to disagree with getting rid of the jack. The only point i agree with in this article is the fact that it could make waterproofing better.

  3. jimr450

    01/14/2016 at 2:06 pm

    I would question, first of all, whether or not iPhone audio output in general is of high enough fidelity to even matter if a pair of very good cans are wireless or wired. In other words, is the bottleneck the port or the device/software itself?
    I don’t know, but before getting the pitchforks I’d want to check that since it might make zero difference in audio quality if the headphones are wired or wireless if the fidelity of the output from the Music app and the audio file aren’t high enough to begin with.

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