It has been repeatedly said that the iPhone 7 headphone jack will not be used, which upset many iPhone owners. That said, here are four reasons why the iPhone 7 headphone jack died a painful death.
The headphone jack is currently the biggest port on the iPhone and is also the oldest technology the iPhone has. However, it is rumored that Apple will get rid of the earpiece in the next iPhone to make the iPhone thinner and make more room for other components.
This is by no means an overkill, as Apple has been on the forefront of getting rid of obsolete hardware for years and the headphone jack will be another addition to this collection.
However, the headphone jack is still widely used by many, so we can see why iPhone owners are upset at the prospect of Apple getting rid of the jack, but the truth is, it’s time to replace something.
Here are four reasons why the iPhone 7 headphone jack is dead.
thinner iPhone
Let’s start with the obvious reason. Most of the rumors that the headphone jack will go away claim it’s because Apple wants to make the iPhone even thinner.
The iPhone 6s is already really thin, but Apple knows it can get even thinner, and getting rid of the headphone jack is a good starting point when trying to make it happen.
But Apple can make the iPhone thinner without ditching the headphone jack, and the iPod Touch is a great example of how that can work.
The iPhone 6s is 0.29 inches thick, but it’s not the thinnest Apple has ever sold. 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 probably could.
Of course, there are more components inside the iPhone than the iPod Touch like radios and GPS chips, which might be a hindrance, but the headphone jack certainly isn’t the only thing holding back Apple from building a thinner iPhone.
Wireless is the Future
Whether you like it or not, wireless headphones are coming, and Bluetooth is set to grow significantly over the next few years.
While there are a handful of audiophiles who prefer wired headphones, most casual users with iPhones probably don’t need wired headphones and can easily get away with Bluetooth boxes.
Audiophiles claim you’ll get much better sound quality with wired headphones, and that may be true, but for most casual users the difference may be negligible. Even headphone maker Jaybird said that audio problems are no longer to blame on Bluetooth, but rather design related.
Also, Apple is said to be making its own wireless earbuds that could launch with the iPhone 7 as a premium alternative to the Lightning EarPods that will come with the new device.
So while wireless may not yet fully dominate the audio market, it will happen very soon.
Bigger Screens
Another reason why the iPhone 7 headphone jack is dead is because it makes more room on the iPhone for larger screens without increasing the overall size of the device.
Product designer Matt Galligan says it best:
“Think about it… the jack on the end of your headphones has to go somewhere on the phone. Buy a pair of headphones, then pretend you’re leaving [to] connect them to your iPhone, but put them on top of the phone where they would otherwise go. See how close it is to the screen? Basically, there would be no way to fit the jack under the screen. Are you following me?”
In other words, Apple couldn’t extend the screen down since the headphone jack was there, and it’s actually pretty crazy how much internal space the jack takes up.
If at any point Apple plans to get rid of the Home button and extend the iPhone’s screen downward, it should simply and simply get rid of the headphone jack.
Better Waterproofing
The iPhone 6s is already more waterproof than previous models thanks to a series of small strategically placed rubber seals, but it’s possible future models will be even more waterproof, but the headphone jack will have to go.
We may see a new waterproof iPhone this year.
The only other female port on the iPhone is Apple’s own designed Lightning connector. That means 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 the headphone jack that tell you if your phone has been exposed to water internally, so getting rid of the headphone jack will make waterproofing the iPhone 7 much easier.
