On Wednesday, Apple confirmed that the rumors are true: there is no headphone jack in the iPhone 7. Apple is including a new pair of EarPods in the box with the handset, as well as an adapter for connecting the headphones to the legacy 3.5mm port, and it also announced new wireless earbuds called AirPods.
Apple SVP Phil Schiller explains the move: “The reason to move on: courage. The courage to move on and do something new that betters all of us.” Schiller says removing headphone jack will free up space, which is growing ever-limited with new components, and Apple’s ultimate vision for mobile audio is “wireless.”
“Up till now no one has taken on the challenge of fixing the thigns that are difficult to do on those wireless experiences and make them so we all want to do them. Our team at Apple has worked so hard to create something new that delivers on the opportunity to create the wireless experience.”
So there you have it. For all of you folks out there wondering how Apple would justify removing the headphone jack from the iPhone 7: they say it’s because the port was a poor use of space and ultimately they see all headphones becoming wireless. Coincidentally, they also announced multiple new pairs of Bluetooth headphones today.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the move, sound off below!