Topic: iPhone 7’s Headphone Jack
Article Link:
There has been a lot of buzz recently in the mobile industry over Apple’s new flagship phone, the iPhone7. A lot of this publicity can be attributed to the fact that Apple, which recently became Fortune’s 9th richest company in the world, decided to remove the headphone jack from the newest iterations of their phones. This decision has divided the industry, with some arguing that the headphone jack had been outstaying its welcome, and the introduction of wireless headphones was the way of the future. However, others argued that this was simply a ploy by Apple to boost the sales of their own, first party products. The hyperlinked article from The Economist’s October 2016 issue brings up valid points for both sides of the argument. However, the views of the average consumer are not covered in depth by this article, despite these arguably being more important.
The people in favor of this decision argue that the removal of the headphone jack will usher in a renaissance period for the mobile market. The primary argument for the removal of the headphone port is that it frees up space in the phone for other, more important features, such as a better camera, larger battery life, and better on board speakers. Apple counteracted the lack of an audio port by implementing two pieces hardware, firstly, a thunderbolt to headphone adapter, that allows the charging port of the phone to turn into a headphone jack. The second, and much more radical, is the implementation of a new accessory, the ‘Air-pods’. The Air-pods retail at $160, and are a pair of wireless earphones that respond to voice commands. These Air-pods do implement a fair amount of innovation, as wireless headphones are yet to be perfected, and Apple claims that their product is better than any other currently on the market.
Conversely, there are countless disadvantages to the removal of the headphone jack, and more so with the implementation of the new Air-Pods. Firstly, many consumers view this as anti-consumer behavior, as any earphones that are currently owned by someone seeking to buy the iPhone 7, have become more or less obsolete. This is reminiscent to when Apple implemented the Thunderbolt charging port, and reduced the old Apple chargers to essentially artifacts. Additionally, people have commented on the inconvenience that the thunderbolt to headphone adapter will bring on, as the ability to simultaneously charge a phone, and use its audio port will no longer exist.
In conclusion, it can be argued that the removal of the headphone jack can be both positive, or negative for the mobile phone industry. After all, the only conclusive way to investigate its impact, would be to let it play out.
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