Is Apple getting rid of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7?

With the recent release of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, it’s no surprise we’re already hearing rumors about Apple’s iPhone 7.  In an effort to build a thinner phone, Apple may be dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack, a move that would upset the $8 billion headphone industry.

The rumor comes from Japanese Apple blog Macotakara which cites that a reliable source claims Apple is removing the audio jack in order to reduce a millimeter off the iPhone’s thickness.

While the idea of a slimmer iPhone 7 is not new, the removal of the 3.5mm jack is. A few months back, KGI Securities' analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote a report stating that the iPhone would be almost a full millimeter thinner than the current iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It is believed that Apple will rely on the resiliency of the 7000 Series Aluminum, which made its way into the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, to prevent a thinner device from bending.

Apple is rumored to replace the jack with a multi-purpose USB-C port, measuring 2.5mm high, which would make it exactly a millimeter thinner than the standard audio jack.

However, Apple watcher and Creative Strategies President Tim Bajarin said it’s unlikely that the company will remove the 3.5mm jack solely for design purposes. If Apple found some significant way to enhance sound through USB Type C that’s highly noticeable, then that would make more sense. Aside from that, dropping the port could cause a disruption in millions of headset owners and the market that is predicted to take in approximately $11.3 billion by 2017.

Those who spend extra money on in-ear and over-the-ear headphones from companies such as Klipsch, Parrot, and Beats Audio (which Apple owns) value their audio quality. And if the smartphone company decides to rid the headphone jack on the new iPhone, many people will be forced to buy 3.5mm USB-C adapters, which may be a disruption in the market that not even Apple will be able withstand.

When the company introduced its first iPhone years back, it slightly recessed the 3.5mm audio jack, making a small adapter necessary for anyone who wished to use a headset other than the one shipped with the device. Rather than the headphone industry adapting to Apple’s change, the company fixed the port on future iPhones.

If Apple does choose to remove the audio jack, it’s unclear whether the company would replace it with a USB-C port while leaving the charging port intact or go for the all-in-one single USB-C port for charging, data, and audio.

Losing access to the charging port while listening to audio may not be an issue for iPhone users, and the spread of Bluetooth-based speakers and headsets may ultimately eliminate need for this port.

Source: Mashable