Back in 2016 Apple famously removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7, and while customers
and companies alike mocked Apple for releasing a flagship smartphone without a headphone
jack, it eventually became clear within the next couple years that the iPhone 7 had set
a trend that virtually every other smartphone manufacturer would follow. This is Greg with
Apple Explained and I want to thank Hover for sponsoring this video. If you want to
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Now I want to start off by sharing some background knowledge of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Which
is one of the most unique I/O ports to ever exist, and there are a few reasons for this.
First, it was invented over fifty years ago in the 1960’s, which means it came out before
the VCR player, a product many of you may not even recognize since it’s been obsolete
for so long. But the headphone jack was able to stand the test of time and remain relevant
even to this day. Which brings me to the second thing that makes the port so special, it can
actually be upgraded with modern features by simply adding another ring to its sleeve.
That’s why older headphone jacks only have one or two rings, while today we’re used
to seeing three. And those extra rings added capabilities like stereo audio and audio input,
without the need to redesign an entirely new connector, not to mention modern headphones
are backward compatible with older products. But there’s one more important quality of
the headphone jack, it served as a ubiquitous industry standard for audio in and out.
Now what do I mean by that? Well, when a company makes a product, they have to decide what
ports would be best to include. And different companies made different decisions. I mean,
just look at all the different USB ports that exist on the market today, companies have
to decide which one is best suited for their product. That’s why you tend to have different
chargers for different devices. I can’t charge my Nintendo Switch with my iPhone power
cable, and I can’t charge my MacBook Pro with my external monitor’s power cable.
Different products tend to require different ports. But the 3.5mm headphone jack is a rare
exception. Because it was basically adopted by the entire tech industry, despite there
being many other options for audio as you can see here. The fact that you could buy
an iPod and plug its headphones into literally any other MP3 player on the market was an
incredible benefit that I think was often overlooked. So it’s clear the headphone
jack is an exceptional piece of technology, but in recent years, many tech companies have
decided not to include it in their products anymore. And it all started with Apple.
In 2016, Apple held their annual press event in the fall and fans from all over the world
were eager to see what the next generation iPhone had in store, and hopes were very high.
Because after the incremental iPhone 6S release the previous year, we knew the iPhone 7 was
due to receive a more dramatic update. Although many were disappointed when the device was
revealed, mainly because its design was virtually unchanged, but also because it was missing
a headphone jack. Which some users felt was a must-have feature for a smartphone. It left
people wondering why Apple decided to remove such an important port from their most popular
product. And what reason did Apple give? Well, Phil Schiller gave three: [clip]
Now, I wish Phil Schiller would’ve left out the statement about courage since it just
became an internet meme and overshadowed the more legitimate reasons for removing the headphone
jack. Like the fact that it took up valuable space inside the phone that could be used
for features like the Taptic Engine. Apple was also able to include a 14% larger battery
which delivered an extra 1-2 hours of battery life, and the iPhone 7 achieved an IP67 waterproofing
certification thanks to the absence of the headphone jack. Not to mention the lightning
connector could serve as an audio port to deliver even higher quality sound than before.
Lastly, the transition to wireless headphones would happen faster if all smartphones ditched
the headphone jack. But there are two sides to this story, so let me explain how some
users were feeling about Apple’s decision.
It seemed suspicious that the iPhone’s headphone jack was removed at the same time the AirPods
were introduced. In fact, right after Phil Schiller finished justifying ditching the
headphone jack, he announced their new wireless headphones. Suggesting Apple was trying to
sell more AirPods by removing the iPhone’s headphone jack and making it more inconvenient
to use traditional wired earbuds. Because if you think about it, Apple could’ve waited
a year or two to remove the iPhone’s headphone jack and allow more time for the industry
to transition to wireless, making things easier for iPhone users, but they decided against
it. And when it comes to Apple’s argument that the iPhone needed room for things like
its Taptic Engine, that may not be entirely true. Because a YouTube channel called Strange
Parts was actually able to put a headphone jack in an iPhone 7 himself without removing
any vital components. It’s actually an incredible video that I highly recommend you watching,
you can find a link to it in the description. There was also speculation that Apple was
trying to earn more money from royalties by licensing their lightning connector to third
party headphone manufacturers, but I don’t think that was as big a factor as some were
claiming.
Now as you can imagine there was a significant amount of backlash from consumers and tech
bloggers over the removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone 7. Some people even refused
to buy it for that reason alone. So how significantly were iPhone sales effected? Well, sales of
the device didn’t appear to be effected at all. Apple sold 38.9 million units in the
first quarter of 2017 which made the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus the best-selling smartphones
in the world. And most users didn’t seem to miss the headphone jack, probably because
of the included adapter that allowed users to connect their favorite wired headphones
anyway.
Now I should mention this wasn’t the first time apple removed a popular component from
a product. They did it with the 1998 iMac by removing the floppy drive, the 2008 MacBook
by removing the firewire port, the 2008 MacBook Air by removing the CD drive, and the 2015
MacBook by removing the USB-A ports. And every time this happened, Apple received criticism
from people in the tech community. But this backlash was just the first phase of public
opinion, the second phase was when users began adapting to the changes Apple made, and the
third phase happened once users admitted the technology Apple left out was no longer necessary.
That’s why computers today don’t have floppy drives and it’s very hard to find
notebooks that still include CD drives. And the headphone jack is already following the
same trajectory. Because even though it was only removed from the iPhone two and a half
years ago, other smartphone manufactures have already begin to follow Apple’s lead. Samsung
removed the headphone jack from their Galaxy A8s and Galaxy Fold, along with the Pixel
2, Moto Z3, OnePlus 6T, Xperia XZ2, HTC U12 Plus, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, and more. So clearly
there must be some benefit to removing the headphone jack if virtually every major smartphone
manufacturer has already done it.
But I should mention that the headphone jack isn’t only being removed from smartphones.
Apple also left it out of their new iPad Pros in 2018, and some are wondering if they’ll
eventually remove it from their MacBook or MacBook Air notebooks. So what does the demise
of the headphone jack actually mean for everyday users? Well, it means you have two options:
carry around an adapter to use wired headphones with your device, or buy wireless headphones
and never worry about plugging into a headphone jack again. And if you’ve had any experience
with high quality wireless headphones, you probably found it difficult to go back to
the wired equivalent. I remember when the AirPods were first announced and people dismissed
them as overpriced and ugly. After all, you could buy wired headphones with better sound
quality for the same price. But many people underestimated the unbelievable level of convenience
AirPods provided. And that’s why they’ve become such a huge success.
So I think most people would agree that the future is wireless, but some may have a problem
with how we get there. As I mentioned before, there is some truth to the fact that Apple
was very abrupt. Forcing users into an uncomfortable position that could’ve been avoided if the
headphone jack had been included on iPhone for at least another few years. Giving wireless
technology time to become more affordable and widely adopted by users. But I think overall,
users weren’t bothered by Apple’s approach. With some, like Jonathan Kim even calling
it a non-issue. And I actually think he made a pretty good point when he said, “in 2018,
complaining about smartphones losing the 3.5mm jack is actually advocating for more wires — which
get tangled, snagged, frayed, require you to be attached to a device, and can lead to
devices getting damaged when they accidentally get yanked to the floor or off your head.
And for audio, we simply don’t need wires and the problems that go with them anymore.”
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