This headline surprised me and made me mad as well, quickly thinking even before I read further, what would I listen to when I cut the grass, go to the gym, or even try to fall asleep at night when I am tossing and turning? According to rumors this is somewhat true. The actual rumor is that Apple is planning on ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack that has been on iPhone’s, iPad’s, iPod’s for years. Now that does not mean that we can no longer listen to headphones, but it will mean that every single type of headphone that is on the market will no longer be useful, as the next iPhone is rumored to be using headphones that will plug into the Lightning port.
For users that purchase the next iPhone, it would come with its new earbuds that fit into the Lightning port. This is not entirely a problem, however I have always felt that the earbuds that come with the iPhone have not always been the most comfortable and never really have fit my ears. I have always preferred the earbuds with the gel ear tip, that not only fits better inside the ear more comfortably, but also provides superior sound quality and it fits inside your ear a little more, allowing your ear to reflect sound a little louder within.
For those that will be waiting to make the next iPhone purchase regardless, what can you do with your old headphones, such as maybe overspending on the short lived trend of Beats by Dre? Well you can still use them, but you will have to purchase an additional adapter, which by previous Apple adapters such as the Lightning, HDMI, etc., may cost upwards of $30, which is more than the cost of most everyday earbuds that are used.
The positive would be that removing the 3.5mm headphone jack would allow the next iPhone to be smaller, a trend that seems to happen with every number release, not including the “S” or “C” releases. Much like all of the “upgrades” that Apple continues to do, we will most likely adapt and continue to buy. Lots of consumers hated the switch to Lightning, but have since adapted. We are in fact pretty loyal to Apple and continue to get excited with each product release and although Apple has not confirmed any rumors, we will look forward to its supposed fall 2016 release.