The iPhone’s 3.5mm headphone jack, rumored to be conspicuous in its absence from the upcoming iPhone 7, has lasted more than twice the length of a regular Apple port.
Having first appeared in an Apple product with 1984’s Macintosh, the headphone jack has been a staple of Apple devices for 32 years at this point. The average Apple I/O standard, on the other hand? According to a new report, that number averages out at only around 15 years.
As The Verge notes, we take the classic USB connector for granted, despite the fact it’s only been there for 18 years — and it, too, is currently being phased out in favor of USB-C. The floppy disk, meanwhile, felt like it was a part of Apple computers forever, until Steve Jobs decided to get rid of it for the iMac.
As someone who owns a number of high-end headphones I’ll no longer be able to use on my iPhone come September, provided Apple really does go ahead and replace the headphone connection with Lightning EarPods, I’m (selfishly) still unsure how I feel about Apple scrapping the 3.5mm jack.
Still, this report (which is accompanied by a nifty chart if you visit the original article) illustrates that the headphone jack has defied the odds in the length of time it’s taken to be consigned to Apple’s scrap heap. I guess we once again need to heed Steve Jobs’ words (paraphrasing Wayne Gretzky) when he scrapped the floppy drive: “Skate where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.”
How would you feel about Apple ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack? Leave your comments below.
