# Apple to do away with earphone jack (yes or no) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 16, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660 "2015-06-16T11:28:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/1 "2015-06-16T11:28:08Z")
I feel it’s only a matter of time before Apple removes this port from it’s iPhone and iOS devices. It’s taking up space and hindering it’s sleek look. It’s also hindering profits from selling devices that use the priority blue apple bluetooth wireless format which will be incompatible with standard bluetooth, and all the licensing income from other device makers who desire to sell things like earbuds and car audio systems. It appears that the newest Macbook already did away with that and only has one port (USB-C), at least it is not proprietary, but that’s all you get including for charging it (so if your charging your laptop you can’t plug in anything else without a hub which splits the single port into multiple. So how long before that jack is gone? ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/2 "2015-06-16T15:04:09Z")
You can’t use Bluetooth on a plane, so iPhone owners would have to fall back to the in-flight entertainment, or -gasp- read a book. I can’t see that going over well. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/3 "2015-06-16T15:11:24Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > You can’t use Bluetooth on a plane, so iPhone owners would have to fall back to the in-flight entertainment, or -gasp- read a book. I can’t see that going over well. [Actually, it doesn’t look like bluetooth is banned any longer.](http://blog.bluetooth.com/faa-clears-bluetooth-technology-for-takeoff/) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/4 "2015-06-16T15:24:42Z")
I’d say about 7.5 years from now. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/5 "2015-06-16T15:54:50Z")
Put me down for August. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/6 "2015-06-16T16:27:47Z")
Maybe the OP should just do away with apostrophes because they’re useless, too? ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/7 "2015-06-16T16:32:53Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > It appears that the newest Macbook already did away with that and only has one port (USB-C)… No, it didn’t. The headphone jack is the only other port they did in fact keep - and that on a laptop, not a phone (hint: it’s on the other side of the USB port). I can’t see it happening anytime soon, they might as well remove the port from the iPod. It’s just too deeply ingrained, and can’t be practically replaced by anything else. I hope I won’t be eating my words, but what a lot of people don’t seem to understand about the new MacBook is that it’s not meant for everyone. If you need more connectivity, don’t buy it. There are other options, even in the Mac world. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/8 "2015-06-16T17:09:17Z")
Have I missed a memo? What is the “priority blue apple bluetooth wireless format?” ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-to-do-away-with-earphone-jack-yes-or-no/722660/9 "2015-06-16T17:33:51Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Have I missed a memo? What is the “priority blue apple bluetooth wireless format?” Check back in August 😉 The price will start at $75. The “Beats by Dr. Dre” version will cost a cool $450. It will sound exactly the same as an old-fashioned headphone with wires, except when interference or sunspots or whatever causes you to lose the signal, or you forget to charge it overnight.