# iPhone 7 removal of headphone jack: hate it or love it **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 7, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273 "2016-09-07T15:22:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/21 "2016-09-07T18:06:12Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > I’m not delighted at the change, but this might be the impetus to drag me kicking and screaming towards a technology where I don’t yank the iPod off the treadmill every time I get tangled in the headphone cable. The only actual benefit to a headphone cord is that it prevents the earplugs from getting lost if they fall out. That might be a problem with a bluetooth device. My earbuds are connected by a cord that goes behind my head. When they come out, they dangle over my shoulders. I also have some Bluetooth headphones that go over the top of my head. The only drawback is they do have to be recharged periodically. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/22 "2016-09-07T18:08:03Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202234) > > [How do you know if you have malware?](https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5285635?tstart=0) > > [The Ten Most Dangerous Mac Viruses(2012)](http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/295168-the-ten-most-dangerous-mac-viruses) Snow Leopard? You mean, from June, 2008? The 10 most “dangerous” Mac Viruses… From 2012. Please, try harder. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/23 "2016-09-07T18:08:34Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Still missing that rotary dial phone, with the four prong outlet? They didn’t tangle and break like RJ-11. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/24 "2016-09-07T18:16:57Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I am prepared to be pissed. You could be just prepared to live without an iPhone 7. But I understand that would be hard. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/25 "2016-09-07T18:19:03Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I invested a good sum of money into my Bose Noise Cancelling headphones (which I love). I’m going to be pissed if I have to buy an adapter to use them. I also plug my phone in to charge at night and plug in the stereo jack into my clock radio and listen to a white noise app all night long. I’m going to be pissed if I can no longer do this. > > I am prepared to be pissed. There’s going to be a few years of adapter hell before things settle down, but there will be [products like this](https://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mfi.png?w=1024&h=0) on the market. There are already lightning pass-through cables that you can buy. None of it is elegant but you’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/26 "2016-09-07T18:23:19Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > You could be just prepared to live without an iPhone 7. But I understand that would be hard. If I thought that the iPhone 8 would bring the plug back, I’d wait for it. My 6+ is working just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/27 "2016-09-07T18:24:58Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > There’s going to be a few years of adapter hell before things settle down, but there will be [products like this](https://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/mfi.png?w=1024&h=0) on the market. There are already lightning pass-through cables that you can buy. None of it is elegant but you’ll be fine. For now, I’m going with righteous indignation. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/28 "2016-09-07T18:30:38Z")
Quality headphones go for $100 and up. I have a $175 set next to my bed. I have a subwoofer and 40W speakers that plugs into my laptop, mp3 player and phone. That set me back $250. WTF good is a iPhone without a audio miniplug jack? These asshats can go piss up a rope. I use a droid phone. But monkey see monkey do. They’ll copy Apple like always and ruin music for everybody. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/29 "2016-09-07T18:44:41Z")
Not interested in iPhones personally, but if an Android phone I was considering didn’t have a headphone jack I would pass. I like to plug in my phone to my car stereo system, and that is easily done with a cable. I can also use a bluetooth adapter, but cable works every time and bluetooth is more trouble IME. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/30 "2016-09-07T19:30:58Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I like to plug in my phone to my car stereo system, and that is easily done with a cable. I can also use a bluetooth adapter, but cable works every time and bluetooth is more trouble IME. Oh yeah, that’s another one. In a friend’s car once, while driving. Me: Have you heard such and such? Them: No. Me: Oh man, you’ve got to! Let me plug my phone in. Them: Okay, just pair it… hit the button on the console… no, th- yeah, that. Okay. Me: Hold on, I’ve got to turn on Bluetooth. Okay, it’s pairing. And so on. On the other hand, a friend in my car. Them: Have you heard such and such? Me: _passes cable over_ ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/31 "2016-09-07T19:41:15Z")
I don’t feel strongly about it. My annoyance with change is tempered by the fact that headphone jacks are are really anachronistic technology. (As well, the fact that I don’t actually own or plan to own an iPhone makes it an idle discussion for me.) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/32 "2016-09-07T19:45:32Z")
I used to have an iPhone. Now I have an Android. For some reason, the equalizer app I have doesn’t work on the sound through the headphones. It works over Bluetooth, though, so I have one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MJMV0GU/ref=s9_top_hm_awbw_b1PYB5X_g107_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=mobile-hybrid-3&pf_rd_r=S433HBR94GH0E2XJKFCW&pf_rd_t=30901&pf_rd_p=5dc4229d-220f-57b0-a306-3501f28f9832&pf_rd_i=1293687011) plugged into my car stereo’s AUX jack. I press one button to pair. No muss, no fuss, and the sound is much better than from the headphone jack. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/33 "2016-09-07T20:00:44Z")
The basic point is that users don’t gain anything by losing a widely-compatible outlet. > [@leahcim](#): > > My annoyance with change is tempered by the fact that headphone jacks are are really anachronistic technology. It’s not anachronistic, it’s just old. Sometimes old things survive because they’re pretty much perfectly designed for their roles. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/34 "2016-09-07T20:15:37Z")
I have an iPhone 6. I don’t use the headphone jack very often - I have found that it’s quiet enough when I go on my nightly walks that I can just play the baseball game over the phone’s speakers and not have to deal with headphone wires. Otherwise, I don’t really listen to my iPhone via headphones. I have an iPod Shuffle that I use for tunes while exercising or mowing the lawn. My new elliptical machine has a jack for my iPhone but it’s a USB plug. Same for my new 2017 car. If I plug it in, it’s not via the headphone jack it’s via the lightning-to-usb connection. You can still use headphones with it right? Just need to get an adapter to go in to the lightning cable spot? Sounds good to me. Bluetooth headphones do sound like a pain but plenty of people use them already. And, I’m not sure how this is “ruining music” - you’re kind of a rube if you are thinking your best audio experience comes from digital files on a mobile device. Unless you are filling your phone with lossless audio files (can you?) and using $200 headphones, which since you spent that much you might as well get yourself an adapter. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/35 "2016-09-07T20:19:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I use a droid phone. But monkey see monkey do. They’ll copy Apple like always and ruin music for everybody. Not when there’s more than a dozen makers. That’s always been the advantage of both Android and Windows worlds: makers ranging from low-end shit to stuff that makes the stuff picked in the walled garden look limited. Your choice. _Your_ choice, not the choice of Tim Cook channelling his holiness. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/36 "2016-09-07T20:20:38Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I invested a good sum of money into my Bose Noise Cancelling headphones (which I love). I’m going to be pissed if I have to buy an adapter to use them. I also plug my phone in to charge at night and plug in the stereo jack into my clock radio and listen to a white noise app all night long. I’m going to be pissed if I can no longer do this. > > I am prepared to be pissed. For now, there will be a 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapter included in the box, so your old headphones will still work. One thing that (mildly) concerns me is that sometimes I want to listen to music with headphones _and_ charge my phone at the same time. Bluetooth would solve that issue, and I’ve been thinking about getting BT headphones anyway, but the new ones from Apple have only a 5 hour battery life. Because I am mostly blind, I rely on sound from my phone, especially in daylight, and I use headphones all day long so others don’t have to listen to my phone making noise. I might need 2 pairs just to get me through the day without charging. (This would be a problem with or without the jack.) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/37 "2016-09-07T20:45:53Z")
I’m going to go out on a limb with this, but here goes. I think this will end in catastrophe for Apple that ultimately costs Tim Cook his job. In principle, I not a zealot about the 3.5mm jack and I’m not an audiophile. I just think this is going to be a major barrier for a lot of people who would typically have been automatic iPhone upgraders. Some of those people will still upgrade of course, but the market is going to react very badly when they see the decline year over year. Apple saw a 25%+ decline in sales with the 6s, the 7 is going to be even worse and the headphone jack will be the biggest reason for it (combined with the evolutionary, to be generous, design and lack of killer new features). Long story short, Apple has given their fans a legit reason NOT to upgrade while offering no real compelling reasons in favor of it. I was a long time iPhone holdout. I had an iPhone 3G and 4, and I really disliked it in a lot of ways. I missed my Blackberry and I hated iTunes (still do). The battery life was dismal and I used a Zune (!!!) for my daily music and podcasts. Eventually I switched to Android and then Windows Phone and back to Android. I loved Windows Phone, but just couldn’t tolerate the lack of apps and constant OS reboots, and Android was painful in a lot of ways. So, I’m back to a iPhone 6s+ and I’m pretty happy. I say this to hopefully inoculate myself from accusations of Apple-hater or Android fanboy. When I bought my 6S+ I planned to take advantage of the “iPhone as a Service” pricing and upgrade annually. But now, with this version, I’m very likely to skip that plan and wait and see what the iPhone 8 brings. It’s the headphone jack, and only that, that is holding me back. I really want to take advantage of the new camera with OIS (shameful that this 6S+ lacks such a basic feature) and the dual camera may be interesting. The dual speakers are super exciting to me, I rely heavily on speakerphone for work and had a HTC One with Boomsound which was revolutionary at the time. The waterproof design is nice and I’m always game for better battery and more power. The haptic home button is questionable, but not a blocker. I’m not a design snob, so I am not put off by the lack of a new design. So, again, I really would like to upgrade, but I won’t. Here’s why the headphone jack is so important to me. I’m not an audiophile but I do use headphones ALL THE TIME. I don’t buy many high-end headphones (though I do have a very expensive wired Bose set and another pricey wireless set) but I have almost a dozen cheap-to-midrange earbuds that I use close to daily. I treat ear buds the way I treat Lightning chargers. I keep them everywhere I might need them. I have a charger and ear buds by my bed so I can listen to music or watch videos before bed while charging my phone. The Lightning adapter and the Lightning Earpods both preclude this use case, which is very bad. I have ear buds in my laptop bag, in my desk, in my car console, by my keys and wallet and with my running stuff. I don’t typically carry ear buds with me, I just use the ones that happen to be where I am. If I’m running an errand I grab the ones in my car. If I’m heading to work I use the ones in my laptop bag. If I’m at my desk I use those. When I head to run or to the gym, I use my running set that are super secure or my wireless set. There’s simply no way I’m going to buy Lightning headphones or wireless headphones for this use case, just too expensive and with little to no benefit. Wireless headphones have their place, I own a set, but they only last for 8 hours and constantly need to be charged. Constant charging is OK for the phone, it goes with me everywhere and I have chargers everywhere, but not so much for the headphones. I can charge and use my phone at the same time, you can’t do that with headphones. I really don’t want to be carrying a wireless set of headphones around everywhere I go, they’ll get lost, broken and will always be dead at the end of the day. I can’t be the only person who operates this way. My girlfriend is super slow to adopt new technology and she always forgets to charge her phone. No way she would charge headphones too, and a set of dead wireless headphones on the train in the morning will be rage inducing. That’s another persona this will exclude. Apple’s plan to soften the blow and usher people to the next generation is going to suck, hard. The Lightning adapter will make pocketing your phone while listening almost impossible. It will create a lot of broken Lightning ports. They will get lost constantly. Anyone remember the days of dongles? That sucked. And don’t get me started on these “AirPods”. What a dismal design and idea. First, Apple’s Earpods have a unique design that simply doesn’t work for a lot people. Neither me or my GF can use them because we don’t have the right shape of ears to hold them anything close to in position. The problem…they fall out constantly, but at least you have a cord to catch them by. Not with these AirPods…one careless move and they are gone to the road, the gutter, the sidewalk, the bottom of the train, a storm grate, that puddle, the mud, the grass, the sand on the beach, etc… People will jump ship when they are buying their 3rd, 4th and 5th pair of these. So…I rest my case. Start selling and shorting your Apple stock now folks. It’s gonna be a blood bath. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/38 "2016-09-07T21:01:14Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > \I really want to take advantage of the new camera with OIS (shameful that this 6S+ lacks such a basic feature) \ The 6S+ does have OIS. It’s the 6S that does not. Both the 7 and 7+ have OIS, but only the 7+ has the dual camera. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/39 "2016-09-07T21:01:22Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Apple’s plan to soften the blow and usher people to the next generation is going to suck, hard. The Lightning adapter will make pocketing your phone while listening almost impossible. It will create a lot of broken Lightning ports. They will get lost constantly. Anyone remember the days of dongles? That sucked. That is something I didn’t even consider until now. WOW… yeah, that is going to be a major problem for most people. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273/40 "2016-09-07T21:02:20Z")
Gah. Accidental double-post after server error. Sorry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-7-removal-of-headphone-jack-hate-it-or-love-it/765273.md?page=3)