At the end of 2015, the first rumors began to emerge about a possible elimination of the 3.5 mm jack connection of the future iPhone (at that time and specific case, the iPhone 7). Many of us refused to believe at the time that this was going to happen, but September 2016 arrived… and Apple confirmed it: the iPhone 7 would come without its famous headphone jack. But why did this happen?
The answer to this elimination has many explanations. In fact, we could say that it is not just one, but the sum of them all. To begin with, the headphone jack was 3.5 mm thick. While the dimensions were not large (the standard), the depth of it was a drawback for apple, as it was 14 mm. Considering that every little bit of space is a luxury on an iPhone, this was noticeable.
Secondly, another important detail was water resistance. With the iPhone 7, this important feature so common today was announced. The connector output led to the addition of this liquid resistance, something that has proven to be very relevant for the lifetime of the device.
And third and finally, it would be absurd to deny that there is also a commercial purpose behind this move. The jack connector is more than a century old. Apple wanted to get rid of it to bring in new headphones and ways to play audio. The Lightning input was a good example, as it not only served to charge, but also to transmit audio. Added to this was the arrival of AirPods, those wireless headphones that work so well.
For all these details, Apple dispensed with the headphone jack on its smartphones. A controversial decision, but one that has endured over time even today.
