Why It Would Be a Big Mistake for Apple to Ditch the 3.5mm Headphone Jack on iPhone 7

It seems as if the iPhone 6s was released just yesterday, but already we’re beginning to speculate about what the “iPhone 7” will and will not feature, almost a year ahead of its expected unveiling.

To that end, as we recently reported, one of Apple’s tentative plans for the next iPhone is to ditch the standard, 3.5mm headphone jack and rely on the phones’ Lightning port in conjunction with a new, Lightning-audio headset. However, while this move makes sense given Apple’s continuous effort to produce the thinnest devices on the market, many users are already griping that such a transition probably isn’t the best idea.

After all, everyone and their great aunt Sally owns at least one set of 3.5mm headphones, right? So it would probably irritate most customers if they had to go out and purchase an additional Lightning enabled audio solution.

But there are also a lot of other reasons for concern, as well, even stretching far and bryony the concept of a $30 accessory that, from a historical vantage point, Apple would most likely include with the iPhone 7 anyways.

For starters, what if, for some odd reason, Apple decides to leave customers high-and-dry by NOT including a Lightning-enabled headset with subsequent iPhones? What if the transition to Lightning audio is just a marketing ploy that effectively enables the company to continue charging customers for additional accessories?

Well, it’s a possibility, even though the least expensive Lightning headset on the market today costs upwards of $160, that Apple just wants us to open our wallets — and keep them open. However, perhaps more probable is that the company simply has no other choice given its persistent desire to slim down the handset year after year.

Of course, there’s always the wide selection of alternative, Bluetooth enabled headset options to pair with your iPhone, however not everyone likes those, let alone the thought of having to go out and purchase one against their convictions.

For whatever it’s worth, though, if Apple were to transition to Lightning audio across its ENTIRE line of iOS devices, perhaps customers would just get used to the change over time, very similar to how they have with Apple’s transition from the original 30-pin connector to Lightning on the iPhone 5 (and all devices succeeding it).

On another note, Apple’s relentless desire to redefine the industry in terms of its devices’ thickness raises the concern: could the company create a device so slim and slender that customers have to worry about snapping it in half during day to day handling?

We’ve already seen an eerily similar situation play out with the iPhone 6 (#bendgate, anyone?), where some customers reported experiencing little if any difficulty physically bending the device completely of their own volition.

So what if we see a similar scenario play out with the iPhone 7 and beyond? Perhaps a greater concern is how slim can Apple make their devices without compromising certain features such as battery life?

Certainly most customers would stay loyal to Apple if they made such a move and didn’t provide provisions, err, accessories, to substantiate the transition. However I suppose it raises at least a few red flags, even though we still don’t know — and won’t for quite some time — what Apple plans to do with the iPhone 7 and beyond. So we should probably just play it all by ear for now, yes?