When Apple unveiled the iPhone 7 in September of 2016, the familiar device curiously lacked a headphone jack, a mainstay of every single iPhone since the very beginning. Apple’s design decision in this regard was incredibly controversial, with some arguing that the company had lost its mind. Making matters worse, Apple executive Phil Schiller at the time said that it took “courage” for Apple to remove the headphone jack, a statement which people still tend to poke fun at today.
With the benefit of hindsight, I think it’s fair to say that the uproar over Apple removing the headphone jack was vastly blown out of proportion. Of course, Apple helped users transition to a world without a 3.5mm headphone jack by including a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter with every new iPhone purchase. That stop-gap measure, however, may soon be coming to an end. Specifically, Barclays analysts believe that Apple’s upcoming iPhone models will not ship with a headphone jack adapter in the box.
In an investor note obtained by MacRumors, Barclays said: “We currently model no dongle this year.” While it’s not confirmed at this point, it’s reasonable to assume that Apple, after two years of including a free adapter with every next-gen iPhone purchase, believes that its users are ready to fully embrace a world without the tried and true 3.5mm headphone jack. And for users who still can’t part ways with the past, Apple will undoubtedly be happy to sell you an adapter for just a few bucks.
