With the new year comes new iterations of old technology, with companies attempting to improve on last year’s design and giving consumers the products that they know they want. Apple is, as always, on the forefront of this race to be better than ever, and their contestant this year is the iPhone 7, set to be able for purchase this Friday. The iPhone 7’s announcement came with a multitude of new features, including stereo speakers, a second lens to the Plus model, and most decisively, the dropping of the headphone jack.
The decision to get rid of a feature that is so commonly used by consumers has stirred up a lot of controversy. Many people find the lack of a headphone jack a plain inconvenience. Gabe Shanahan (10) spoke about his qualms with the device. “I don’t enjoy how they removed features. It makes it annoying for people to listen to music.” Certainly, the lack of a second port makes doing such a simple task as listening to music a bit more complex.
However, the dropping of the jack did not happen without reason. This decision allowed for a more water and dust proofing in the device. Yet it was not just from a design perspective. For the first time ever, the sales revenue for wireless, bluetooth headphones is greater than the revenue for wired headphones, so it seems this decision is just a preparation for the inevitable future of wireless listening.
Despite the controversy, the iPhone 7 is still an iPhone, which means it will sell like hotcakes. There are many individuals who are devoted to the products that Apple produces, and others who’ll buy it purely to say, “I have the newest iPhone!” So despite the backlash of the lack of jack, Apple will still pull out as one of the most profitable companies in the industry.