Apple's rational for dropping the headphone jack


John Paczkowski's interview with Apple VP Dan Riccio:

A tentpole feature of the new iPhones are improved camera systems that are larger than the cameras in the devices that preceded them. The iPhone 7 now has the optical image stabilization feature previously reserved for its larger Plus siblings. And the iPhone 7 Plus has two complete camera systems side by side -- one with a fixed wide-angle lens, the other with a 2x zoom telephoto lens. At the top of both devices is something called the "driver ledge" -- a small printed circuit board that drives the iPhone's display and its backlight. Historically, Apple placed it there to accommodate improvements in battery capacity, where it was out of the way. But according to Riccio, the driver ledge interfered with the iPhone 7 line's new larger camera systems, so Apple moved the ledge lower in both devices. But there, it interfered with other components, particularly the audio jack.

So, they removed the jack and in doing so solved that problem, but also found other advantages. The Taptic Engine that powers the new touch home button fits better. Also it make it easier for Apple to achieve its dust/water residence rating. And perhaps most importantly, the change allowed for a larger battery. 14% larger in the iPhone 7 and 5% bigger in the iPhone 7 Plus. That makes for two additional hours on the iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6s and one hour on the iPhone 7 Plus vs iPhone 6s Plus.

If you follow the rumors, the headphone jack situation is not at all surprising. I'm wondering if I'm just over it or if people are overreacting. I've heard a lot about the headphone jack since the announcements. Some are outraged while others are just shake their head.

People want Apple to give them a phone that's faster, takes better photos/video, and have better battery life. Biggest seems the battery and iPhone 7 promises all that without making it thicker. Plus added a second speaker and water/dust resistance.

To me, I guess, worse case is you leave a small cable dongle on your headphones. Apple is including this, in addition to new EarPods. The adapter is small and if you need extra it's just $9.