I'm surprised at how in the minority I seem to be, but I felt that this was generally a step in the right direction. I couldn't help but think back about the hu

I'm surprised at how in the minority I seem to be, but I felt that this was generally a step in the right direction. I couldn't help but think back about the hundreds of memes we've seen about "tangled earphone cords" over the past several years, or how many times I myself struggled with wires of my headphones. When it comes to using the "headphone jack" for what it was initially intended to do, I can't help but think it is pretty clear that the right way to go about this is wireless. Some of the comments against it seem to mirror the comments about the removal of a physical keyboard when the initial iPhone came out -- undeniably true, but really missing what the future will inevitably look like. Just think about the prototypical Apple-system user, with his Macbook, iPhone, and Apple Watch. With bluetooth earbuds, he could, at least in theory, seamlessly transition from listening to any of his devices, without having to "plug" anything in anywhere. That's an advantage. That's what you'd expect "the future" to be like. We're getting rid of cords everywhere, I just don't understand why the "headphone" is now somehow special! There is the other argument, which I find a lot stronger but still ultimately not really compelling, and that is that by getting rid of the 3.5mm jack Apple removes the ability for people to plug into their phone without the licensing fee for their technology. But is there anything specific to the 3.5mm that makes some tech possible and others not? I don't think so. Is it pretty convenient? Undoubtedly. But, again, I can't think of how Bluetooth couldn't just as easily transfer that kind of data. And, with the added bonus that now you aren't limited to ONE such device. Will it be more inconvenient for 3rd party manufacturers at first? For sure. But I don't see how this move inherently PREVENTS equipment from being used on the phone. It certainly does so in its present iteration, but in the long term, why couldn't manufacturers adapt to using wireless communication? Make no mistake, Apple is pushing the boat out on this. But they single-handedly have the market power to do this kind of thing. When they got rid of the keyboard, everyone also came out and said it'd be terrible for the enterprise. But, by being lights-out better than the competition and anticipating a trend, they set the tone for what smartphones would look like ever since. Haven't heard an argument cogently explaining why we shouldn't simply expect the exact same thing this time around.