Apple was widely mocked when Phil Schiller used the term ‘courage’ to describe its decision to drop the headphone socket from iPhones, starting with the iPhone 7/Plus – a likely callback to a Steve Jobs comment on the decision not to support Flash on iOS devices.
But two-and-a-half years on, does the decision now seem to have lived up to the word?
Apple knew it would take flack for the decision, but it had a vision of a wireless audio future.
The company of course launched its own wireless in-ear headphones at the time, which provided a much slicker pairing experience than standard Bluetooth. It now has the second-generation AirPods out, which offer faster pairing, hands-free Hey Siri capabilities and a wireless charging case.
Beyond Apple, the company’s decision provided a boost to the development of wireless headphones across the audio industry. Apple significantly increased demand for the product category, and we’ve seen some very nice products created in part due to that move.
While audiophiles will always want wired connections, most of the world seems to have moved on. Macworld’s Michael Simon makes a good case that, whatever we thought of it at the time, Apple does now look like it made the right call.
To me, the proof of his case is in the decision to exclude the 3.5mm from the latest iPad Pro models. As he says, I don’t recall any great hue and cry when that happened.
That fact of the matter is, every other phone maker wants to offer the same wireless experience that Apple does with the AirPods and iPhone. But only Apple had both the courage and the foresight to execute it.
Do you agree? Was it, with the benefit of hindsight, indeed a courageous decision? One that attracted criticism in the short-term but has proven to be beneficial in the longer-term? Or do you still see it as the wrong call?
Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.
