Some interesting rumors have been floating around regarding the upcoming Apple iPhone 7, most notably that the device is going to omit the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Users were understandably upset at the idea, but we’ve also been hearing some critical voices that hold much more weight in the industry and Apple themselves, such as that of Steve Wozniak.
The cofounder of the tech giant claims that it wouldn’t be a good idea for Apple to get rid of the classic headphone jack, and predicts that users would not be pleased with the device if that turns out to be true. He added that this would also affect his personal opinion of the new iPhone, but that should be the least of Apple’s concerns if they really do manage to alienate a large portion of their fan base as Wozniak predicts.
It doesn’t take Steve Wozniak’s experience to see that this would be a bad move with regards to publicity though as there are already plenty of heated discussions all over the Internet on this topic. It’s hard to find anyone who agrees with the move, and most see it as an obvious cash grab by Apple when they inevitably introduce an expensive propriety headset that users would have to buy.
And according to many, that’s all this move is about – control of the market. Headphones are, so far, one of the few accessories that cannot be controlled, as users are free to use anything that plugs into a 3.5mm socket. Apple are known for enjoying a more controlled approach to their products, so if they see this as an opportunity to ensure that their users are required to buy their headphones, they would likely do that. Of course, they could present other reasons for it, such as better waterproofing capabilities, but in the end not many users would trust them on that.
Meanwhile, there are some other worrying rumors about the new phone. Some reports indicate that there could potentially be a shortage of units once it comes out, as Apple could be experiencing issues with their supply chain behind the scenes. While the company has had some minor problems in this aspect before, it was never bad enough to force them into a supply shortage, so this could be something new.
Of course, those could also be malicious marketing rumors meant to drive up public interest in the device. After all, if many people are convinced that it would be almost impossible to get their hands on the latest iPhone when it comes out, there would likely be a huge rush of purchases and pre-orders as soon as the device is made available. Hopefully Apple won’t resort to such underhanded tactics – they generally aren’t the kind of company to do that – but we never know what could happen next in the dynamic world of smartphones.
We’ve already been hearing various reports claiming that the iPhone 7 has been spotted in the wild, so at least from this perspective it doesn’t really seem like there is any actual shortage of units so far. If that was the case, Apple probably wouldn’t be investing that much in pre-release promotions like giving out devices to people for daily use. But of course, the alleged iPhone 7 handsets popping up in the wild might be just a fabrication itself, so fans should take it with a grain of salt.