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Apple may pull the headphone jack from Macbooks following new survey

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MacBook Air 2013 review left ports
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Apple hates ports, that much has become clear in recent years. Along with the single USB Type-C ported MacBooks and the new iPhone that doesn’t have a traditional 3.5mm port, there’s now a solid hint that the company may strip the headphone jack from the next MacBook, too.

Although Apple hasn’t made any form of official announcement, it has sent a survey out to existing MacBook customers asking them if they actually make use of the headphone port on their laptop. According to some users, Apple has asked a similar question several times now, suggesting it’s really interested in how used that port actually is.

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It should be said that the reason for removing the headphone jack on hardware like the iPhone is because such a move can genuinely help save space in a device that is already packed with hardware. That’s much less of a problem for something like a MacBook, though of course it still contributes to the overall size and weight — just not as much.

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People have of course freaked out over the news, with many writers and commenters hoping that people answer that they of course use the headphone jack all the time, every day. Fans of wired headphones aside, though, it’s a valid question to ask. As wireless becomes more of a standard people are used to, as Bluetooth speakers and earbuds become more commonplace, will the jack really remain necessary?

For many people the answer would be yes, but it’s good to know that Apple is at least quizzing its community of users before going ahead and making a change like that.

Do you want Apple to keep the headphone jack on its Macbooks, or could you do without it?

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Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale
Computing Coordinator
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
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