Apple co-founder: don't remove headphone jack on iPhone 7

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Steve Wozniak, who single-handedly developed Apple's first computer, has advised Apple not to remove the headphone jack from the next iPhone.

One of the more interesting - and, largely unpopular - rumours around the iPhone 7 is that Apple will remove the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. This is supposedly in order to make the phone slimmer and to move users towards the Apple Lightning connection.

Now Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has chimed in on the debate, saying it would be a bad move to remove the headphone port and that Bluetooth headphones, which Apple is expected to move towards, don't sound good enough.

"If it's missing the 3.5mm earphone jack, that's going to tick off a lot of people," Wozniak told The Australian Financial Review. "I would not use Bluetooth … I don't like wireless. I have cars where you can plug in the music, or go through Bluetooth, and Bluetooth just sounds so flat for the same music."

"If there's a Bluetooth 2 that has higher bandwidth and better quality, that sounds like real music, I would use it. But we'll see. Apple is good at moving towards the future, and I like to follow that."

If Apple does remove the headphone connection, you'll have to buy a new pair of Apple Lightning headphones, go wireless, or use an adaptor - far from ideal, says Wozniak. "[My earphones] have custom ear implants, they fit in so comfortably, I can sleep on them and everything. And they only come out with one kind of jack, so I'll have to go through the adaptor."

Joe Cox
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).