Apple Ditches Headphone Jack On iPhone 7; Unveils New Wireless AirPods

Apple’s new iPhone is causing a ‘hole’ lot of controversy. (Geddit?)

At the company’s annual September keynote address, CEO Tim Cook and his underlings unveiled the brand new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which boast a sleeker chassis than previous models, a new Jet Black colour and absolutely zero traditional headphone ports.

The ditching of the industry-standard 3.5mm auxiliary input had long been rumoured, and long-dreaded, by Apple users.

Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller attempted to explain the company’s decision to do away with the headphone jack.

“It comes down to one word: Courage,” he said, courageously.

That ‘courage’ includes the release of new wireless AirPod headphones, priced at $229 in Australia. Though they look like traditional Apple headphones – minus the wires, of course – they will require charging, as they only have a five-hour battery life. (The AirPod charger will also require charging.)

Twitter reacted predictably.

Y'all paying $150 for these mini hair dryers? #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/yctVJqew9U

— anna (@nutellaANDpizza) September 7, 2016

To easily avoid losing those new Apple ear buds just find a way of attaching them to your phone with a string of some kind. #AppleEvent

— Adam Liaw (@adamliaw) September 8, 2016

"siri, can u help me locate the airpod that just fell out of my right ear" pic.twitter.com/B17xg93TIr

— jomny sun (@jonnysun) September 7, 2016

You don’t need to throw your old, wired headphones onto the funeral pyre just yet. For an additional cost, you can purchase a dongle that’ll allow you to plug your headphones into the iPhone’s lightning port. (The dongle will come free with new iPhones.)

The home button has also been eradicated on the iPhones 7, replaced instead with a ‘Force Touch’ pressure-sensitive circle.

Less contentious was the introduction of a 12-megapixel camera to the iPhone 7 and the inclusion of dual lenses on the 7 Plus (allowing a zoom up to 10x).

The retina display on both is 25 per cent brighter than that of the iPhone 6s (it exudes 1,000 nits of light now, whatever that means), and similarly accommodates 3D Touch.

And, just like its beleaguered rival the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, these new iPhones are water resistant.

The insides have been updated too, with a faster chip and iOS 10.0 capability.

For more details on the new iPhones, the latest Apple Watches and an explanation of ‘nits’, watch the short sizzle reel below.

Missed our big launch news? Here it is in 107 seconds. Don't blink. pic.twitter.com/zCdx8oDwgg

— Apple (@Apple) September 7, 2016

Oh, so one nit is the equivalent of one candle. Good to know!

Photo: Apple.