3.5mm audio jack on its mobile devices. The iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus were the inaugural iPhones to debut without an audio port and depended on the included Lightning port for connecting any headphones or other audio devices. This decision was quite contentious at the time, but Apple remained resolute and believed in a wireless audio future with its AirPods lineup of headphones paving the way at the cost of wired EarPods.
Shortly after the iPhone, iPads also began to forgo the 3.5mm audio jack, and the 2021 iPad turned out to be the final model to include the jack. Interestingly, the same 3.5mm headphone jack has continued to be a staple in all of the company’s MacBook versions, even while the company’s ultra-slim option, the MacBook Air, has very few ports and requires users to adapt to a realm of USB hubs and docking stations.
So, why does Apple show such leniency with MacBooks regarding the audio jack? The reasoning is straightforward: the company thinks that professionals utilize its MacBooks, and they might require the port for their audio equipment.
