One key detail that Apple did not mention during its recent keynote is the fact that it will not be shipping the Lightning to 3.5mm audio dongle with its new iPhones. This, of course, means that consumers will have to fork out extra money to be able to use wired earphones/headphones with their brand new (and rather pricey) iPhones.
Apple started to include the 3.5mm audio dongle with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, because neither one of them came with a built-in 3.5mm audio jack. Subsequently, the adapter was then bundled along with last year’s iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. The removal of this relatively important accessory will most likely cause a handful of consumers to rethink whether purchasing a brand new, expensive 2018 iPhone will be worth it or not.
Removing the 3.5mm audio dongle means that users of the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR will either have to use the included EarPods with Lightning connector, Bluetooth earphones, or third party headphones with Lightning connectors to be able to listen to music (or watch videos) in private. Alternatively, consumers can purchase the Lightning to 3.5mm audio dongle from Apple’s official website for a cool price of RM49.
(Source: Ars Technica)
