Apple’s Beats tie-up could signal the demise of the universal headphone jack
The humble headphone jack could soon be relegated to the history books if rumours swirling around Apple’s recent $3.2bn acquisition of Beats solidify.
A report in Forbes suggests that the headline grabbing deal may be a harbinger of future custom headphones which connect using Apple’s proprietary Lightning port in lieu of the industry standard 3.5mm jack.
Such a switch would enable some sonic improvements over the standard set up for those with high-end gear and the increased capacity would allow app control as well as power devices connected to your headphones.
More importantly for Apple any switch would force people to buy compatible peripherals or stump up for an adaptor, either of which is likely to see a sizeable fee head Apple’s way.
Any such switch wouldn’t entirely be a bed of roses, as Gordon Kelly of Forbes is keen to point out it will make the lives of consumers ,ore difficult, as well as more expensive, as a result.