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When you receive a new iPhone, it has always been delivered or purchased with a free pair of earbuds included. Since the first iPhone was released in 2007, the free earbuds have been a staple of Apple but that could all soon be ending.
According to a report from the New York Post, the company will not include a free pair of earbuds with the iPhone 12.
The move comes as the company hopes to increase demand for their already popular, but expensive Airpods.
Currently, old Apple headphones require a lightning to 3.5 mm jack adapter to be used since the company did away with its standard headphone jack. The adapter cost $9 when purchased for Apple after they removed that from its packaging in 2018.
Removing free earbuds altogether would mean Apple users would have to purchase earbuds and an adaptor or headphones like the Airpods which come with Bluetooth capability.
From the report:
Kuo also predicts that Apple will offer some sort of AirPod promotion in the second half of the year, and upped his forecasted annual shipments to 93.8 million pairs from his original estimate of 80 to 90 million. Apple reportedly plans to release four new iPhone models later this year, which will serve as the successors to the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro family of devices. The next iPhones are rumored to have 5G hardware, which will allow the phones to access a network that promises faster internet and quicker response times than LTE.
The decision would put an added burden on users to find compatible headphones and hardware, but it could prove to be a smart business decision if the projections of units sold continue to rise.
And after all, regardless of complaints received at any point Apple decided to tweak its headphones, the products continue to sell and this could be a decision that leads to every Apple user finally picking up some wireless Airpods as technology continues to improve.
