Stayed Here

Apple's recent announcement that it would be abandoning the jack plug for the iPhone 7 caused disbelief, frowns and shaking heads. It's not just the fact that the wireless Bluetooth earphones are not included and have to be purchased for an astonishing 170 dollars that bothers many Apple customers. The fact that cable nostalgics have to make do with a fiddly adapter that makes simultaneous charging impossible is also a source of annoyance. The headset cable may sometimes be a bit of a nuisance - but does that mean you need two exposed earphones that not only have to be constantly recharged but, above all, are already lost again before you have recovered from the hefty bill?

But the world will probably soon get used to what Apple dictates. After all, it has always worked so far. Apple banned the floppy disk from computers and later also the CD drive. Apple declared war on flash back in 2010. In 2012, the company replaced its own 30-pin connector with the faster Lightning connector - and left us all with a pile of superfluous spare cables and dock connections. In 2015, Apple introduced a new MacBook with the tiny USB-C port - heralding the end of the conventional USB 3.0 port.

It remains to be seen whether Apple has gone too far in its role as a technology driver this time and lost lasting goodwill with its loyal fan base with its attack on the headphone jack. Until then, the Group will mainly face ridicule and scorn. For example from Durex in China: the condom manufacturer is not only amused by the strange appearance of the AirPods, but also offers a good place to store the earphones, which are predestined to get lost, under the slogan "Here to stay!" with the ultra-thin "Air" condom line. The image has already been shared over 20,000 times on Durex's Weibo page and has generated thousands of amused comments. (hae)