In a wild turn of events, Apple has thrown its users into a well of disbelief by forcing loyal users to buy another accessory to achieve basic functionality. The mega-corporation has discontinued providing a Lightning-to-3.5mm dongle with all new iPhones purchases. This dongle makes traditional headphones compatible with new devices since the move from the traditional headphone jack to the shared headphone and charging port in 2016.
The 2016 shift divided fans, as some users believed it was an innovation to give the then-new iPhone 7 an upper edge on competitors. However, other Apple users saw it as a blatant cash-grab that would force loyal and dedicated users to invest in another wave of gadgets that they didn’t really need. How does this help the phone run as a phone? What if we want to listen to music and charge at the same time? Well, that’s a completely different $35 investment.
Apple responded to backlash by providing dongles with new iPhone purchases, seemingly in an attempt to ensure a smooth transition into the new generation of iPhones.
Now, the next generation of iPhones is on the horizon and free dongles are not. Don’t worry – the Lightning-to-3.5mm dongles will still be available, but only sold separately and at a cost of $9.
This development forces Apple users and investors alike to question: does Apple value consumer loyalty? Furthermore, does it value its customers at all? Objectively, no. Apple has an undeniable history of creating products that are unfixable and often programmed to break, thus sacrificing user-friendly products for incrementally increased revenue.
In 2017, Apple admitted to intentionally slowing down iPhones as they get older; Apple representatives then claimed that throttling iPhone performance was a precautionary measure to stop unexpected breakdowns or wiping. Apple also admitted to failing to notify customers of the throttling.
On the other side of the longevity dispute, YouTuber and tech engineer Louis Rossmann has been repairing Apple products in user-oriented videos, despite repair manuals being kept secret thanks to copyright laws. Seeing the injustice for both users and the environment, Rossmann has committed the past seven years of his channel to teaching himself and his viewers how to fix their own laptops; he completes “impossible” repairs, and he does so within about 15 to 30 minutes.
So what does the discontinuation of supplied dongles mean? Acutely, a $9 mild inconvenience. But on principle, this change is just a more blatant display of Apple’s apathy towards its customers and creating a culture of user-friendly products. Disappointing, but ultimately unsurprising.
