Tech

Courage: The Disappearance of the Headphone Jack

5 July 2026

They called it 'courage' when they removed the headphone jack. Courage is running into a burning building, not removing a universally accepted, highly functional port so you can sell me $200 wireless earbuds.

Now, when I want to listen to music on a plane, I have to make sure my earbuds are charged, the case is charged, Bluetooth is on, and they've actually paired to the right device.

Advertisement

With a wire, you just plugged it in. That was it. It worked 100% of the time, didn't need batteries, and you didn't lose one down the side of the car seat. Progress, my foot.