I really don’t understand the reasoning behind it either. How thin do we actually need our phones to be? It is also an expensive device to begin with, I wouldn’t plan to get it wet and would actively avoid doing so even with the IPX rating. Now you need to carry their adapter if you don’t have/want a wireless headset? Lastly, what if I want to charge and listen?
To me, the 3.5 wasn’t an issue that needed to be addressed and they are solving problems created by themselves.
That is dead on. I hadn’t thought about charging AND listening at the same time, but that is a real issue. I guess they’ll have a new, easily lost or broken adapter for that one!
While a closed ecosystem benefits Apple, what measurable benefits does this provide to end users? And by benefits, I mean bona fide net positives that aren’t erased or made worse by a new issue, i.e. “now the cord doesn’t get tangled, but I lost the left earbud.”