One of the biggest tech companies in the world is pushing to replace 3.5mm headphone jacks, the universal standard for connecting headphones to music players, with digital USB-C for audio, according to AnandTech.
That means that any gadget running on Intel technology, like the majority of computers (including Macs), could eventually ditch headphone jacks once and for all.
Instead of the 3.5mm audio ports on the side of our laptops and desktops, we'll find slim oval USB-C ports.
However, it isn't clear if Intel is pushing for the total replacement of the 3.5mm headphone jack or if it wants to feature USB-C for audio as an extra option.
Interestingly, Intel is rumored to be partnering up with Apple to make certain components for future iPhone models, specifically the LTE modem, and maybe even the processor, according to VentureBeat. Apple is rumored to be ditching the headphone jack in favor of the Lightning port for connecting headphones on its upcoming smartphone, the iPhone 7.
Even if Apple partners with Intel, however, it's unlikely Apple would adopt USB-C for audio. It's more likely that Apple would keep using the Lightning port instead, as the company isn't one to use industry standards for its mobile devices. For example, while the majority of Android devices use microUSB, which is considered an industry standard, Apple uses its own standard for charging and transferring data between mobile devices.
Is USB-C better than the headphone jack?
There are several benefits of using a digital standard, like USB-C and Apple's Lightning port, over the analog standard we've been using for the last century (yes, century) to listen to audio.
For one, audio quality can be better. Digital headphones with USB-C could feature audio amps built-into headphones themselves that would make audio sound much better than is possible with analog. They could also draw power from your mobile devices to power noise-cancelling features.
Using a digital standard could also add smart functionality to headphones, like fitness tracking. That means headphones could do a lot more than the basic functions they have now, including outputting sound, act as a microphone, adjust volume, and switch tracks.
As of now, only a handful of devices have USB-C ports, including several flagship Android smartphones, as well as a few laptops like Apple's 12-inch MacBook. Yet, it seems like USB-C is becoming more and more prevalent, and it's set to replace almost every connector that connect computers and mobile devices to external gadgets, like screens or external storage drives.
It'll be tough to switch from the old 3.5mm analog standard to USB-C to listen to music, as everything remotely connected to audio since the 1960s has used the 3.5mm headphone jack, but it's better for us all in the long run. Everything else around "audio" as an entity has evolved, like phones, TVs, and even entire homes. Now it's time audio catches up with everything else.
