The Fast Company reported it would rely on the Lightning cable port, currently used for charging, for sound output. Others suggest Apple will ship the iPhone 7 with wireless headphones.
The Sum of Us, a website "fighting for people over profits", which organized the petition, said: "Not only will this force iPhone users to dole out additional cash to replace their hi-fi headphones, it will singlehandedly create mountains of electronic waste that likely won't get recycled."
Tech website The Verge said: "Removing the headphone socket from phones is something that no one is asking for, and has serious drawbacks, including poor compatibility and accessibility, and DRM audio with built-in copyright enforcement."
Many complained on Twitter that removing the socket would render expensive headphones useless.
Some complained having to use the Lightning port would mean "no music while charging". One tweeted: "I am okay with Apple removing the headphone socket as long as they bundle Lightning EarBuds with the iPhone 7."
Others said that they would not be upgrading. But not everyone is convinced that losing the jack is a bad idea.
John Gruber, who writes the technology blog Daring Fireball and is regarded as an authority on all things Apple, makes the point that losing the jack would make more room for a larger battery.
"Removing the analogue headphone jack is inevitable. This is what makes Apple different. They will initiate a painful transition for a long-term gain," he writes. "In five years we'll look at analogue headphone jacks the way we look at all the other legacy ports we've abandoned."
Apple introduced support for headphones over its Lightning cable in 2014. In the same year, it paid three billion dollars for the acquisition of headphone maker Beats.
The MacRumours website suggests Apple could be preparing bespoke headphones for the phone.
It noted that a trademark application had been filed for the term "AirPods" in October of 2015.
While Apple was not directly linked to these applications, the site said, "the pattern of filings is consistent with Apple's usual strategy".
If the rumors prove true, it will not be the first time Apple has abandoned what it sees as outdated technology. In 1998 it released the iMac G3 without a floppy disk, leaving many questioning the wisdom of the move. But, just more than a decade later, Sony, a pioneer of the floppy disk, announced it was killing off the storage device.
Rico says, given this article, how could anyone think it will not have a headphone jack, but Rico says he'll buy one anyway... (And they do have to compete with that other phone, whose ads tout its waterproofness.)
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