The Apple effect? Wireless headphone sales soar in year since iPhone dropped headphone jack
New figures from Argos reveal a more than 300% sales increase in wireless Bluetooth headphones since last year.
Sales of wireless headphones have increased by more than 300% in the year since Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone, according to new figures from Argos.
The technology giant opted to remove the 3.5mm headphone port from the iPhone 7 in 2016 while launching its first wireless earphones, called AirPods, a decision that was initially criticised as inconvenient for consumers.
The figures were announced as the newest iPhone handsets, the 8 and 8 Plus, go on sale in the UK on Friday. Both devices do not have a headphone port.
Other smartphone manufacturers, including HTC and Motorola, have followed suit by removing the port from some of their new devices, a trend industry analysts have said is likely to continue.
Ben Wood, chief of research at analyst firm CCS Insight, said: “This correlates with the feedback we have been getting from the market. Apple’s decision to remove the 3.5mm jack on all products since the iPhone 7 has undoubted been a major factor.
Mr Wood said the traditional higher price point for wireless headphones was also attractive to manufacturers, but advances in wireless technology had made the products more appealing to consumers.
“At the recent IFA event in Berlin, Europe’s largest consumer electronics show, the shift towards Bluetooth adoption by headphone makers was palpable,” he said.
“There is also a huge incentive for headphone makers to move in this direction because the products can command a premium over their wired rivals and with that typically comes a higher margin too.”
Argos technology accessories buyer Dean Clarke added: “Changes in the mobile market have driven a huge – and incredibly rapid – shift in the way that people listen to music.
“This has been one of the fastest adoptions of a technology that we’ve ever seen – the rate at which consumers are adopting wireless headphones is a remarkable transformation in purchasing habits.
“Apple, one of the biggest players in the mobile market, has caused the switch.
“The iPhone 7 was one of the first top-selling UK flagship smartphones to ditch the headphone socket and the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X following suit this year has confirmed that wireless is likely to be the standard going forwards.”
