iPhone 7: Over 200,000 fans petition Apple to retain 3.5mm audio jack

Apple has been asked not to ditch the 3.5mm audio or headphone jack on its forthcoming iPhone 7. A petition in this regard filed on SumOfUs.org has already amassed over 200,000 signatures from the iPhone's wide fan base. The voting counter has already crossed the objective of reaching 210, 000 signatures by a massive margin of 7,058 surplus votes as the total now reads 217,058.

Forbes and Fast Company had reported that Apple is planning to ditch the standard 3.5mm headphone jack for a pair of wireless earpods with every iPhone 7. The petition has strongly criticised Apple's move stating that "it will singlehandedly create mountains of electronic waste — that likely won't get recycled" as prospective iPhone 7 users will be forced to ditch their existing headphones completely.

The catch here is that the 3.5mm headphone jack is still being widely used by millions of iPhone users, unlike the Floppy disk or FireWire technology, which could be dropped with ease. Besides, the advent of proposed wireless earpods with every iPhone 7 will negate the need to buy or use existing 3.5mm headphones.

"Tell Apple to respect its customers and our planet. Keep the standard headphone jack," adds the petition. "This is right out of the Apple corporate playbook.A few years ago it swapped out the original iPod-dock connector with a new one, making countless cords, cables and chargers obsolete."

"Apple plays up its green credentials, but the truth is that Apple only invested in renewable energy, and began phasing out toxic chemicals when public pressure became too strong to ignore. People power did it before, and we can do it again."

Despite the petition gaining momentum with every passing hour, it is unlikely to change Apple's mindset or impact the outcome of a proposed iPhone 7 launch without the 3.5mm jack.