The stock for Apple’s Lightning to headphone jack adapter is running low (or “sold out”) at stores in the US and many other countries.
The company is unlikely to replenish it, reports MacRumors.
If that happens, it will feel like the end of a chapter. Apple introduced the Lightning headphone adapter in 2016 with the iPhone 7. Yes, that’s the year Apple ditched the headphone jack. Every other smartphone company laughed at the move but eventually followed in Apple’s footsteps. The company even included the adapter with new iPhones for a couple of generations. It was time to move on and buy AirPods.
In fact, the end of the road for Lightning cable and ports are not too far away. The company has updated its Mac accessories, like the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse, with a USB-C port alongside the M4 iMac refresh. The only devices Apple still sells with a Lightning connector are the iPhone 14 series and iPhone SE. There is a chance that the latter will get upgrade in Q1 next year with the arrival of the iPhone SE 4.
The Lightning connector was announced in 2012 alongside the iPhone 5 as a replacement for another proprietary charger – a bulky 30-pin connector. Lightning was much smaller, creating more space inside devices for other components and it also improved durability. Further, it was reversible, so whichever way you plugged it in, it would fit.
