The Hidden Cost Of Apple's Choice To Kill The Headphone Jack

Much of the tech press immediately fell into line praising Apple's "brave" move to remove the headphone jack from the newest iPhone. One article presented a side of the decision that many of us forget to consider in business altogether: how the move might disproportionately affect those most unable to pay for luxuries like a $40 dongle.

These "smartphone dependent" people often have no computer or Internet at home and rely on their smartphone as their only connection to the web. A design decision that reads as a minor annoyance to one customer is a real cost to another, and the people paying that cost are rarely the ones in the room when the decision gets made.

The article is well argued, raises an important point, and should be required reading for anyone working in technology or producing products that intentionally leave behind those people who are least able to afford it.