The death of the 3.5mm headphone jack is imminent thanks to accessories like this one

HTC has already said its intends to release USB Type-C headphones through a partnership with JBL, and rumours have been swirling for months that Apple’s iPhone 7 could nix the 3.5mm headphone jack altogether.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the 3.5mm standard featured in almost every electronic device with audio functionality released in the last two decades, in order for new devices to get even smaller and thinner, particularity smartphones, its unfortunately necessary for audio technology to evolve.

This render (seen above) from Chinese accessory manufacturer Macotakara, is an example of one of the many adapters you’ll soon see hit the market, especially if recent iPhone 7 Lightning headphones prove true.

But while USB Type-C on the Android side of things and Lightning in the world of iOS, are ports poised to hold the future of how we’ll listen to audio, some of us luddites, likely those with high-end 3.5mm headphones worth hundreds of dollars, likely aren’t keen on this evolution.

So get ready, over the next few years the market will likely be flooded with adapters like the one see above, similar to how third-party accessory manufacturers have hopped on the Type-C to A adapter rush with the release of Apple’s 2015 MacBook.

Related reading: HTC and JBL partner on USB Type-C-powered noise-cancelling headphones

[source]Macotakara[/source][via]Apple Insider[/via]