Don’t get me wrong. Apple removing audio jack was the biggest facepalm in smartphone history. And you can thank it for not being able to make an upgrade without sacrificing audio jack (and SD card too :/). But USB-C is getting standardized everywhere now (laptops, smartphones, etc.). What makes USB-C earphones not worth the switch?
While it’s true that some space is saved, that’s just the messaging Apple wants to push. The real reason is to sell AirPods.
Apple also wanted to make non-removable batteries standard to make devices thinner. They did and it was a huge marketing success that had the tiny side effect of planned obsolescence (oopsie).
I’m not saying we can never progress, but what Apple says and what Apple does are often two completely different things. Their engineers will grind incredible hours to meet a silly goal that management gave them of making something 0.2mm thinner. They can keep a headphone jack or a sim slot if they actually wanted to. They don’t want to.
Well batteries and headphone jacks seem pretty different. You can add a dongle for like $10. Having Apple replace your battery is prob 10x that.
I do 1/2 agree about the AirPods thing but, I’m not convinced the internal space isn’t one of the primary reasons