All the laptops, desktops and their chipsets They all sport 3.5mm jacks with SPDIF optical + mic and headset. Dedicated soundcards like ASUS Xonar, Creative SoundBlaster X RGB they ship with gold caps and high grade chips with proper 7.1 Dolby and Surround certification + THX Audio and even MSI uses Nahimic DSP + ESS Sabre chips in their high end gaming GT series, Even the latest trashbook pro's with USB C have a jack which is meh with Apple's Cirrus Logic used across all their devices, My Samsung Galaxy S with Wolfson chip + Linux kernel level driver (Voodoo mod) offering huge control options for user trumps most of the devices, Also the iPod5.5G of mine with a more superior Wolfson chip.

The Audio is always Analog, Digital is in your computer or streamed as data but the audio is only audible in Analog. And every phone has an DAC chip to convert all the data you feed to the mic to the chip and mobo and OS, the DAC converts its so that you can listen to it.

Going digital will make things complicated, Like for eg in every dongle you have to rewire the DAC to the USB to the chipset and SoC to make sure that the Audio dongle works. The 3.5mm is still standard across, your Passenger jets, Fighter Jets, Professional Audio, Casual user, Audiophile community. Why ? Because it just works, the mechanical strength of the 3.5mm port is robust plus the 360 degree freedom and the USB C using the Digital line needs another circuitry and breaks standard. Ultimately this 3.5mm port is the de-facto standard deployed on ALL systems across the world.

Apple did for 3 reasons.

1) Apple has two different lines of wireless devices that sell for premium prices. Beats and Airpods (Which are literal trash grade sounding, using an W1 chip is to bridge that steps one takes to pair them and accelerometer + gyro aren't ground breaking when coming to the purpose, ofc one wont buy them for audio but for convenience while they still work with the iPhones which have the 3.5mm adapter)

2) Each and every lightning to 3.5 needs MFi certification that will give them continuous stream of revenue on all audio gear and including the people who use the 3.5mm old headsets + those dongle money, Apple became a dongle company from tech company all the innovation and brave policy of Apple is gone with Steve, Tim is nothing but Ballmer at M$, who ruined Nokia and M$ both..

3) Strong DRM control, Closing analog will make then have control over the I/O, A thoroughly made 100% business focused decision.

3a) Please don't bring the space waste B$ to here, see Note 8 PCB design and a hint, check the MXM GPUs on MSI GT83VR and Titan and Clevo P870DM3 which are sporting a 1080 GPU which is socketed and has power to beat the Desktop chips. PCB design is to adhere by OEMs standards don't spout what Coolaid corporate Orwellians demand showing that Taptic engine and missing space...

This Apple's CEO is a beancounter and a disease to the innovation as they keep in raising the walls of their utopia where ignorance is bliss.

Next up thinking about the USB C Audio, that standard barely materialized and lacks proper standard, Pixel for eg doesn't have Video out and iPhone's old 40 pin has dedicated Audio line, the new 3.5mm adapter has only DAC while the AMP works from the Phone, for Apple it's easy but for the people it's complicated on multiple stages.

a - No proper audio quality, the DAC chips which will be used in the dongles are undocumented, forget the phones which are offering dedicated DAC/AMP in theirs - Axon 7's DAC HiFi works on LineageOS too a unique one, HTC 10, Vivo is famous for their HiFi. Cheap knockoff ones will sound worse, If you add a DAC inside a headphone that ruins the purchase for many as not all will like that sound signature where as Analog 3.5mm ones can have clear audio tuned for that IEM/Headset.

b - Dongles - More space waste inside your pocket and no standard, perhaps iPhone ecosystem is standard, can't match tot he 3.5mm spectrum but on USB C it's worse doesn't and doesn't have any AMP or any Analog line, it's 100% digital so you MUST ship one with a proper circuit with no cross compatibility (Try to use U11 dongle on the HTC 10, btw 10 beats U11 in audio since the AMP is not powerful enough vs the 10)

c - BT and Wireless ? they existed since Nokia and work the same, Perhaps the LDAC and APTX but they need licensing and even with 3.5mm jack wireless works the same, Waterproofing also exists the same, Note 8 is a perfect answer it has a full silo for S-Pen + an always on Home button like apple's taptic gimmick and retains IP68 and has multiple Biometric security with the 3.5mm port under water with S-Pen removed too. LG v30 does, v20 did with HiFi Audio. AND the batteries go dead in these wireless sets, make drain more and eventually go to garbage with the planned obsolescence device of yours. Where as normal 3.5mm ones last until they die

d - High quality Audio is existing, HiFi gear is widely available without any complications, in the end everyone uses it, The wear and tear resistance is higher on the jack vs the USB C which often breaks and the 2 degree possibility vs the 360 degree beats this greedy decision of Apple, Plus the wea

So I don't see any advantage plus Unfortunately due to the stupid CEOs who is following the blind lead of Apple, M$ is shifted to Apple type marketing, UWP going against .exe Win32 apps, idk why all companies are obsessed with this company Apple while their whole ecosystem is limited and not deployed across multiple HW, for eg - Windows works in Govt, Military and critical mission control systems, Apple can't match that but unfortunately the people just chose form over function and made Apple that huge, look where are we. Soon the eSIM will come in the iPhones (I called it first) & planned obsolescence push further, Draconian controls, How much further you will bend, we said okay to the dedicated video ports to wireless, IR blasters, Now removable batteries also gone and now next is this ?? Question yourselves to believe what they say or the real facts which base on liberty and choice, an essential aspect for humans.

https://www.androidauthority.com/was-ditching-the-headphone-...

49% of the wireless market share in US by Apple. See how money is flowing.

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/6/21/11991302/i...

https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/5/16426754/pixel-2-headphon...