Apple just quietly killed off three iPhones – here’s why it’s BAD news

OUT with the old, and in with the new – Apple reveals new iPhones, and kills off some beloved models to make up for it.

It's now no longer possible to buy the iPhone X, iPhone 6S or iPhone SE from Apple.

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You might think it's a good thing: after all, you now have the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR to fawn over.

But this quiet culling of old iPhones is bad news.

It means that there are no longer any iPhones for sale on the Apple Store with a headphone jack.

Apple infamously killed off the headphone jack back in 2016 with the iPhone 7 – and the feature appears to now be gone for good.

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It was a controversial move at the time.

The headphone jack has been a staple of gadgets for years, giving accessory makers a universal way to plug their gear into smartphones.

There's no denying that 3.5mm headphone ports are a little outdated, but their widespread usage made them feel essential.

Apple bucked the trend with the iPhone 7, instead asking users to plug their headphones into the Lightning port on the bottom of the phone.

The Lightning port is typically used for charging your iPhone, but if you have an adapter (or Lightning headphones) then it can be used for audio, too.

Explaining the decision on-during Apple's announcement keynote in 2016, exec Phil Schiller said: "The reason to move on: courage.

"The courage to move on and do something new that betters all of us."

There are some benefits to ditching the port: because the port has a fixed size, axing it can lead to slimmer devices – which, along with creating all-screen displays, is another of Apple's long-term goals.

Plus, the future of phone charging is inevitably going to be wireless.

Apple phones have all offered wireless charging since the iPhone 8, which means you can use a special pad to power up the device without cables.

That means it is possible to charge an iPhone 8 (wirelessly) and plug in Lightning-connector headphones at the same time.

None of Apple's new iPhones announced on Wednesday have headphone jacks, suggesting the feature is gone forever.

And despite the missing feature, Apple's new iPhone trio is the most expensive yet.

Here's pricing for the new range:

• iPhone XR (64GB) – £749
• iPhone XR (128GB) – £799
• iPhone XR (256GB) – £899
• iPhone XS (64GB) – £999
• iPhone XS (256GB) – £1,149
• iPhone XS (512GB) – £1,349
• iPhone XS Max (64GB) – £1,099
• iPhone XS Max (256GB) – £1,249
• iPhone XS Max (512GB) – £1,449

By contrast, last year's iPhone 8 cost just £699, while even the best version of the iPhone X capped out at £1,149.

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Apple also used its Wednesday event to show off a new Apple Watch 4. However, four other rumoured products including an iPad pro DIDN’T launch.

But in the background, it discontinued the premium Apple Watch Edition – a ritzy variant of the smartwatch that could cost up to £15,000 for top models.

Will you miss these newly binned Apple gadgets? Let us know in the comments!

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