That's such a crap argument, I'll just take the surface.
Here's one... as long as they intend to have an external speaker, they have to have a DAC chip built in anyhow.
Here's another. This BS about flow... a DAC has to flip it to audio at some point in the chain. By moving it external to the unit for headphones, you are having to now power a second DAC (battery), and then requiring that chip to be properly isolated, insulated, and be capable of pushing to a pair of cans.
If you're concerned about the width of the device, I'm not exactly hearing "OMG I so hope the 7 is thinner than the chunky 6s".
So all you're doing is removing the volume of the plug from the inside of the device. That's enough battery to run another 15 minutes or so, and that's assuming you don't make it thinner based on your prior nonsense.
Here's another... that 50 year old technology will be around another 50 years. The main reason is the low level of power draw, and not having to add batteries. It's one thing to make the case that a Lightning-based DAC Amp might improve the listening experience, though if you're still worried about that and using an iPhone, I'd question that thinking. Even so, that's still an option on a 6s that is here, right now, and not interfering with the current 3.5mm.
So basically, your argument is that the 3.5mm plug is too big for modern devices, and yet the best seller in Q2 was the iPhone SE. All you've said is "why not use the 8mm". And of course, that's stupid because it's unnecessary and not the target for portables. All you're left with is you don't like it because you think it's "nostalgic". The facts are it is a superior quality option for 99% of the current existing stock of headphones. Requiring a dongle to use them is unnecessary, redundant, and an additional battery draw for the same output.
So unless I hear a different argument on how audio quality is improved over what the 6s offers, it's still just a stupid design omission.
