I still find it amazing that people are arguing about the 3.5mm jack like there's any serious chance apple will remove it on the next rMBP. How does a rumor about a "phone" mean the exact same thing will happen to a laptop? Who seriously made the jump that if the iPhone 7 won't have a headphone jack (a rumor that has just been contradicted by another rumor), then surely their next laptop won't either, despite the fact the just released 2016 rMB has a 3.5mm jack? It makes ZERO sense that they would remove such a standard port on a laptop that it's idiotic to believe it would actually happen right now. Is there a "chance" it could be removed? Yes. Anything is possible. Is it likely to be removed? No. Why? Because Apple isn't "that" stupid to do such a thing.
Ok, I'm getting tired about it so I'm gonna throw my 2 cents, despite this will make some people become crazy berserkers yelling at me.
Removing it on an iPhone is stupid, at least until a new better standard comes. Why is it stupid? Because many people hear stuff with iPhone while walking, at train, running, etc. using it like it was the iPod before.
Now, on Macbook Pros: these are not consumer computers. These are computers made for working, despite people using them to watch movies and casual stuff. Obviously you can use it the way you want, but we all know Apple wants us to use things on concrete way ("You hold it wrong", you remember?). Audio engineers (mixing, mastering, etc) won't ever use Mac's jack, but an external DAC, external audio soundcard, or a digital soundcard plus professional converters. The same goes with people working with videos or multimedia stuff. Of course you could do a fast audio test with normal headsets, but you won't work with them.
Maybe the problem is that some people perceive MBP as a more power capable computer to consume contents instead of a working machine, while Apple wants it to be differentiated from MB, and to be used for work usage. And to consume contents you need normal headsets thus 3.5mm jack port, but to work with it the jack port is not needed since there are much better performing options.
Now: if this jack port is removed for the sake of thinness, then I agree it's stupid. It wouldn't be justified. If this jack port is removed for a good reason (I don't see which good reason would make reasonable removing this port), then it's OK. But I see Apple removing this port now or in the near future tho, so get used to it like we got used to work without CDs or Ethernet port.
So if they remove it and you are an audiophile, you can get an USB DAC for a few bucks that will be WAY better than the Mac's internal, and you'll appreciate the difference. If you are a casual user, you'll have to go for bluetooth options while there's no better "casual option". If those bluetooth options have bad sound quality to you, then the DAC is the way to go (and you'll notice the difference between DAC & jack, as you noticed the difference between jack & bluetooth).
