Not necessarily, probably the opposite. iPhone already has a very high quality DAC, and for most users it's more than fine. For the very niche audio enthusiasts, they can bypass the internal DAC and get lightning headphones with 3rd party DACs currently. So the idea that one must remove 3.5mm headphone jack in order to bypass internal DAC is incorrect. You can have both 3.5mm jack (analog), and lightning port (digital passthrough).
Now, if Apple removes the internal DAC and leaves it up to headphones manufacturers, there is more risk of cheap DACs put into headphones AND/OR same quality DAC as it's currently on iPhone which means there is no guarantee at all that in the end it'll result in higher quality audio.
The other thing to consider is, users will face higher headphone costs due to lightning port licensing costs, and DAC costs.
No where in what you quoted did I say anything about removing the jack is a must to bypass the internal DAC. So not incorrect. Also, no jack = no internal DAC to bypass because it will be removed along side it because it wouldn't need to be inside the phone anymore.
The current DAC I wouldn't say it's very high quality either. It's decent, but not very high quality.
I said it moves everything to a digital output for audio and
in the end will result in higher audio quality for everyone, not just audiophiles. HD Audio and beyond can be achieved through Lightning, which again,
in the end will be better. It's been known for close to two years now that Apple has been working on new HD Audio file formats. This is all prep work so that their most used device will be ready and equipped to bring that to all. Making moves now for the end game. Doing it now gets people used to the idea of no more jack and listening to whatever the new audio format is when it's ready to release instead of just the audiophiles.
Eventually, over time, the majority will have moved off even owning 3.5mm headphones and will either have Lightning or wireless. Some high end headphones already offer swappable cables for 3.5mm and Lightning as well.
If you try to understand, the intentions are likely to bring higher quality audio as
standard (IE for everyone) on the device. It's a good thing, not everything is evil.
It's a bold move for innovation. Lots will moan very hard in the beginning. But just like everything else Apple has removed in the past, they will get over it eventually and start enjoying the gains.
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Those perks you mention seem very minor
Just because a couple potential things that can happen I mentioned seem minor to you doesn't make those potential things minor to everyone else.
Every year people have complained "only one speaker still?!! Blah, blah, blah Android phone X and Y have two speakers" Or "I want water proof". So they are somewhat often demanded features for quite some time already.
