Apple iPhone 7 causes wireless headphones sales to soar

Sales of wireless headphones are soaring after Apple revealed that the latest version of the iPhone will not have a traditional socket for the first time.

John Lewis said sales of wireless headphones surged 60 per cent week on week, a trend that is expected to be accelerated by the controversial design of the iPhone7.

Katrina Mills, buyer audio and smart home at the department store group, said: “Last night’s announcement will drive the biggest sales in wireless headphones yet.

"Ahead of the news we had already seen an increased demand for wireless headphones, with noise cancelling functionality and sport models proving popular.”

Almost six out of ten of all headphone sales at John Lewis are now wireless models, compared to just 21 per cent last year.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook revealed in a presentation on San Francisco last night that 3.5mm headphone jack that was a feature of all previous generations of the iPhone has been scrapped to make room for other technological innovations.

However, the handsets will be sold with a headphone adaptor that plugs into the lightning port usually used to charge the phones.

Apple’s chief design officer Jonathan Ive said: ”We’re just at the beginning of a truly wireless future we’ve been working towards for many years, Some people have asked why we would remove the jack, its been with us a really long time - over 100 years.

“The reason to move on is courage, courage to move on. Our smartphones are packed with technologies, and we want more - it’s all fighting for space.”

Apple is also launching its own wireless earphones called AirPods priced at £159.

The iPhone7 - and its larger Plus version - will be available for pre-order from tomorrow and ready to pick-up from stores a week later. Prices start from £599.