iPhone headphone jack (2016): did it need fixing?

2016

Apple

Before: iPhones with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
The fix: Dropped the jack from the iPhone 7. Phil Schiller said it came down to one word: courage.
Then: Apple announced $159 AirPods at the same event. No iPhone since the 7 has had a headphone jack.

Kept it.

Still gone, ten years later.

Your call

More fixes nobody asked for

2016

Meta (Instagram)

Before: Instagram showed posts from people you follow, newest first.
The fix: Switched the main feed to an algorithm that ranks posts instead of listing them by time.
Then: In March 2022 Instagram added Following and Favorites feeds in chronological order. The ranked Home feed stayed the default.

Half took it back

Chronological feed is back, one tap away, never the default.

Your call

2021

Tesla

Before: Tesla Model S and Model X with a round steering wheel.
The fix: Made a rectangular, open-topped 'yoke' the standard steering wheel.
Then: In 2023 Tesla started selling a $700 round-wheel retrofit for yoke owners. It reportedly sold out in about a week.

Half took it back

A round wheel became available again in 2023, as an option and a retrofit.

Your call

2020

Volkswagen and others

Before: Car dashboards with real knobs and buttons for heat, volume and hazards.
The fix: Moved heating, volume and other basics onto touchscreens and touch-sensitive sliders.
Then: VW's design chief Andreas Mindt said they would 'never, ever make this mistake again.' From 2026, Euro NCAP wants physical controls for horn, indicators, hazards, wipers and SOS to give five stars.

Half took it back

Buttons are coming back model by model, starting with VW's ID.2all.

Your call