Earpods

The 3.5mm headphone jack might go away one day, but there's plenty of power there today!

While rumors persist the iPhone 7 will go 3.5mm headphone jack-free, Apple's done a lot to make the very old port as useful as possible for all of their devices. The EarPods that come with your iPhone or iPod touch can be used to control a wide range of features, including music, calls, and even Siri. So can any other set of headphones, from Beats to Bose, and on iPad as well—as long as they integrate the remote and mic hardware. The remote controls are great for accessibility, but they're also great for convenience. What's more, they also work with the Mac!

If you're not familiar with all the options, here's a complete list!

How would you feel about Apple putting health sensors into their next-generation EarPods headphones? There are a ton of health-related rumors swirling around iOS 8 and Healthbook, the iPhone 6 and even the still-mythical iWatch, and forward deploying sensors into wearable electronics, including headphones, is clearly the future. But is it the imminent future? Would you want it to be?

Apple has collaborated for years with U2 frontman Bono for his Project (RED) charity, focused on the fight against AIDS. The latest example of that is collaboration between Apple's senior vice president of design Jony Ive and famed industrial designer Marc Newson, according to MacRumors.

If you haven't yet upgraded to the iPhone 5, can you get some of that iPhone 5 experience by upgrading to Apple's new EarPods earbuds? At $29 they're not as expensive as high-end earpieces, but they're not exactly cheap either. Compared to the original Apple earbuds, the ones that shipped with every iPhone, iPod, and iPad up until the iPhone 5, are they a worthwhile upgrade, or are you better off waiting and just getting them for "free" with your next iOS device?