Joaquin Phoenix in “Her.”

When Apple revealed its 7th generation iPhone today, there was a predicted omission: a headphone jack. A slightly miniaturized version of a plug dating back to 1878, the port is one of the oldest holdouts that we just can’t seem to get rid of. And why would we want to? Headphones are everywhere, adapters are silly, expensive, and easily lost, and It Just Works. And yet, here we are: Apple is removing it, to the behest of angry Facebookers who are convinced this might actually be the worst thing Apple has ever done.

But Apple has a long history of forcing a painful transition one step at a time, only revealing the bigger picture once it’s complete. The original iPod, which cost $400, was billed as insanely expensive when rivals sold for far less. But of course, Apple was building a following and an app ecosystem. The original MacBook Air, which was billed as ‘useless’ in a business environment due to its lack of ports, which lead the Intel Ultrabook category by years. And now, the lowly headphone jack, which I believe is the first step of Apple’s Next Big Thing.

In 2016, phone development has slowed. Even the 7th generation iPhone is only a marginal step forward: some waterproofing, a better camera, faster processor…. We’ve heard this story before. The 7th generation isn’t the first to suffer from this slowing of change. Afterall, there’s only so much ‘instantly’ an app can open in, and manufacturers are on the hunt for the next big revolution.

For Apple, that’s Siri. With the rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and increased computer power, I believe Apple is going to do all it can to make the phone itself less and less important. For instance, rather than using a display to manually hunt for the right email, we will be able to simply ask for a summary of our latest emails. And how is this communicated to us? Audibly.

Apple’s literature puts a large emphasis on Siri and how well the microphones can differentiate human voice. Even the new Apple AirPod wireless headphones are needlessly over-engineered for ‘just headphones.’ Accelerometers understand when we’re speaking, and noise-cancellation ensures the device can listen properly. This engineering doesn’t exist to make our text messages a little bit faster, it’s the first step on a road which leads to an always listening, always helpful assistance, a la the movie Her. Apple’s recent acquisition of Beats Headphones suddenly appears less of a two-years-too-late investment, and more of a talent grab. Headphones, microphones, and audio all play a pivotal role in the future of the iPhone.

The removal of the headphone jack, I believe, isn’t a way to inconvenience headphone users. The AirPods aren’t a $150 earbud alternative, they’re the first taste of this new user interface.

In the same way that it did with the MacBook Air, Apple is forcing a change that the world might not be ready for, in preparation of a change that it’s helping to drive. By forcing users to get comfortable with wireless audio and speaking to our devices, it’s ushering in a new type of human/machine interaction. In the next few years, I believe we’ll see Siri become more and more powerful, to the point that most simple, day-to-day tasks will be done via voice.

The ultimate goal of this change, I believe, will be to hide the iPhone. Instead of trying to push updated hardware that has fewer and fewer changes each cycle, we’re about to witness a prioritization of automation and AI over physical gear. Google, Apple, and Microsoft are ALL developing digital assistants. It makes sense that they’ll take more and more of a role moving forward. Any Taiwanese startup can churn out a good spec-list and sell a phone these days (looking at you, OnePlus), but who can craft an AI digital assistant? As the phone shrinks and becomes less important, Siri will take more of a front-and-center role, to the point that the hardware will only be necessary for viewing and taking photos and videos. The demotion of hardware to the back pocket will allow Apple to retain dominance in a landscape that’s becoming more and more similar. In this model, Apple borders closer to a Software-As-A-Service company, banking more on their digital assistance and life-integration, rather than a better camera module. To quote Don Draper, if you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.