Quick Hits: Wireless headphones; streaming needs age; and live podcast shows

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Apple’s lack of jack not the end of headphones: The next version of the iPhone is going to mark a big change in product design, as rumor has it that the new smartphones will not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. The speculation made waves both among tech writers and iPhone owners, but David Pierce of Wired is not too concerned about the change. He’s penned an article forecasting that wireless headphones are going to be the gear of choice in the future.Given all the updates in headphone tech we’ve been seeing, wireless sets that don’t sacrifice quality don’t seem like such a far-fetched idea. Pierce also noted that several audio companies are making headphones with alternate connections, such as USB or Apple’s own Lightning port.

Streaming needs older listeners: Heather Willensky, a label manager for Highline Records, wrote a piece about why streaming services need to reach out to older listeners. She has several charts from Jackdaw Research to support the arguments, but the claims support a large volume of research that has shown younger listeners are more likely to be the ones interested in streaming. She suggested pitching both catalog options and radio listening to be more friendly to the over-35 audience.

Live podcast tapings create community: We’ve seen studies that show podcasting is an overwhelmingly white male audience, but a Wired article argues that live tapings are revealing the deep community behind women and minority hosts. Especially when podcast listening can be an isolated experience, giving fans the opportunity to be in the same space as other fans fosters more connections among listeners and with the shows’ personalities.

Anna Washenko