Traditional audio jacks on your phone or laptop are one step closer to the grave with the completion of technology that will let USB ports take over the job. The USB Implementers Forum announced Tuesday (PDF) it’s done creating an audio technology that will let the widely used USB port handle headsets and microphones.
USB audio existed before, but the new version 3.0 of the standard ensures USB-connected headphones won’t significantly hurt phone battery life and codifies details like how a pause button on your earbuds will work, Intel architect Brad Saunders said in an August interview.
