I was going through this Apple’s Jack-removal move and found articles dating back to 2014 where they were discussing the same.
Jun4, 2014: http://www.imore.com/apple-adds-headphones-lightning-cable-certification-standard
Jun20, 2014: http://www.macworld.com/article/2365061/hit-the-road-jack-why-apple-may-say-goodbye-to-the-headphone-plug.html
Jun24, 2014: http://cdm.link/2014/06/apple-eliminate-headphone-jack/
Jan5, 2016: http://www.cnet.com/news/would-it-be-a-mistake-for-apple-to-remove-the-headphone-jack-on-the-iphone-7/
…and still I was surprised this September. I should read more.