Rumors have been constantly swirling around about the absence of a headphone jack on Apple's next smartphone, the iPhone 7. Some users may be opposed to this idea, but eliminating the headphone jack could do wonders for the mobile device's inner components.

Just recently, Fast Company reported from a source with knowledge of Apple's plans that the tech giant is ditching its 3.5mm headphone jack, resulting to a thinner body for the iPhone 7. The new phone will reportedly depend on its Lightning cable port for sound output, as well as wireless headphones. The Lightning port has been utilized for power and data transfer in recent iPhones.

The source claimed that Apple is working with its longtime audio chip partner, Cirrus Logic, to adjust the audio chipset in the iPhone for the Lightning port, Fast Company added.

The Verge wrote that removing the headphone jack will have positive repercussions on the iPhone 7. Removing an opening on the device would make it easier to waterproof it, but more importantly, it frees up extra space inside the handset itself.

The iPhone's headphone jack "isn't significantly thicker than the Lightning port, but the headphone connector does go much deeper inside the phone. That tiny bit of extra real estate could always be put to better use if there's some alternative way to connect a pair of headphones," The Verge explained.

Fast Company's source further claimed that Apple's alleged audio system will introduce a new noise-canceling technology from Wolfson Microelectronics, a U.K.-based audio tech company that was acquired by Cirrus Logic in 2014. The software will reportedly be incorporated into the device and into the headphones that will be plugged into it, and will help in removing background noise in music playback and in phone calls.

The iPhone 7's potential headphone switch comes with benefits, but not all people are happy about this news. An online petition titled "Apple is Ditching the Standard Headphone Jack to Screw Consumers and the Planet" has popped up demanding against the idea. As of writing, the petition has already gained more than 227,800 signatures.

Last week, 9to5 Mac reported that Apple is developing a new set of wireless Bluetooth earphones with plans of launching the accessory alongside the iPhone 7. The company acquired headphone manufacturer, Beats Electronics, in 2014.

The in-development earphones are said to be fully wireless, meaning that it will not have a cable connecting the left and right ear pieces, 9to5 Mac noted. It will also have a noise-cancelling microphone system, and is capable of phone calls and communication with Apple's artificial intelligence, Siri, even without the company's previous in-line microphone and remote.