This reminds me of the time I bought a fake ipod off ebay in the late 2000s that was 8Gb but would do weird stuff as I copied music over. It was overwrite other seemingly random songs as I copied over using the provided "itunes" lol. It took me a while to realize it but their "secret space technology" was just that. A 1gb drive that somehow looked 8Gb to windows. Their software just did some tricks to make like it appeared to work
The real reason Bluetooth is required --- profit/greed.
Apple attempts to monopolize and profitize every aspect of their products --- even down to external attachments. Not because it is *better* for the user\consumer but because it is *better* for Apple.
The EU finally passed a law prohibiting the most egregious example --- the Lightening connector.
Is the production cost difference still favorable when amortizing the intentional radiator certification costs they likely aren't paying for anyway?
> True Apple lightning devices are more expensive to make. So instead of conforming to the Apple standard, these companies have made headphones that receive audio via bluetooth — avoiding the Apple specification — while powering the bluetooth chip via a wired cable, thereby avoiding any need for a battery.