Report: Has Anyone Ever Actually Used The Backpack Headphone Hole

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A comprehensive new report has confirmed that the small, rubber-lined headphone hole featured on most backpacks since the early 2000s has never once been used for its intended purpose.

The finding comes after a decade long observational study of students, commuters and office workers, none of who could recall a single instance of threading their headphone cable through the port.

“I always assumed someone, somewhere, was using it” said researcher Daniel Wu (51).

“But every participant either didn’t know it existed or thought it was for ventilation.”

The design feature, originally marketed as a seamless way to connect an iPod stored safely inside the bag, appears to have never been used and additionally been rendered obsolete  by the rise of wireless headphones and the general preference iof keeping phones in pockets.

Former backpack owner Melissa Grant (29) says she noticed the hole in high school and briefly considered using it.

“But then I realised I would have to take my phone out of my pocket, put it in the bag, feed the cord through, and measure the exact amount of slack” she said. 

Manufacturers maintain the feature was a strong selling point at the time.

Several respondents did admit they occasionally push a finger through the hole absentmindedly, before returning to placing their tangled earphones directly into their pockets.

Experts say the hole now survives mainly as a  reminder of a brief moment in history when mp3 devices were so expensive they should be safely secured in a backpack in the wild.