by Lyubomir Dobrev | Approximate reading time: 1 Minute
Apple iPad 4

Apple iPad 4  ·  Source: Apple

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Cult Japanese Apple website Macotakara reports that upcoming Apple iPad Pros will have no headphone jacks, along with other design changes – slightly smaller bodies, thinner bezels, and a relocated smart connector, to name a few. Furthermore, it is unlikely that Apple will bundle a lighting/USB-C to 3.5mm adapter with the new iPads as well as upcoming iPhones.

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Will such a change sort of kill the iPad for some musicians incorporating the wealth of iOS apps in their setups? Unlikely. All it will take to fix things up is a dongle with a good ol’ 3.5mm jack and an USB port so the iPad can be charged or connected to a computer. If Apple won’t make one, someone else will. Of course, a dongle might introduce a bit of latency and adds further complexity to the setup, but it’s pretty darn close to an ideal solution.

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Controversial as it is, the headphone jack removal isn’t that big of a deal. It won’t stop musicians or anyone else from enjoying music on their iPad, it will just make it a tiny bit more cumbersome (if using a dongle) or expensive (if going the wireless route). So there’s no need to scream, aim, and fire at Apple for abandoning dated audio technology to produce a sleeker device.

Regardless, what’s your stance on the matter? Feel free to ell us what you think about it in the comments section below!

Apple iPad 4

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6 responses to “Rumor: Upcoming Apple iPad Pro to lose 3.5mm headphone jack”

    no headphone jack, no buy — simple as that. bt is worthless for musicians.

    Miranda says:
    0

    Well the author has clearly drank a few gallons of the Apple kool-aid.

    Unapologist says:
    0

    Seriously, this site should remove its head out of Apple’s dongle. This is supposed to be serious reporting? Nothing but excuses for another subpar Apple product. And that is from a longtime Apple user, myself. The company lost the connection, all they seem to care about is selling low specs for high amounts these days.

    Diki says:
    0

    Latency, latency, latency. That’s the only thing a musician needs worry about (if using any kind of live tool).

    I guess the jury’s out until the specs come in. iPad latency is bad enough already (compared to decent Lightning interfaces etc.), we don’t need anything extra added to it just so Apple can shave a couple of mm off the thickness. A proper audio out jack is always handy as a last resort if an audio interface fails. Apple are forcing us to carry multiple output devices as backup.

    I don’t get it. There’s still a real world out there, but Apple don’t live in it.

    Dave says:
    0

    Wait did I miss something? Since when are directly, solidly, reliably wired audio connections “Dated?” It’d be way more accurate to call them “Timeless,” or “Industry standard,” or “Just works.” Speak for yourself Lyubomir, the removal of the direct audio connection might not be a big deal for you, but its a deal-breaker for me, and probably a whole legion of other electronic music-makers who’d rather make sound on stage, instead of debug their flaky, laggy wireless setups. It isn’t “Courageous” Apple, it’s completely out of touch.

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